Colin noticed that Booker's hands were trembling slightly
as he put the folder into a filing cabinet.
'Bank loans are trouble,' Booker said, pushing the heavy
drawer shut. 'And you need real orders now, not possible orders
in a few months' time. You need cash now, or you'll go out of
business.'
When Colin arrived at his own office, his wife was getting
ready to leave. Julie had an appointment with a client on the
other side of the city. Her desk was covered with papers, computer
books and floppy disks1. She was sorting through them,
putting what she needed into her briefcase.
Julie saw Colin looking at her. 'Is everything OK?' she
asked. 'You've been to see Booker this morning, haven't you?
What did he say?'
'Oh, nothing much,' Colin said. 'He just wanted me to take
him some documents he needed.'
'Fine,' Julie said. 'Well, I'd better be going3. I don't expect
I'll be back here today. I'll see you at home tonight,'
Colin took off his jacket and sat at his desk. He looked
through the glass partition between his and Julie's room and the
main part of the office. Rob and Jenny, the two programmers',
were busy at their computers. Near the door of the main office,
Maggie was sitting at her desk. Maggie was the secretary, telephonist
and general office helper. She had been with Colin and
Julie ever since they had started C.J.F. Software Solutions, five
years before.
Colin opened the letters that Maggie had put on his desk
earlier in the morning. Among them was a letter from his bank
manager. The letter explained the details of the bank loan that
Colin had arranged the previous week.
At the bottom of the pile of long business envelopes there
was a smaller envelope. Colin's name and the address of the
company were hand-written neatly on it