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A New Start |
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' Mr Duncan? Come in please. Mr Wilson will see you now.' |
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' Thank you.' |
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John Duncan stood up and walked nervously towards the door. |
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He was a tall, thin man, about fortyfive years old, in an old grey suit. |
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It was his best suit, but it was ten years old now. |
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He had grey hair and glasses. |
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His face looked sad and tired. |
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Inside the room, a man stood up to welcome him. |
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' Mr Duncan? |
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Pleased to meet you. |
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My name' s David Wilson. |
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This is one of our chemists, Mary Carter.' |
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John Duncan shook hands with both of them, and sat down. |
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It was a big office, with a thick carpet on the floor and beautiful pictures on the walls. |
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David Wilson was a young man, in an expensive black suit. |
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He had a big gold ring on one finger. |
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He smiled at John. |
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' I asked Miss Carter to come because she' s one of our best Chemists. |
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She discovered our wonderful new paint, in fact. |
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When I mean, if you come to work here, you will work with her.' |
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' Oh, I see.' |
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John looked at Mary. |
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She was older than Wilson about thirtyfive, perhaps with short brown hair, and a pretty, friendly face. |
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She was wearing a white coat with a lot of pens in the top pocket. |
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She smiled at him kindly, but John felt miserable. |
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I' ll never get this job, he thought. |
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I' m too old! Employers want younger people these days. |
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David Wilson was looking at some papers. |
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' Now, Mr Duncan,' he said, |
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' I see that you are a very good biologist. |
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You worked at a university and then for two very famous companies. |
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But you stopped working as a biologist nine years ago. |
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Why was that?' |
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' I' ve always had two interests in my life,' John said, |
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' biology and boats. |
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My wife was a famous sailor Rachel Horsley Perhaps you remember her. |
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She sailed around the world alone in a small boat.' |
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' Yes,' said David Wilson,' I remember her.' |
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' So we started a business,' said John. ' We made small boats together, and sold them.' |
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' And did the business go well?' asked Wilson. |
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' Very well at first. |
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Then we wanted to build bigger, better boats. |
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We borrowed too much money. And then my wife' John stopped speaking. |
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' Yes, the Sevens Race. |
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I remember now,' said David Wilson. |
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Both men were silent for a moment. |
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Wilson remembered the newspaper reports of the storm and the lives lost at sea. |
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He looked at the man who sat sadly in front of him. |
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' So, after my wife died,' continued John,' I closed the business. That was five years ago.' |
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' I see,' said David Wilson. |
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' It' s a hard world, the world of business.' |
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He looked at John' s old grey suit. |
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' So now you want a job as a biologist. |
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Well, this is a chemical company, Mr Duncan. |
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We make paint. |
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But we need a biologist to make sure that everything in this factory is safe. |
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We want someone to tell the government that it' s safe to work here, and that it' s safe to have a paint factory near the town. |
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That' s important to us.' |
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' And if something' s not safe, then of course we' ll change it,' mary Carter said. |
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David Wilson looked at her, but he didn' t say anything. |
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' Yes, I see,' John began nervously. |
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' Well, I think I could do that. |
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I mean, when I worked for Harper Chemicals in London I' |
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He talked for two or three minutes about his work. |
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David Wilson listened, but he didn' t say anything. |
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When he smiled, it was a cold, hard smile, and it made John feel uncomfortable. |
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He remembered his old suit and grey hair, and he wished he hadn' t come. |
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' You really need this job, don' t you, Mr Duncan?' david Wilson said. |
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' You need it a lot.' |
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' Yes, I do,' he said quietly. |
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But he thought: I hate you, Wilson. |
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You' re enjoying this. |
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You like making people feel small. |
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I hate people like you. |
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Wilson' s smile grew bigger. |
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He stood up, and held out his hand. |
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' OK,' he said. |
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' When can you start?' |
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' What?' John was very surprised. |
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' What did you say?' |
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' I said, ' When can you start?', Mr Duncan. We need you in our factory as soon as possible. Will Monday be OK?' |
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' You mean I' ve got the job?' |
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' Of course. Congratulations!' Wilson shook John' s hand. |
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' My secretary will tell you about your pay. |
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You' ll have your own office, and a company car, of course. |
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I' d like you to start work with Mary on Monday. |
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Is that OK?' |
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' I Yes, yes, of course. |
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That' s fine. |
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Thank you, thank you very much.' |