John Farwell
Blackmail Boss
London was windy and cold as Gillian Blake walked onto Graysend Road in the direction-indicated to her by an impatient Londoner of the women's residence where she was to live until she could find another place of her own.
Stone, smoke and rain help give the city as it is called by the people from the country it's special character, and on this winter day, it was quite gloomy, the young woman thought as she looked up at the gray limestone building which must have been white originally but had acquired Its 'antique' finish through the layers of soot deposited on its facade year after year by the numerous factory chimneys that envelop London in its 'pea soup,' ghost-like atmosphere.
Anyway, the residence club, as it was called, would have been pleasant enough in the spring, but in February, it just looked cold and austere, unfriendly and forbidding. Gillian began wondering if she had done the right thing in coming to the capital, but where else could she go? She had to find work, time to settle down and forget the painful experience that her marriage and subsequent divorce had been, and London had seemed just the place.
Gillian brushed away her gloomy thoughts with a loose strand of hair and determinedly grabbed her small suitcase and entered the lobby of the building.
She was assigned a room with another woman, a girl about her own age who was also divorced. When she knocked at the door of her new room, her heart pounding with apprehension at the idea of living with somebody else, a cheery and rather loud voice told her to come in.
'I'm Gillian Blake,' she said meekly, 'I guess I'm your new roommate.
How d'you do?'
'Hello, I'm Jessica Evers,' the other girl said. 'Welcome to the home!'
She laughed and her whole face seemed to light up. Her make-up was too heavy, Gillian noticed, yet she had a kind of earthy, jovial quality that she couldn't quite pinpoint.
'I know it's not much,' Jessica continued, 'but with a little luck, you'll be out of here in a week or two, no one ever stays very long in this place!'
'Why are you still here if that's the case?' Gillian couldn't help asking her.
'Oh, I move in here between boyfriends,' Jessica said nonchalantly,
'which happens to be the case at the time, but just give me a few days and I'll be on the move again!'
'I see,' Gillian added, not knowing what else to say.
'Where are you going to work?' Jessica enquired, 'Do you have a job already?'
'No… no, but I've written to several places and I'm to have interviews tomorrow.'
'Well, they need a new girl in my office. Do you type?'
'Yes.. at least I learned it in secretarial school,' she answered.
'Oh… an educated girl, they'll like that!'
'Where do you work?' Gillian asked, not sure she would like the same type of office, but she did need a job and right away.
'It's nothing glamorous, but it's quite close to here and there are several swinging single men there, so that's a start!'
She laughed again and moved to the other bed so that Gillian could put some of her things away.
'Listen,' Jessica told her as she began filling her drawers, 'I know what you've been through and divorce is never a nice thing, but give yourself some time and you may learn to like your freedom again.'
'How did you know that I was divorced?' Gillian asked, surprise showing in her expression.
'Oh, they always match roommates up like that and I've been divorced, so I assumed that you were too.'
'Just a few weeks ago,' she told her, 'It was awful, and I'd rather not talk about it right now.',
'Alright with me,' Jessica said, 'but when you're unpacked, I'll take you to the dining room and introduce you to a few of the other girls if you don't mind.'
Gillian put as many of her things away as she could and stored the rest under her bed, then followed Jessica to the dining room.
Jessica introduced her to several of the other girls and they all ate together. She was beginning to feel more at home, but the thought of looking for work the next day was scary and she confided her feelings once again to Jessica.
'I told you not to worry about it, dear. I know that I can arrange it all. Try it, and if you don't like it, at least you're working while, you look for something else!'
'I guess you're right. What time do you go to work?'
'We'll go in early so that I can introduce You to Mr. Wiles, the manager, and get you to fill out an application, so be ready to leave at about eight' o'clock, fine with you?'
'Fine, I hope it works out!'…
The next day, Gillian was up at six-thirty and getting ready for her day of job hunting. She hoped that Jessica's firm would hire her so that she wouldn't have to look any further.
'Up already?' Jessica called to her. 'You're nervous, I bet! It always happens!'
'I just want to find a job, anything, and I guess I am nervous. It's the first time I've ever had to find a job and I'm not sure what to do!'
'Darling,' Jessica winked at her, 'With your figure and face, I doubt that anyone will even care if you type or not, so relax!'
She had to laugh, Jessica seemed so sure of her-self and she secretly wished that she could be more like that, more open and natural, more self-confident.
There were women and girls of all ages, some looked as though they were very poor and others looked as though they were show girls, heavily made up and gaudy, and some looked very much like herself, scared and confused.
They ate breakfast which consisted of a terrible porridge and scrambled eggs, then walked across the street to take the 'tube' that would leave them very near the office.
The tube was not very crowded that early and Gillian was glad, because she had heard so much about the pushing and shoving in London that she wasn't sure that she would be able to handle it the very first day.
They arrived at the office shortly after eight and Jessica took her directly to a small office in the back of a very large room that was filled with desks, typewriters and other office machinery.
'This is it,' Jessica told her, 'It's not much but the people are nice and they aren't too strict about lunch hours and things like that… you know it means a lot!'
Gillian didn't care what the rules were or how strict they were, all she cared about was getting a job that would keep her busy so she wouldn't have time to think about Peter with that other girl, and his handsome face mocking: 'You are frigid… frigid.. frigid…!'
Jessica knocked lightly on the door and a strong male voice told them to come in.
'Mr. Wiles, this is Gillian Blake. She's just moved into the hotel, this is her first day in London, and she needs a job. She can type and I thought that maybe,she could take Alice's place.'
'Well, maybe she can. Have a seat, Miss Blake, and thanks Jessica…'
Jessica turned and walked out of the office, leaving her there with Mr.
Wiles.
He smiled at her, watching her wiggle nervously in the chair, her skirt creeping just above her 'Ever work before?' he asked.
'No sir, I was married, so this would be my first job.' Gillian answered nervously.
'Oh, you're divorced?' he asked.
'Well, yes, I am, does it matter?'
'Not at all. In fact, I prefer it because then you may stay with us longer. The single girls get married and the married ones have babies, but the divorced ones usually need their jobs and therefore we can count on them.'
