File one away. Part Two.

It was around 7.30pm that night when I arrived home and John phoned me, there was a distinct shake in his voice and he really did sound quite distressed.

Apparently, this is what transpired after the morning jolly phone call :

The faceless person sitting in front of John, who had initially taken the phone call, and had known it was me, sat, watched and listened to the entire event and had immediately scurried back to the Chief of Stress at Dowty and reported what had transpired from his point of view.

The Chief of Stress had then arranged an "emergency" meeting for all the members of the stress office in the small meeting room, everyone filed in, wondering if they were being made redundant or something, and it began.

John described to me how horrible it was, that the Chief was literally red and shaking with anger, that he was telling everyone in the room (but directing it all squarely at John) that none of them should be talking to the competition about the secret things, and that from then on, there would be a closer watch of everyone (directed solely at John again) about infringements which could result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal.

Yet John's name was never mentioned in the meeting.

After the meeting, John had gone back to the Chief's desk and attempted to explain, but was fundamentally ignored, there was a sense that something was very broken.

In the evening, after the call from John, I called the Chief up and tried to explain, but even after all the time I had spent at Dowty working for him, five years or more, he would not listen to me either, and he terminated the conversation with the darkest of accusations.

I knew there was little use in talking to a man who had made his mind up, I just had to mentally file that one away for future reference regarding him...

...and his pet weasel.