The Big Chance

Byk Frsat

Frederick Lang

e wasnt the kind to pick a secretary by the color of her hair. Not Bill Hargrave. Both Paula and Nancy had been smart enough to know that. nd for some time everyone in the office had known that one of them! Paula or Nancy! was going to get the "ob. #n fact! the decision would probably be made this afternoon. Hargrave was leaving town and wanted to settle the matter before he left. $he two girls could see him from their desks outside his office. %aybe it was only some correspondence that he was looking at with cool! keen eyes. But for a moment his finger seemed to pause above those two efficient little pushbuttons. #f he pressed the left one! it would be Paulas pulse which would begin to beat faster. Paula couldnt keep her eyes off that light on her desk. &he kept making mistakes in her typing and nervously taking the sheets of paper out in order to start all over again. &he leaned across her typewriter and said to Nancy! '$he boss is all dressed up today. He must be going on a special trip.( &he was "ust talking to relieve her nervousness. Nancy took her time about answering. &he wasnt used to having Paula talk to her in such an intimate tone. Not since theyd learned a month ago that they were both in line for a promotion! for the important "ob as Bill Hargraves secretary. 'He does look nice.( Hargrave was young and outside of office hours he was said to be human. But that wasnt why hed gotten to be one of the important officials of the company until they saw him one day in one of the top e)ecutive positions.

Frederick Lang

bir sekreteri sa*+n+n rengine bakarak se*ecek tipte biri de,ildi. -n a.+ndan Bill Hargrave b/yle de,ildi. Hem Paula! hem de Nancy bunu bilecek kadar .ekiydiler. 0e bir s1redir de b1rodaki herkesin bildi,i gibi i*lerinden biri! Paula veya Nancy! i2i alacakt+. sl+nda! karar muhtemelen bu /,leden sonra verilecekti. Hargrave kasabadan ayr+l+yordu ve gitmeden /nce meseleyi halletmek istiyordu. 3+.lar+n ikisi de! *al+2ma odas+n+n d+2+ndaki masalar+ndan onu g/rebiliyorlard+. Belki de patronlar+n+n sakin! keskin g/.lerle bakt+,+ sadece bir mektuptu. ma bir an i*in parma,+! o iki k1*1k i2lek *a,r+ d1,mesinin 1.erinde durur gibi oldu. -,er soldakine basarsa! daha h+.l+ atmaya ba2layacak olan nab+. Paulan+nki olacakt+. Paula g/.lerini masas+n+n 1.erindeki +2+ktan ay+ram+yordu. 4aktiloda hata yapmaya ve her2eye ba2tan ba2lamak i*in gergin bir 2ekilde ka,+tlar+ *+karmaya devam etti. 4aktilosunun 1.erinden e,ildi ve Nancyye! 'Patron bug1n ba2tan a2a,+ya iyi giyinmi2. 5.el bir ge.iye gidiyor olmal+( dedi. &adece gerginli,ini yat+2t+rmak i*in konu2uyordu. Nancy cevap vermekte acele etmedi. Paulan+n! kendisiyle b/yle samimi bir ses tonuyla konu2mas+na al+2k+n de,ildi. 5.ellikle de! bir ay /nce her ikisinin de Bill Hargravein sekreterli,i gibi /nemli bir i2e terfi etmek i*in aday olduklar+n+ /,renmi2 olmalar+ndan beridir. 'Ho2 g/r1n1yor.( Hargrave gen*ti ve mesai saatlerinin d+2+nda insanc+l oldu,u s/ylenirdi. ma onu! bir g1n 2irketin 1st y/netici mevkilerinde birinde g/rene kadar 2irkette /nemli biri olmas+ gerekti,inin sebebi bu de,ildi.

$he two girls saw him get up from his desk and walk to the doorway of his office. He stood there with one hand in a pocket of his blue flannel suit. $here was a small white flower in his buttonhole and the usual keen! unrevealing smile on his face. '4id you send for the tickets6( he asked Nancy. '# got the tickets all right!( she answered! 'but7and she tried to smile in the same hard way the boss did. &he looked about as hardboiled as a white kitten. 'But there "ust arent any staterooms to be had!( she told him. 'Not for love or money.( $he boss was certainly disappointed. that. '&uppose # try it6( Paula suggested 8uickly. nd for the ne)t ten minutes! half the office employees could hear Paula telling the ticket agent e)actly what she thought of him. 'Listen!( she said! '# dont care whose reservations you have to cancel7( 9ell! the "ob was worth going after. $here was the salary! for one thing. nd there was the prestige. $he bosss secretary knew a great deal about the business. nd there were the interesting people she got to talk to. $he important people. nd the bo)es of perfume! flowers! and candy they often left on her desk. nd there was Bill Hargrave for a boss. :oung and clever and attractive. $hat was a factor! too. Because in the advertising business you called the boss 'Bill!( and he called his secretary 'Nancy( or 'Paula( and took her to dinner on the company e)pense account. nybody could see

