“Speak English!” I shout. “It is very rude of you to speak Japanese when you know I don’t understand it!”
“See what I mean?” David says to Hiroshi.
“Yes. Insolent.”
“Insolent? I’ve worked my butt off for you guys this past week! I met your ridiculous demands and even stayed up till midnight most nights preparing that proposal and now you’re firing me? I’m sorry if you think I’m being insolent, but I’m just trying to figure out what the hell’s going on here.”
“Jessica,” (I noticed he’s dropped the –san and the accent) “David has made it very clear that you were just a small part of this design. In Japan, we work as a team for the greater good. It is obvious that you are trying to go above your rank and take credit for something that is not yours to take.”
“But it’s my design! I don’t even know what the others have been doing this past week! Certainly nothing to do with the proposal.”
Hiroshi seems to have stopped listening.
“David. This is good work. Please ensure Jessica is escorted from the building right away and recruit a new designer to assist with the remainder of the campaign.” He gets up and glides out.
I round on David. “How could you? You stole my work and now you’re having me fired?”
He doesn’t even have the grace to look apologetic.
“Look, Jessica. This is how things work here. You co-operate as a team and give your ideas to the greater good.”
“And I suppose you are the greater good in this case?” I spit.
“No. But I do know how things work around here and I’m willing to sacrifice myself for the benefit of the company.”
“You’re not sacrificing anything! You’ll probably get a pay rise! And to think, this is all because I beat you at that stupid baseball game.”
He looks at me pityingly. “It has nothing to do with the baseball game. You are unprofessional and unpredictable, a prime example being yesterday when I phoned you. Your responses were completely nonsensical. What were you playing at?”
“There was a guy stalking me at a temple in Kurama!”
He scoffs. “Deluded too. Japan is one of the safest countries in the world. It’s highly unlikely you were being stalked. Look, if you pack up your things right now and leave quietly, then I won’t call security to escort you out.”
“Don’t do me any favours.” I march over to my desk, sweep all my personal belongings into my bag and give David a fake salute. “Thanks for nothing.”
***
Bloody hell! Fired in just over a week. That’s got to be some kind of record. I am so frustrated, I feel like my head might explode.
I’ll have to get this sorted out. Ace Advertising won’t be happy about this. And I’m a bit worried about how this will look to Don. I hope I get a chance to explain my side of the story.
I should phone Violet, but she won’t be at her desk yet. It’s only just after eight thirty back in Australia. V will be making her coffee and catching up on the weekend gossip in the tea room. For a second, I wish I was there. But then what I really wish is for David and Hiroshi to somehow magically disappear so I can go back to the office. I know I could do great things at Bella, if only I was given the chance.
I go back to my hotel to think. The Japanese receptionist calls me over.
“Excuse me. We have had a phone call that you are checking out this morning?”
“Uh, no.” I begin to panic. They can’t just throw me out on the street, can they?
“But we had a man call to ask for the final bill. You can stay if you give a different credit card.”
“Oh, right. Yes, of course.” I’ll get reimbursed from work later on. I give her my credit card and she swipes it.
“Thank you, ma’am. Have a nice day.”
So that’s it? Bella has already written me off? I can’t believe this is even allowed. What kind of shoddy company are they?
I fume for half an hour while watching the news. It’s dubbed in English, but I think something must have gotten lost in the translation.
“This man says he comes to the tennis to look at the pretty girls.” Really?
I dial V’s number a few times and it rings out. Finally on the fourth try, she answers.
“This is Violet.”
“Hey, V. It’s Jess.”
“Mate! How’s it going? Have you bought my kimono yet?”
“No, not yet. I’m still looking for the right one. Did you by any chance find out who’s looking after Bella now?”
“No. It’s weird. Meg has taken some sort of long term compassionate leave. But they haven’t got anyone to replace her yet. I still have nothing to do, but there’s a project coming up in Melbourne that I might go for.”
“So what am I supposed to do? They just fired me here!”
“What? Why?”
“Because my manager stole my ideas! Remember I told you when we last spoke? I couldn’t convince the other boss that it was my work and he kicked me out. And now they’ve stopped paying for my hotel and I can’t afford to pay it myself for very long.”
“Oh, honey. I’m sorry. Why don’t you just come home?”
“Maybe I will, but I don’t have a plane ticket. Work was supposed to send it to me when the project finished. They didn’t know how long I was going to be away, so they only gave me a one-way ticket.”
“Well, calm down. I’ll sort this out and phone you back. Give me your number.”
I tell her and then hang up, frustrated. She obviously doesn’t care that much, otherwise she would have sorted it out for me after I called last time.
But I can’t blame V. If the situation was reversed, I’m not sure I would have been running around like a headless chicken for her. Especially if she had scored a seemingly awesome overseas assignment and I hadn’t.
