Appraisals

"So where do you see yourself in five years?"

"Hopefully running my own business from home."

A brief pause before shock passes across his face, recognising my answer wasn't the expected one.

"Pardon?"

"Well, we've got less than four years left on the mortgage and I've always said that when that was paid off I'd do something I wanted rather than something I'm good at and get paid quite a lot to do."

"And that's not here?"

"No. Look, it's nothing personal towards you but I lost my home twice as a youngster due to my father's bankruptcy and I first rule has always been to pay the mortgage then when that's done, move on. I don't want to end up bitter and twisted like Grumpy Parrot upstairs counting down the days until I retire. I want to prove there's life after accountancy."

"What sort of business?"

"Garden designer. I like concepts, I know that sounds....I don't know, wanky, but I like the idea of doing something abstract."

"You've always seemed happy here."

"I'm not unhappy, it's a means to an end. I can motivate people, I can lead people, I can front up projects but I'm dying inside through the lack of a challenge. In my mind I've hit what some people call the glass ceiling."

"You could be sat where I am one day."

" I've never been over ambitious, I've been called a plodder but only because I didn't want to go into industry. I get things done, on time, under budget, but I'm so bored."

"I'm sorry you feel like that."

"Look it's being honest. That's the way I am, I can be off hand but I'm always honest. I don't want to reach 65 and have regrets. There's an old Liverpool saying - you're a long time dead."

"We haven't discussed your new car."

"I'm not being disrespectful but I only have a car because the bus service is rubbish. I don't spend my weekends with my nose pressed up against the car showroom window or reading Top Gear, car's are for going from A to B."

"What about a payrise?"

"Well it would have been nice if my efforts in the summer could have been acknowledged, I got stuff all help when Angela was off for six weeks. I get pissed off sometimes because I'm Mr Nice Guy everybody assumes more work can be heaped on me like crap on the compost heap. That really did piss me off, some people's attitude."

"Is there anything else bothering you?"

"Now you mention it," at which point I open my diary and turn to the notes section at the back, there is a list of ten points. "Right............."

I love the sound of appraisals in the afternoon, smells like honesty.