3+.lar+n ikisi de onun masas+ndan kalkt+,+n+ ve *al+2ma odas+n+n giri2ine do,ru ilerledi,ini g/rd1. ;rada! bir elini mavi kadife tak+m elbisesinin ceplerinden birine sokmu2 olarak ayakta durdu. <eketinin yakalar+ndan birinde k1*1k! beya. bir *i*ek ve y1.1nde her .amanki .eki! kendini a*+,a vurma. g1l1msemesi vard+. 'Biletleri istettini. mi6 diye sordu Nancyye. 'Biletleri hallettim!( diye yan+tlad+ Nancy! 'ama7 ve patron gibi ayn+ ciddi ifadeyle g1l1msemeye *al+2t+. Beya. bir kedi yavrusu kadar *aresi. g/r1nd1 o an. ' ma ay+rtabilece,imi. hi* /.el kompartman kalmam+2!( diye a*+klad+ ona. '%1mk1nat+ yok.( Patron kesinlikle hayal k+r+kl+,+na u,ram+2t+. Bunu herkes farkedebilirdi. 'Bir de ben deneyim mi6( diye *abucak bir teklifte bulundu Paula. 0e sonraki on dakika boyunca ofis *al+2anlar+n+n yar+s+! Paulan+n bilet sat+2 g/revlisine kendisi hakk+nda ne d121nd1,1n1 s/ylemesini duyoyorlard+. '4inleyin!( diyordu! '3imin re.ervasyonlar+n+ iptal etmek .orunda kald+,+n+. hi* umurumda de,il7( -ee! i2 pe2inden ko2maya de,erdi. Bir kere! maa2+ iyiydi. 0e sayg+nl+,+ vard+. Patronun sekreteri! i2ler hakk+nda olduk*a fa.la bilgiye sahip olurdu. 0e konu2mak durumunda kald+,+ ilgin* insanlar vard+. 5nemli ki2iler. 0e bu ki2ilerin s+k s+k masas+n+n 1st1ne b+rakt+,+ kutular dolusu parf1m! *i*ek ve 2ekerler. 0e Bill Hargrave vard+ patron olarak. =en* ve .eki ve *ekici. Bu da bir etkendi. >1nk1! reklamc+l+k i2inde patronuna 'Bill( diye seslenirdin! ve o da sekreterine 'Nancy( veya 'Paula( derdi ve onu 2irket giderleri hesab+ndan /denen ak2am yemeklerine g/t1r1rd1.

#t was all strictly business! but it seemed intimate and informal. Both Paula and Nancy knew about those dinners. Bill had tried to be fair. He would ask Paula to stay one night! and it would be Nancys turn the ne)t night. But Paula had been smart. &he had soon learned how impersonal Bill Hargrave could be! even at those intimate dinners. bout as personal as one of those advertisements that says! '$his means you.( nd she saw how much harder to please he was during the overtime hours? more irritable! more inclined to be critical in his manner. &o when Nancy had said! '# dont mind staying nights! really. # know Paula usually has a date. &hes popular with the men7( well! Paula had been glad to let it go at that. &hed been 8uick enough to see that neither of them was going to get the "ob simply on a basis of physical attractiveness! and she was right. Paula didnt need any lessons when it came to office politics. &he was the one who was always busy when someone of little importance in the office wanted his material typed. '&orry! but its impossible! @ack. 9hy not ask Nancy6( nd they did ask Nancy. #t left Paula free to do Bill Hargraves work in a hurry. &he was never too busy for %r. Bills work. 9hen Hargrave finally pressed one of those buttons it was at Paulas desk that the light went on. &he started to make a grab for her notebook! but she 8uickly took out her mirror first. $hen she grabbed up her notebook and an envelope that was on her desk.