But what happens if she can’t figure something out? I’ll be stuck here! I can’t afford to buy my own ticket. I was supposed to get paid by Bella next week. I don’t know why, but they insisted on paying me directly so Ace didn’t have to go back and forth with my timesheet and delay my salary. I wonder how I can collect that money now.
I phone Sarah.
“Oh Jess, I just heard. I’m so sorry.”
“What did you hear?”
“That they let you go. I know there’s more to it than they’re telling me but I’m not sure I have the power to do anything about it.”
“But you’re HR. Surely you can hire me back.”
“Not without Hiroshi’s permission. He ranks higher than me.”
“Will I still get paid for the work I did?”
“I’ll definitely look into it. Although, I know if you get fired for non-performance they can argue that you didn’t do anything worth paying for.”
“This is crazy! I feel like I’m in the twilight zone!”
“I know. These big companies can be tough to deal with.”
“So what am I supposed to do? They’ve already stopped paying for the hotel.”
“What does your office in Australia say?”
“My boss has gone on leave and there’s no one in charge. It’s like I’ve been forgotten!”
“No one’s forgetting you. I promise I’ll do whatever I can at my end. Just try to get through today and I’ll call you after five.”
“Okay.” I hang up. Easier said than done.
I want to pace up and down, but there’s not enough room.
What’s taking V so…
The phone rings. I snatch it up.
“Yes?”
“Hey, it’s V. I’m afraid it’s not good news.”
My stomach drops. “What happened?”
“I talked to Sally who organised your flight and she said she needs approval from Meg to sign off on a return flight.”
“Did you explain the situation?”
“Yes, but she said unless I know someone who has the same authority as Meg, then there’s nothing she can do.”
“Who has the
same authority as Meg?”
“No one. Well there’s business development but I doubt Jack will be willing to help.”
“No. Don’t ask Jack.” Jack is a crotchety old manager in his sixties who only cares about getting new leads. If he found out I was fired from Bella, he’d probably try and get me fired from Ace because I potentially lost them business.
“What about HR? Wouldn’t they have something to do with posting people internationally?”
“You’d think so, but I already tried that and they just laughed at me. They said they only look after graduates and new employees in the Brisbane office. They said your department manager was responsible for you.”
I want to bang my head on the wall. This makes no sense.
“So what do I do?”
“I don’t know. You might have to just buy your own ticket home. It will be easier to sort out this whole mess back here anyway.”
I consider asking her to find out Don’s details, but something tells me not to just yet. I think I should save him as a last resort.
“All right. Thanks anyway, V. I’ll be in touch.”
“Don’t forget my kimono!”
I don’t say anything, but buying her an expensive Japanese costume is the last thing on my mind right now.
I check my bank balance on internet banking. Holy crap! I have less than four hundred dollars left. This is bad. And I know my credit card will be maxed out within the week, especially if I stay at the hotel. I’m sure there’s only three hundred left on it. So that’s a total of seven hundred. And if I have to pay for accommodation and food in one of the most expensive countries in the world, my money’s not going to last long. I do a quick search for airfares and discover I can’t even afford a plane ticket. All the flights within the next week are well over $800, including the budget airlines. It must be something to do with last minute premiums or fuel prices or something.
This is really, really bad. What am I supposed to do? I can’t just hang around and wait for my money to run out. I could call Mum and Dad, but I don’t want them to worry. Maybe Alex could bail me out, but I hate asking him for cash. I borrowed twenty dollars from him once when we were at uni and forgot to pay him back. He got really mad and didn’t speak to me for several weeks, until I finally worked out what was going on. Imagine how he’d feel if I wanted to borrow a grand. I know it’s different now, because we’re adults and he has a decent income from the shop, but I still can’t jeopardise our friendship like that.
I’ll wait for a day or two and then call Mum and Dad.
Fingers crossed that Sarah can get my pay sorted out, and then I’ll be able to buy my own ticket home.
***
I’m too scared to leave the hotel room now. If I go outside, I’ll most likely spend money I don’t have. There must be a way out of this situation. Maybe I could get myself deported—don’t they give criminals a free flight home? But then I would probably never be able to return to Japan, and I would hate that.
Sarah calls me after she finishes work.
“Well, I can get you fifty percent of your due pay, but that’s about it. It should be in your account tomorrow.”
“And how much is that?”
“Around three hundred US after tax.”
I sigh. “Okay. Thanks, Sarah.”
“Do you want to come out tonight?”
“No. I need to save every cent. I think I’ll be booking a flight home tomorrow.”
“Oh that’s a shame. I’m really sorry that it’s worked out this way.”
“It’s not your fault. Thanks for looking out for me.”
“Well, if you end up figuring something out, just call.”
“Will do. Thanks again.”
Three hundred measly dollars for over a week’s work and countless hours! At least it should be enough if I combine it with my other money—just—to get a plane ticket.
By bedtime I’m feeling a bit better. This whole thing will be over soon. I can go back to Ace, talk to Don and maybe see if I can still get that promotion. In the near future, I may have enough money to re-visit Japan, but it will be on my terms. I won’t have to deal with crazy bosses acting like third-world dictators.
