26 - My Advice To Serve

Last night I had a long and complicated dream and, in a memorable part of it, I was giving my brother, Geoff, good brotherly advice. I was telling him that he had not been the success he'd wished as he'd kept his nose to the ground, doing manual work and never looking up to greater things. I also told him that, because he had always tried to be a big fish in a small pond, he'd continued to have a small life … and that to have a bigger life he needed to stop thinking about himself and serve others.

If, as I suspect, all the characters in our dreams are us, then I was talking to me*, not an unusual occurrence. So, taking my own advice, I have committed to serving God and any of his creations … you! If there is anyone out there who wants my help, just ask and I'll do what I can. I have many talents and abilities and I'm sure there is some way I can assist you in any way you need - just ask and I'm here.

*Talking to yourself is not a sign of madness and nor is answering back. Also, arguing with yourself is not a sign of madness; it's only when you lose the argument that you're mad!

And now Mary Collins asks Arthur Bayly  to serve. Will he? Story continues from yesterday ...

"A lottery where cronies of the government, with inside connections, favours and knowledge of available contracts, can take advantage of, like our Lord Atkinson," said Arthur, suddenly understanding much about the insurance claim that he didn't before.

"Well, yes, we need to be careful of who we're accusing of what, just yet," said Martin in solicitor mode, "but it seems there's intense competition for these contracts - hand out a million or so, with little checking how you spend it - quite a gift for someone with profit in mind!"

"And anyone giving out millions of British pounds to poorer people would gain a lot of friends and favours from those poorer people!" said Arthur, grimly.

"My God, Dad, you should have been a detective!"

"Just my cynical insurance mind in overdrive," said Arthur.

"So, we have the perfect scenario for tossing around government money - many governments' money - to great benefit to the wrong people," said Martin, smiling at his father with unaccustomed admiration. "And the governments themselves are into it too. For example, the European Union, the EU, aid programme provides huge amounts of funds to UE governments to provide aid and the checking at the EU is as shoddy as in here in England. Some of these governments - the Spanish and Italian ones are apparently the worst offenders - just don't get around to spending all the UE funds they receive and it's a great source of revenue for them - helps their balance of payments deficits considerably!"

"But that's OUR money, Martin! Don't they care about that?" asked Joan, astounded.

"Why should they?" asked Martin. "It's not their money and it's free to them!"

"Well, you look after other peoples' money, other peoples' interests ..."

"Yes, Mum, most people do but when you've got access to large amounts of power and money, those thoughts of others just seem to slip out the window, somehow. When you create a house with lots of holes and lots of cheese on the floor, the rats turn up!"
"Oh dear, so what should I do about this job offer back at AIL then?" asked Arthur.

"And what's happened that they suddenly want you back when they were so laid-back before?" asked Martin.

"Yes, it all sounds a bit desperate, a bit … well, dangerous, if you ask me!" said Joan.

"It also sounds like a lot of fun!" said Martin, rubbing his hands together with glee.

"Insurance has never been exciting before, for me," said Arthur, feeling a tingle of adventure in his veins. "And, maybe, I could help get some of your money back from these scoundrels."

"Yes Darling, maybe you could, but I don't like the sound of it at all," said Joan, "and we were just starting to get along and we're just over mother's funeral and Martin needs help and you now want to go back to work?"

"Well, I could do much of it at home," said Arthur, seeing opportunities everywhere. "I don't need to be at the office or to work eight hours a day. I could fit the work in between our family needs."

"I don't know Arthur ..."

"Look Mum, Dad needs some excitement in his life," said Martin, standing forward for his father for the first time ever. "This could be his chance for that and a chance to really do some good."

"Yes dear, I would rather relish a challenge like this - you never know where it could lead to!" said Arthur, wondering why he was talking about other unknown opportunities, while he took her hands and looked into her eyes earnestly.

"Oh, I don't know ..."

"Look dear, let's you and I sit down later and work out what we need to do for each other, for Martin and then I can put a proposal to Mary about what I'm prepared to do for them and any other conditions we can set. They seem keen to have me at any cost."

"Yes, but why?" asked Joan, still concerned.

"And if it doesn't work out, I can simply stop doing the work and hand it back," said Arthur.

"I don't know about the work but I do know I've never seen you so fired up about anything before," said Joan, still looking concerned. "Maybe it is your chance to do something really special … I don't know ..."

"Look, you two," said Martin, "the world won't stop spinning if you do nothing today. Leave it till Monday and call AIL then. If they want an answer before then, just tell them they can't have one - you'll let them know Monday at, say, ten o'clock. This is your decision, not theirs."

Monday, 14th March 2012

So it was that Arthur Bayly found himself back on the old map of his life, in Mary's office. He was having trouble getting her to see that what she wanted she might not get. Or, as Halee, the elfin receptionist from New Zealand said, "They'll get what they need but not in the way they think."

Arthur grinned at that in a way he'd become rather used to lately - hearing something he didn't understand, quite, but knowing he would soon.

However, understanding was not something Mary was achieving at all. She was under some pressure, Arthur assumed, and needed the job done soon … immediately. Arthur could see that there were far fewer minions in the large office and he was most surprised - shocked, indeed - to hear that even Sam had gone. Mary was, effectively, in charge of the Kensington office and, though there were over a hundred thousand clients, this Atkinson one seemed to be her sole concern. She had run out of words to convince Arthur to start full-time in the office and had gone quiet.

Arthur waited a moment for her to stop pacing and to sit down.