It was the way that Helen (our long-suffering HR Manager) strode into my office which suggested there was something that she was about to enjoy – at my expense.
“You’ve got something of an air about you,” I said.
“Funny you should say that Hartley,” she retorted, “because I’ve come to see you about something of an air anyway.”
It turned out that it was something of an air in IT.
Recently, we had hired ‘Gorgeous’ George, as he had become known by the girls (after Clooney not Galloway), as a senior project leader.
After his arrival, the girls had left us chaps in no doubt that Gorgeous (who was single to boot) was practically a living deity.
But as I now learned, there was something of a problem developing between Gorgeous and the girls.
Not inappropriate behaviour as such, but as Helen put it “he has something of an air about him”.
I looked quizzical. “A bad air, Hartley… something even his best friend couldn’t tell him.”
“Ah! Pong does he?” I said with a little too much relish, perhaps.
It turned out that everything had been tried.
All his staff now sat with air fresheners prominently displayed on their desks; at the Christmas lunch, all the secret Santa presents had been deodorant sets, but he hadn’t taken any of the hints.
So now they had come to Helen, who had come to me. The penny dropped.
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“So you want me to tell Gorgeous what even his best friend couldn’t?”
“That’s right Hartley,” she beamed winningly.