***
“I’m sorry Miss, but your credit card has been declined.”
I stare at the travel agent. “But it should have at least a hundred left on it. Maybe even one fifty.”
“You might want to call your bank.”
“Can I log onto internet banking on your computer?”
“I’m sorry, but we are not allowed to let the public use our systems.”
I knew I should have brought my laptop. And my phone is flat.
“Is there an internet café nearby?”
“There is one down the street two blocks.”
“Fine. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Please hold my booking.”
“Certainly. But we can only reserve your seat for twenty-four hours. If it isn’t fully paid by then, you will have to forfeit it. We also require a deposit in advance.”
“Um, never mind. Forget the whole thing.” I don’t want to be throwing away money if I can help it.
“As you wish.” She looks at me disapprovingly as I leave, but I’m beyond caring. I’ll book through another agent next time. Better still, I’ll book directly online. That way I can make sure my card is working properly.
I wander around for almost half an hour before I discover the tiny staircase with a sign out the front saying INTERNET.
I go down into the darkness where a man is waiting behind the counter. He points to a laminated price list for me to choose from.
Wow. There are a lot of options. Standard desks with computers, cubicles, two-seater couches...I only need a desk, but it apparently includes unlimited drinks from a hot and cold beverage machine. I help myself to an iced chocolate and sit in front of a screen.
I log onto internet banking and check out my credit card.
That can’t be right.
It’s maxed out and I owe one hundred and fifty dollars. What’s going on?
On closer inspection, I see the hotel has charged me four hundred and fifty dollars. How can that be? I’ve only stayed one extra night so far. Perhaps they put another zero on the figure by mistake. My tiny room can’t be that expensive.
I race back to the hotel and march up to the receptionist.
“Excuse me, but I think you’ve overcharged my credit card.”
“Just one moment. I will print out your invoice.”
I can see she doesn’t believe me. But four hundred and fifty dollars? That’s absurd.
“Here you go, ma’am. We have charged you for one night plus additional room charges.”
I scan it quickly.
“You charge two hundred a night for that room?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And what are these other charges?”
“Internet use, phone calls and room service.”
“But these are from last week. And I didn’t know I had to pay for internet!”
“The company who was paying for your room said that additional charges were not included. They said to bill you separately.”
“But they were work-related charges! I had to use the internet to do my job!”
“I’m sorry but that is what we have been told.”
This is really, really bad.
“Fine. I would like to check out immediately.”
“We will have to charge you for another night. Check-out was two hours ago.”
I look at her pleadingly. “But I can’t afford an extra night.”
“It is hotel policy.”
“Okay, I give up.” I slump, defeated on the counter. “Do whatever you have to do.”
The girl seems to have a change of heart.
“Wait one moment.”
She disappears out the back for a minute.
I lean my face against the marble countertop. I’m going to have to call Mum and Dad. I can’t do this anymore.
She comes back.
“We can let you leave if you pay the late check-out fee. Normally you have to request it in advance.”
“How much is that?”
“5000 yen.”
I do a quick mental calculation. About sixty dollars. Hopefully I can find somewhere cheap to stay with the money I save.
“All right. I’ll go get my stuff.”
“Thank you for your patronage. Please come again.”
Ah, I don’t think so.
I haul my bags out of my room and back onto the street. I’m now officially homeless and unemployed in a foreign country.
***
I find a couple of lockers at the train station to stow my bags. Then I tramp back to the internet café to use their wireless connection with my laptop.
All the desks have filled up while I’ve been gone, so I have to hire a booth with a reclining seat. It’s still cheaper than the outrageous charges from the hotel. God. How did it come to this?
After several hours of trawling through countless accommodation sites and phoning booked-out backpackers around the city, I come to the conclusion that I am in serious trouble. There isn’t a single available place that I can afford, and no one I can call for help.
I tearfully phone Mum and Dad. They will have to bail me out. Maybe I can catch a flight home this afternoon if they give me their credit card over the phone.
It rings and rings. And rings some more.
There’s no answer.
Voicemail kicks in. “Hi, you’ve phoned Harry and Marilyn. We can’t take your call right now, because we’re probably lying by the pool in Cairns. Please leave your name and number and we’ll phone you when we get back.”
Are you kidding me? Since when were Mum and Dad going away? They didn’t tell me that the other day when I called. On a side note, telling strangers that the house is empty is a silly thing to do. Not that I care right now. My only hope for salvation is gone.
There’s only one thing for it.
I’m going to have to live at this internet café.
FOURTEEN
Living at an internet café is not as weird as it sounds. On closer inspection, it appears to be set up for this very function. Not for homeless people of course, but overnight guests.
There’s a shelf of blankets and towels near the counter. The bathroom has a shower, and there’s a whole array of snacks beside the drink machine.
Zen Queen Page 12