SHE'S A KILLER

“I liked to see how little I could contribute in these meetings. My all-time Personal Best was three words, ‘nothing to add’”

That afternoon, I had a scheduling meeting with Gerald, Brian and Kaylee.

Kaylee was new to Enrolments, and Brian had been tasked with training her. Already I could see that Kaylee could not be trained, because she knew she was better than us. She was destined for higher admin spheres than Enrolments.

I’d seen people like her in the 15 years I’d been here. They dressed in generic corporate wear and were hungry to organise and to be on top of all things at all times, as well as ahead of everything and sometimes behind some new things. I didn’t understand them, the Kaylees of this world. They were not stupid, and it was impossible they would not find what we did repetitive and boring.

The work we did was a by-product of business systems that would use up people on the factory line until the robots could do it. We were the bowels of the university corporation, modern shovellers of figurative shit. I knew it wasn’t as bad as working directly with raw sewage, but it was meaningless and definitely less useful than actual shit shovelling. I found it fascinating that the Kaylees could stay so driven knowing all this. Even if their sights were set on realms beyond ours, with greater pay rates, they would still be raking muck. Outwardly, I remained sublimely neutral. I offered no additional help beyond that which was asked for, nor any impediment.

“So,” said Gerald. “How are we all feeling?”

Gerald had recently attended a professional development workshop, which led him to attend to our feelings first when opening a meeting.

This would eventually fade out and morph into a different routine