Go Cody

"Shut up Cody," her mom said nervously.

"No vehicle could possibly get up there," Sarah said. "We'll skid down backwards."

Ron heard that and laughed. "Wherever my son decides to go, the vehicle he's driving will follow. He knows the limitation of vehicles better than they do themselves."

Sarah decided to close her eyes rather than attempt to debate that fanciful comment.

Somewhere during the ascent she clutched Cody's hand and Cody had to lever her hand free as they reached the driveway coming up the easier gradient.

Ron said, "There told you so Sarah. A piece of cake."

"Thanks for getting us up there dad," the driver said sarcastically.

Sarah was a little wobbly getting out of the vehicle and at that moment probably thought she preferred being home. Suddenly going to Australia for adventure had turned into a scary adventure.

* * *

Sarah had known her new home would be surrounded by a new culture and she'd already seen sights and heard talk in the laconic many folk spoke and their choice of words reminded her it was a land of slightly different people and very different habitat. She'd already seen quite a number of Roos (kangaroos) but there was something rather comforting to have known she'd ridden in an American-made Jeep.

They entered the house over a verandah and directly into an enormous kitchen and Sarah's mouth dropped open and as she stopped Kathy who was following almost banged into her.

"What is it dear?"

"The-the fridge and freezer...th-they are exactly the same that mom h-has in her kitchen?"

"Oh is Westinghouse also made in America?" Kathy said. "Most people I know around here have that brand."

"Westinghouse is an American multinational?"

"Oh is it? I do know our big new TV is Japanese and our water pumps are German but we do have many things made in Australia. Oh I have plenty of Australian magazines and collected a couple of American magazines for you while I was browsing the bookshop in Dubbo. You might be interested to know Australia is pretty much pro-American."

The men had gone off to the truck depot office and the women were sitting having coffee when a car came up the steep driveway tooting.

"This is my surprise for you girls," Kathy said. "These ladies are arriving for lunch."

As they went outside Cody spotted who the arrivals were and laughed, "Well done mum," and raced over to greet the visitors.

Cody made the introductions. "Sarah this is Mary-Lou Allen from Mississippi who married one of our local vets, this is Gretchen Hagen originally from Kansas, a charge nurse at the hospital who was usually my boss when I worked there during school and university holidays, and this is Donna Holt who's married to the father of one of my ex-boyfriends but I remain close friends with Ted."

Sarah kissed the women and asked Donna where she hailed from.

Everyone watched Donna as she dropped into an exaggerated American accent and said, "Oh I'm off a ranch near James River. I understand you hail from up Aberdeen way?"

"Omigod," Sarah shrieked and flung herself into the arms of the laughing 38-year old from South Dakota.

After the visitors left Sarah disappeared into her room and Kathy asked, "Why was Sarah so eager to get to her room?"

"She didn't say mom but my guess she's on the phone to her mom. It will be midnight in Dakota but Lisa won't mind because she will be hearing how her daughter away in a foreign land has found she is also in a Little America."

"Oh her mom will really love that. You really liked her mother didn't you? She was so lovely to you."

"And you'll love her too mom. They are not without money. They will come here to visit Sarah because I can't see Sarah going home for Christmas or Thanksgiving. Sarah is a slow-starter but once she gets going she'd a lot like me. She will thrive in this relatively isolated community."

* * *

Milly Anderson, the charge occupational therapist at the hospital, had been without trained assistance for more than a year and burst into tears when she was introduced to her graduate assistant.

She apologize for 'blubbering' but said it had been such an emotional occasion for her because it had been such a struggle trying to deliver the quality of service her patients needed.

"We have a large number of elderly people in extended care, most of whom are bed-ridden or go no farther than a beside chair unless taken to the veranda on a wheelchair. Many are wooed out of lethargy by engaging in occupational therapy. Being the center of a farming community we also have a large number of people with hand injuries that need to our skills to help get fingers into improved use again."

Milly had two daughters and as a result of inviting Sarah to dinner, Sarah and Beth the daughter who lived at home quickly become friends and other introductions fanned out from there.

