I seriously do not think that things could get any worse. I’ve lost my job at the factory, my mother passed away last week, and there was an Eviction notice on my doorway as I entered my flat. A huge black hole has just opened before me, and its calling me towards it. More about the factory – my boss, Mr. Birling, had been a nice enough man up until now. He paid me a little amount compared to what I should have been earning, and although I had been fine with it, some of the girl’s confided in me that they felt that he was being unreasonable. In my excitement that people felt the same as me, we set up an organisation in which I would demand more money from him. We decided that confronting him directly was the best form of attack, so I did it the day after the agreement.
I marched in there, a petition in my hands, and said boldly, “Mr. Birling, the other girls’ and I are quite appalled with the amount that you’re paying us. We believe that if you do not raise the amount by three shillings or more, we should have the right to leave.” He stared at me for a few moments, a thoughtful expression becoming of him. I smiled genteelly, and waited – how I waited! After about ten minutes or so, he replied, a glint in his eye, “You believe that eh? Well let me tell you something girly, I don’t have time for you and your little friends. Either you like what I’m paying you, or you get out. No – wait. You’re fired.” He is the most selfish, arrogant, narrow-minded creature I have ever had the misfortune of working for.
Dear Diary, Although my outlook is still quite bleak, not everything is going badly. I have a new job at a beautiful ladies clothing shop – very select. The ladies there are very polite, and the pay is a third more than what I had been paid at Birling’s, so I’m fitting in well. Also, at the Palace Bar the other night, I was just drinking my vodka, when that huge Joe whatshisname, Joe Meggarty – he ambled over to me and started pressing himself against me! Well, I was so disgusted I didn’t do anything – he was almost suffocating with his stench of body odour and cigar smoke.
I was about to kick him in the family jewels, when suddenly a young, handsome stranger pulled him off of me, and gave him a right telling off. My heart was fluttering madly, I can tell you. I’ve never felt so thrilled! He came over to me afterwards, and took my hand gently. “Are you all right, Madam?” he asked, polite as you can be. Well, I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded. He was ever so charming, and so good looking. He took me back to my home that night, and told me ever so kindly that if I needed anything, that I must call. He was about to leave, when I called him back – we soon found ourselves in an embrace.
I never meant for it to happen… but it felt so very right. Dear Diary, Things can only get better! Gerald (the lovely young man) gave me money, food and a nice place to stay. He also gave me something else… but that’s more of an action. I think I’m falling so hard for him. He seeps into my dreams, emblazons into my mind at the most inappropriate times. I was working today, when I remembered a kiss we had shared earlier – according to Mavis, I blushed most ungracefully. I was serving Lady Green at that moment… had she noticed, I could have been reprimanded quite severely.
Dear Diary, Someone scrape me off of this earth and dump me in a doggy bag. Please. Gerald told me today that he has a partner! He described her in great detail, which means he obviously loves her dearly. I think I handled it quite well, although the expletives I hurled at him on the way out were quite uncomplimentary. I don’t think he heard me, however. So he loves another woman. To add to this… to this monstrosity, I was fired AGAIN.
This time from somewhere I was perfectly happy working in – and this time it was not my fault. A young woman came into our boutique, and began trying on a series of dresses. I was lost in my own little world, so I had hardly noticed her there. I remembered something funny that Gerald had told me the night before, and I laughed loudly. The girl’s eyes flew to mine, and she looked rather affronted. I hadn’t realised what she thought I had done until Betty hissed to me that I was in for it big time. Madame Grey called me into her office and told me that the woman had made a formal complaint about me – I was incredibly insulted, and began to defend myself, but this seemed to make Madame Grey even angrier. She fired me on the spot, no warnings. I cried with anger the moment I stepped out of the shop.
