New Horizons

Monday 17 September 2007
9.34am

From: Cully Fielding
To: Stephanie Lockhart
Subject: This Weeks Letter of Resignation

Morning! How are you? How was your weekend and the date with HIM?

I’m typing this in Word as the e-mail/internet is down again, like everything else here. Giles has shut down the server and had been tinkering with it since before nine. I am sure the old thing is about to explode (the server, not Giles) but there is a funny smell. I could be wrong though and it’s probably me. Being in this old office day in and day out is probably making me smell worse than a dirty duster.

Can you tell it is Monday? Things are always far worse on a Monday. I am always going to hand in my resignation on a Monday. I have already written my letter of resignation for this week, what do you think?

Dear Giles

I am writing to inform you that I wish to resign from my position as secretary (general dogsbody) at Butterworths & Co. and I hereby give you four weeks notice (yes, the same amount of crappy holiday you awarded me).

Thank you for employing me as a (valued???) member of your team.

Yours sincerely

Cully Fielding

Do you think I should add the reasons I hate this job so much?

Oh, he’s stopped tinkering I will try and send…

C xxx


Monday 17 September 2007
9.43am

From: Stephanie Lockhart
To: Cully Fielding
Subject: Re: This Weeks Letter of Resignation

Hi Cull
I’m doing great thanks this weekend was just the tonic! Date with HIM (you know his name is Christian so use it!) was wonderful, I am all smiles  We went to the cinema and then on to Nando’s – before you ask HE PAID!! Honestly, you are so old fashioned Cull, I don’t see how it makes a difference to the relationship whether the guy pays or not! I haven’t heard from him since he dropped me home but I know he’ll text, I feel positive this time. He was so attentive.

Dare I ask how you are? How was your weekend?

Why do you hate your boss so much? I love hearing about Giles, he cracks me up! Tinkering, did you say? And what does that involve? I have a picture in my head of a man in a tweed suit with leather elbow patches, poking a computer with a screwdriver whilst electric sparks and smoke singe his eyebrows! Surely he is just a kindly old man?

About your letter of resignation… A few things strike me as bordering on offensive, could you not remove the comments in brackets? It would look much better without – just a suggestion  I only get twenty days holiday BTW. I don’t think you should add the reasons of why you hate your job so much, resignation letters are generally less than a page in length. One question though, shouldn’t you have a new job to go to before you resign?

Oh well, work calls.

Steph xoxo


Monday 17 September 2007
10.07am

From: Cully Fielding
To: Stephanie Lockhart
Subject: “HIM” is all he deserves!!

Glad you had a lovely weekend S and that your date went stupendously. You haven’t heard from HIM since Friday night? Not even a text? Have you texted him? I know I am old fashioned but I honestly believe that men should do all the running and we should remain coy and aloof. It really works! With me and Olly that is exactly what happened. I am really glad that you are feeling positive but please don’t let yourself get hurt again? I know you feel like you are going to end up with HIM and it is meant to be after all your history, but I seriously feel that you could do better.

You will wish you hadn’t asked how I am. Fed up doesn’t even begin to cover it. I am aware of how lucky I am in my life, it is just that work is really getting me down. The thought of going back on a Monday morning ruins Sundays and all my time here is soul destroying. Even though I am so fortunate with everything else, I can’t stop being such a misery about work. I know that quitting and getting a new job is easy in theory but I haven’t managed it in three years have I? I don’t even want to be a secretary. I want to be something else and I don’t know what. I thought about being a teacher, what do you think? Would I be good at it? I keep having these whims about things but when it comes to actually doing something about it I fall at the first hurdle. I am not sure if it is lack of confidence, plain laziness or both.

I must make Giles sound hilarious but believe me, working with him soon makes you want to strangle him. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t actually HATE him he is just… you know! Anyway, he isn’t an old old man, he is forty (or thereabouts) and there is no sign of a tweed suit. It is the “winning combination” of him and his dragon sidekick combined with the bitchiness of everyone else here that drives me round the bend. Tinkering basically means prodding where he shouldn’t be!

I know you get twenty days holiday but can you take them any time you like? My holiday request has to go through the entire company to check that nobody else wants the time off first. They are obsessed with “covering the office” yet come August time I am the only person here covering anything. Last Thursday was the busiest day of my life, everyone else was on holiday. Thanks for your advice about the resignation letter, you are right (as usual) I have to find another job first… better start looking then. What career would I be good at?

C xx

PS – Don’t text HIM!!


Monday 17 September 2007
10.36am

From: Molly Fielding
To: Cully Fielding
Subject: Door

Cully, did you lock the back door before you left this morning? I forgot to check before I left.

Mum x


Monday 17 September 2007
10.39am

From: Cully Fielding
To: Molly Fielding
Subject: Re: Door

Mum, I didn’t open the door so why would I need to lock it?

Monday 17 September 2007
10.42am

From: Molly Fielding
To: Cully Fielding
Subject: Re: Re: Door

Yes, but it might have been opened by someone else. You know what your Dad’s like.

Monday 17 September 2007
10.46am

From: Cully Fielding
To: Molly Fielding
Subject: Re: Re: Re:Door

Mum, I am sure you have got OCD.

I’ll bring something nice home for tea tonight 

Monday 17 September 2007
9.43am

From: Stephanie Lockhart
To: Cully Fielding
Subject: Re: “HIM” is all he deserves!!

I texted him later on after he dropped me home to say thanks for a great night. I haven’t texted him since though  I’ll try not to for the rest of today at least. Don’t worry, I am not going to get hurt. I know what he is like and I don’t intend to let myself get hurt again....

TO BE CONTINUED.