* * *

The promised position at the hospital had not been kept for Cody.

Kevin Charles, the CEO said, "I'm sorry Cody the position was promised to you and four months ago when I you wrote I replied confirming the position was open to you. But four months is a long time in hospital admin and we'd had an unfavorable external performance audit and the chairman of the board forced me to fill the position with an experienced professional.

Cody bit back on her disappointment, deciding it would be futile to argue. She waited to see what position would be offered.

"I'm sorry Cody but at present we have nothing suitable to offer you."

She boiled and said, "Well in that case expect to hear from my lawyer. I have kept a copy of your confirming letter."

Mr Charles looked quite startled.

"Um please don't do anything rash. I'll talk to our board chairman."

"Then do it now. I've completed my qualification as we agreed and I've now fronted up to take the job that was promised to me. Call the chairman now."

Mr Charles hesitated and Cody glared at him.

"Very well. Please wait outside."

A few minutes later Mr Charles called Cody back in.

"I have been speaking to our chairman. Murray White..."

"The mayor?"

"Yes. He possibly has a job for you and if you interview well he could call an emergency meeting of the appointments committee for late this afternoon to consider appointing you. If you are not interested I have been authorized to pay you $10,000 compensation and not a cent more."

"I see. Well good jobs are difficult to find in this city. What do you suggest?"

"Defer considering compensation until you have lunch today with the mayor and his senior recruitment team."

"Yes that was my thought too. Please arrange it."

Mr Charles picked up his phone and said, "Miss Barr says in the first instance lunch is fine."

Mr Charles put down the phone and said, "Noon in the Council Chambers for a working lunch."

"Thank you."

"I'm very sorry about this upset Cody."

"Are you?" she said, and walked off.

"I had no option."

"You could have called me," she said and opened the door and walked out leaving it open.

"God you look more beautiful than ever," said Mayor White, kissing her in front of everyone.

"I've known Cody since she was a kid and her dad is Ron Barr and Ron and I play in the same cards school. Sit down at the end of the table Cody where everyone can eye you. Here comes the food and then it's down to business. Cody we were about to begin searching for a director of administrative services. The incumbent died two days ago I regret to say."

Cody ears pricked up. The base studies of her degree had been totally on business administration. Being a new graduate, she was expecting a starting salary offer of about A$45,000 with good increases over the next two years as she picked up work experience.

Late that afternoon Cody was appointed to the position on a salary of A$52,000. Before signing the contract she was handed a document to sign drawn up on behalf of the mayor as chairman of the hospital board. In signing it she agreed that she had resolved her dispute with board administration to her full and final satisfaction and would take no further action over her non-appointment to a position in hospital administration.

Cody's parents were astonished she'd made the switch and although initially disappointed Sarah cheered up immediately when Cody said now they were both employed should they look for an apartment or a house to rent.

The following weekend they found a well-maintained cottage on a high bank above the river and secured it. Kathy was hugely disappointed they were leaving her home so soon and made them promise they'd come for a meal at least once most weekends and stay occasionally.

* * *

Council general manager Percy Reid briefed Cody on her first day at work.

"We are a small outfit in a small community," Percy began, and to Cody's relief said, "But you being the mayor's pick will be smart enough to know all that crap and that as local government we have responsibility..."

"And I know all that crap too Mr Reid. Thelma Green, your daughter Allison and I did a comprehensive project on this council when we were in our senior year at high school."

"Oh yes and your project was runner-up in the New South Wales Country educational competition for school study projects."

"Yes you remembered that but had forgotten me, hadn't you? Go on, the truth."

"Um I remember Ron Barr had this cute daughter. Ah that would have been you and yes you were a sensational swimming champion and went to Sydney and performed credibly. Yes this elderly brain is clicking over. Look your dad is a pal of mine. I really do need a solid person in charge of admin so after six months what say I recommend that you acquire that as an extra responsibility of becoming my deputy, providing you prove up to it, and that ought to bump up your salary by an extra $20,000."

