After a few minutes, Ms Maureen came in. I can't help but look at her with admiration.
She is soo beautiful, I thought to myself. She has this unbelievable chocolate skin. The warmest brown eyes I have ever seen. And her hair is so curly but she doesn't do anything to tame it. But it doesn't look messy. It had the opposite effect. It completed Ms Maureen's charm.
I can see that she is married basing on the wedding ring on her finger. I was unconsciously rubbing my rong finger. A gesture that did not escape Ed's watchful eyes. I failed to notice his eyes narrowing.
***Edison's thoughts***
I wonder what this woman is thinking. I can see that she was mesmerized with Ms Maureen when she came in but now she has this far away look. It is like she was reminded by something painful from her past.
And why is she rubbing her ring finger? Was she married? I looked at her finger and saw that it has the same complexion as the rest of her hand.
Normally, when one has been wearing a wedding ring, the area on the finger where the rings is worn is paler than the rest of the finger.
But that is not the case with Helena's. Hers has the same complexion. Maybe she is wondering what it would feel like to wear a ring.
***Helena's thoughts***
Marriage.
One word but can cause someone their eternity. I realized that I was rubbing my ring finger. I hurriedly stopped myself for the fear of others noticing. I secretly glanced at Jeff and breathed a sigh of relief when he was actually looking just as mesmerized as I was with Ms. Maureen.
I looked at Ed. I was curious if Ms Maureen also had the sane effect at him. When I looked up, I found him actually looking at my finger.
He saw me! I thought nervously. Don't ask anything. Please, please, please don't ask anything. I suddenly stopped my prayer when I noticed his expression.
He looked like something made him happy. Basing on the way the corners of his lips were turned up, something has really pleased this Ogre. I wonder what it was. I was not given the chance to really think about it since Ms Maureen is ready to start.
"Good morning. I am Maureen Larson, head of the HR team. I am pleased to welcome all of you to EasyLanguages Corporation. As you know it is the only language hub here in the city. This company was built five years ago with the intention of publishing as well as translating different books and literature. But after careful consideration, the CEO decided to offer language classes to those who are willing to learn. We are currently offering classes to at least twenty seven languages and still growing." she said with pride evident in her voice.
"Before I give you the tour around the company, I will discuss with you first what you need to accomplish as the newest members of the company. If I am not mistaken, you were given a list of your employment requirements right?" she asked. After receiving confirmation of the receipt, she went on.
"Now, I want you to prioritize you physical examination. It is a must for our company. Before you go to the designated hospital, I want you to drop by the clinic at the ground floor and secure your letter of endorsement. You need the letter for you to be accommodated at the hospital and for you not to be charged. You just need to take all the test indicated and the results will be forwarded by the hospital to us. Am I understood?" she asked. We nodded in unison.
"Alright. Some basic rules. Respect your colleagues, the company and your work. That is the first rule. Respecting each other means that you will not be talking about others behind their backs. It also mean that if you were unsatisfied with something or someone, you need to hash it out with that person. By doing so, we avoid conflict. When you respect the company, it follows that you will do anything to protect is image. How can you protect the image of our company? You do that by respecting your work. Once you respect your work, you will do everything to deliver quality outputs. We have zero tolerance to sloppiness. You can make mistakes, that is inevitable. But make sure to learn from it and to not do it again. Respecting your work also means that you are willing to be taught. Learning is part of your growth in this company. So if you were called out or singled out, do not feel bad. Take it as a basis and learn from it. Do I make myself clear?" she asked and received another unanimous nod of confirmation.
" Second rule is, please avoid having personal relationships with your colleague especially if they are of higher rank. The company values each of you. If you notice you are just one percent of the entire batch that has applied last week. You can say that you were handpicked or lucky but from the company's point of view, we would be at the losing end if you or your ex lover would resign just because you find it intolerable to be in the same space. I hope you see the point that I am driving at." she said.
" Ms Maureen, if I may ask, are you married to Mr. Larson?" came Edison's surprising question.
Why did I not even realize that! James Larson and Maureen Larson.
"Yes, I am." Ms Maureen answered. "Why?" she asked in a hesitant manner.
"How long have you been married?" he asked again.
" Two years." she replied.
" Did you two meet each other here?" he asked again.
" Yes, we did." she answered honestly.
" So the second rule is there to make sure that the company does not lose employees right?" Ed asked again and got a nod of confirmation from Ms Maureen.
"That means that we can have personal relationships with our colleagues, we just have to make sure that we make it work so as not to trouble the company." he said which made Ms Maureen laugh.