"That sounds wonderful Mr Reid."

"Call me Percy from now on Cody. Um keep that promotion thing confidential. There's resentment within management that you are female and are so young with no experience but of course those dimwits are not aware you have had expensive summer work experience in admin while at university and in America."

"Perhaps it might help if you had my CV put up on my new web page today."

"We haven't really advanced into web pages yet. The high school guy in charge of IT is our IT consultant and works for us outside of school hours. But we do have an email intranet. I'll have Gladys email everyone the copy of your CV. I'm keen to do that and the mayor seemed impressed with your CV. Only the engineer and myself are masters grads so you are joining a small elite."

Cody thought oh god, hadn't she landed in a real backwater. Probably nothing had changed in almost five years since her team had done the study of the council.

In his bumbling way Percy went on to explain what her duties in finance and general administration would be. It was clear she would be director of corporate services, while as general manager he worked alongside the mayor and councilors, the committees, liaised with the community and acted as chief troubleshooter and was responsible for staffing.

He rambled on and at 10:30 the other two directors of services came in. God little wonder there was resentment. The engineer, who was director of infrastructure, looked to be well into his seventies, Percy was mid-sixties and the director of planning and environment looked not far short of sixty.

"Greetings Roy and Albert," Percy said jovially. "You'll remember Cody here as the leader of that team of three senior high school students who included my daughter Allison who did that award-winning study of the structure and operation of this council some years back?"

The two guys who hadn't taken their eyes off the pretty blonde soon to turn twenty-four and both chorused "Oh yeah".

"Do you intend disguising your femininity?" asked the engineer.

"Oh come on Roy," Cody giggled. "This is the 21st Century and quite some way into it."

"I am your senior. You call me Mr Jones."

Percy jumped in. "Oh come on Roy, I'm not expecting you to kiss Cody in welcome but at least be polite and accept she is a director on equal footing with you although not of course with your great number of years of seniority."

"Welcome Cody. You may call me Albert. My wife Sylvia remembers teaching you at primary school."

"Oh indeed and Mrs Hungerford had a wonderful soft manner. I bet she is great with your grandchildren?"

"Indeed and we have six of the little brats and they all adore her. I tell her you asked after her."

"Thank you Albert. You are so lucky to have married such a wonderful woman."

"I have two great-grandchildren."

"Oh gracious me Roy. That must make you very proud. Do they know you are responsible for all the roads, drains, waster-water systems and our small airport in this Shire, oh a refuse disposal and flood control?"

He looked surprised and said, "I hadn't though of telling them that. My kids were never interested."

"Well young children today like to know such things. Thanks to TV and computer games they have such inquiring minds."

"Look Cody I must get you around for lunch one Sunday to meet the family," Roy said. "My oldest granddaughter says you taught her not to be afraid of the water at the pool and says you are the greatest swimmer this town has ever seen."

"Why thank you Roy. That was very kind of you to say those things. I suppose you guys think I'm a dumb blonde and know not a thing about local government finance, loan-raising, refinancing, amortization, taxation, cost-benefit studies, public health regulations, climate change adoption actions, staff management, public relations and public speaking oh and asset management and auditing?"

The three guys appeared slightly shell-shocked.

"Percy had told us you spent a year after gaining you BA working in the finance department of a major hospital in Sydney before going to America to complete an masters with emphasis on hospital administration."

"Yes Albert, that is correct. I do believe we are reaching understanding here. Which of you guys will pour the coffee? I'd hate to think you were leaving it to the female."

Albert laughed as Percy and Roy competed to grab the coffee pot.

Cody laughed and said she expected she would find it fun working there.

"Fun?" the guys practically chorused.

"Oh yes, nothing needs to be too serious, even when you're dealing with complaints and councilors on the warpath."

The guys shook their heads and sipped their coffee, staring at the new person with strange ideas who'd arrived in their midst unexpectedly and appeared to speak with authority.

"I have been instructed to shave 10% off expenditure for the budgets for the next financial year."

"No problem Percy. That will be my area," Cody said. "We show the Mayor and council a trial budget in private where the budget cuts will be highlighted in each councilor's area and the cuts to the mayor's office allocation and the withdrawal of credit cards, no expenditure on new vehicles and machinery and the elimination of catering for committee and council meetings."

"Christ they'll scream Blue Murder," Roy said.

"Exactly, and that's the tactic," Cody said. "It was done successfully at the hospital where I worked in Sydney and board members quickly agreed austerity measures would be achieve by leaving the budget very much the same as the current year."

"Gosh that's brilliant," Percy said. "But we'll never get away with it. The skinflints here will spot the ploy a mile off."

"Oh I don't know. We just give them the 10% reduction in final trial figures and allow them to find out for themselves where the cuts have been made and then you can bet there will be screams of Blue Murder and an urgently considered policy rethink. It will be the mayor and council who says a 10% reduction is intolerable, not us."

When the meeting broke up Roy said, "It's great that you have joined the team Cody."

Albert practically bowed saying, "You are a very impressive young lady. I look forward to trying to accept any new ways you attempt to impose on our administration."

"Thanks guys; now have a great day won't you?"

Roy said dourly, "Yeah we are off to have fun."

When they had gone Percy said, "Those two were probably your two greatest opponents and yet you handled them like a hot knife cutting butter."

"Thanks Percy," Cody said. "But I'm not Wonder Woman."

"I accept that too," he smiled. "Come on, let's inspect your department and meet your team of thirteen. Your people do everything from internal auditing to opening the mail."

As Cody would learn later when reading the individual files that actually were up on computer and required password access, eleven of those thirteen people had gone through the city's state high school she'd attended. The other two had received Catholic education. So there should be some empathy among her staff at seeing her as ex-local girl doing well. At the same time everyone would be watchful.

She sighed, knowing it would take time.

An hour later her CV was posted and she thought that might help.

Her personal assistant Jill Carson was forty-four and had been with the council since leaving school. Jill had since obtained a diploma in business and then an advanced diploma in business. At least that was something.

"And so Jill what do you do?"

"Whatever you don't want to do."

Well it appeared Jill was stoic and an excellent communicator. Cody liked that.

She decided to get a question off her mind and called the mayor's PA to arrange an appointment.

"Oh you don't require an appointment. Just try to catch him."

Huh?

"He's just arriving now so come and grab him now, no one is waiting."

Mayor White was hanging up his jacket when Cody knocked and walked in and said "Good morning Mayor White."

"You're a big girl now holding down an important job Cody so call me Murray except when I'm in my robes. Good morning to you. You are pretty and have the best boobs in council."

Pleased and taken aback at the same time Cody decided to say nothing.

"You want something?"

"Yes Murray. I am pleased with this appointment although I had my heart set on working in hospital administration, having training for it. The question I have is why was I offered the position I have accepted here?"

"Well I'm not very bright Cody but one thing I can do is make things work. The legal advice I received when I heard you were heading back here for the hospital job that no longer existed for you, was a successful court action could cost the board $100,000 for breach of contract. You were clearly told we would employ you once you gained your masters and you even had that confirmed a few months ago in writing. I figured we had a directorship suddenly become available here and I ought to try to shunt you into that slot. If you failed in the position we could fire you with impunity. Sorting out your employment problem would remove you as a financial threat to the hospital and greatly please my best pal who is your dad. See how I think and manipulate Cody? It's a piece of juggling not done by the book and yet nothing I have done is illegal. The outcome is a big problem has been solved."

"That was very impressive Murray and far too tortuous for me to have worked it out unassisted. I just wanted the answer."

"Great and come home for drinks on Friday night at 6:00 and bring your American friend. Are you two gay?"

"No."

"Good because that would have worried my wife Gwen."

Cody left feeling happy with the answer and knowing she'd not lied to the mayor. What she and Sarah did was just for convenience and was social interaction. They were bi but not gay. They were both sure of that.

Back in her office Cody asked Jill when would the computer guy be in. Jill consulted her calendar and said at 4:00 that day.