Bu mutlak suretle! tamamen i2in bir par*as+yd+! ancak bira. samimi ve gayri resmi g/r1n1rd1. Hem Paula! hem de Nancy bu ak2am yemeklerini iyi biliyorlard+. Bill adil olmaya *al+2m+2t+. Bir ak2am Pauladan kalmas+n+ rica ederdi! ve sonraki ak2am yemek s+ras+ Nancyye gelirdi. ma Paula ak+ll+ hareket etmi2ti. Bill Hargravein o samimi ak2am yemeklerinde bile ne kadar mesafeli olabildi,ini hemen /,renmi2ti. Au i*lerinden birinde a2a,+ yukar+ 'Bu sen demeksin( diyen reklam kadar mesafeliydi. 0e onu fa.la mesai s+ras+nda memnun etmenin nas+l daha da .or oldu,unu g/rd1B daha asabi! hareketlerinde ele2tirici olmaya daha fa.la e,ilimli. 0e tabii Nancy ' k2amlar+ ben kalabilirim! ger*ekten. Paulan+n genellikle bir randevusu oldu,unu biliyorum. -rkekler aras+nda olduk*a me2hur7( dedi,inde! Paula olay+n b/yle geli2mesine i.in vermekten ho2nut olmu2tu. Paula! ikisinin de bu i2i sadece fi.iksel *ekicilikleri ile elde edemeyeceklerini g/rmekte gecikmemi2ti! ve hakl+yd+. C2! b1ro politikalar+na geldi,inde! Paulan+n hi* bir derse ihtiyac+ yoktu. B1roda fa.la /nemli olmayan biri notlar+n+ daktilo ettirmek istedi,inde her .aman me2gul olan hep oydu. 'D.g1n1m! ama imkans+. @ack. Neden Nancyden istemiyorsun6( 0e onlar da Nancyye rica ederlerdi. Bu Paulaya! Bill Hargravein i2lerini daha acele yapma /.g1rl1,1n1 getirdi. ;! Bay Billin i2leri i*in asla *ok me2gul de,ildi. Hargrave en sonunda 2u d1,melerden birine bast+,+nda! +2+,+ yanan Paulan+n masas+yd+. Not defterini kapmak i*in hareketlendi! ama daha /nce *abucak aynas+n+ *+kard+. &onra defterini ve masas+n+n 1.erindeki bir .arf+ ald+ hemen.

s for Nancy! what else could she do but sit there with her pretty blonde head bent over her typewriter6 Nancy was a natural blonde! and that seemed the best way to describe her. &he "ust didnt seem to know any tricks such as Paula did for making herself more popular with the boss. $he moment Paula got inside Hargraves office he asked about that stateroom. ' ny luck! Paula6( Paula wasnt dumb. #t was the little things that would count with %r. Bill. ;rchestra seats at the theater when an important client was in the town and the show was sold out. ;r a stateroom when there were 'no staterooms to be had for love or money.( &he handed him the envelope. #t contained the two sets of tickets. '$hats your stateroom number on the outside!( she said in a businesslike way. &he had on a blue flannel suit something like Bills! and it was clear he thought she looked pretty smart in it. '4ont forget the time!( she added! 'eight?fifteen.( Hargrave smiled. '&o there were no staterooms for love or money! eh6( He looked again at the number of his stateroom and he put the envelope carefully in his inside pocket. $hen he told her. &he was going to have a new "ob. He mentioned the salary! too. He didnt neglect to mention the salary. &he took it "ust right? in a very businesslike manner. @ust enough of gratitude.

Nancyye gelince! sapsar+ kafas+ daktilosunun 1.erine b1k1lm12 bir 2ekilde orada /ylece oturmaktan ba2ka ne gelirdi elinden6 Nancy do,al bir sar+2+nd+! ve bu onu tan+mlayabilecek en iyi ifadeydi. &adece! Paulan+n kendini patrona daha da yak+nla2t+rmak i*in ba2vurdu,u hilelerin hi* birini biliyor gibi g/r1nm1yordu. Paula patronun *al+2ma odas+na girdi,i anda! Hargrave 2u kompartman konusunu a*t+. 'Hi* 2ans+m+. var m+! Paula6( Paula aptal de,ildi. %r. Bill i*in /nemli olan Efak ayr+nt+lard+. 5nemli bir m12teri kasabadayken! t1m biletlerin sat+ld+,+ bir tiyatro salonunda orkestra g/sterisi i*in yer bulabilmek gibi. 0eya 'ayarlanmas+n+n m1mk1n olmad+,+( bir .amanda bir kompartman. ;na .arf+ u.att+. C*inde iki ki2ilik bilet vard+. 'Bu salonun kenar+ndaki kompartman+n+.+n numaras+!( dedi ciddi bir ifadeyle. D.erine Billinkine ben.er mavi kadife bir tak+m elbise giymi2ti! ve bu elbise i*inde patronun onun *ok g1.el g/r1nd1,1n1 d121nd1,1 a2ikard+. '&aatini unutmay+n( diye ekledi! 'seki.?onbe2.( Hargrave g1l1msedi. m1mk1n de,ildi! ha6( '=1ya kompartman ayarlamak

3ompartman+n+n numaras+na tekrar bakt+ ve .arf+ dikkatli bir 2ekilde i* cebine koydu. &onra ona s/yledi. :eni i2i o alacakt+. %aa2tan da bahsetti. %aa2tan bahsetmeyi ihmal etmedi. Paula bunu tam anlam+yla uygun bir 2ekilde?*ok ciddi bir tav+rla? kabul etti. &adece yetecek kadar bir minnettarl+kla.

nd then! the old sportsmanship. How sorry she felt about Nancy. &he didnt look sorry nd neither did Bill. He told her it was okay! that she shouldnt worry about Nancy! that Nancy wasnt made for the "ob anyway! and that besides! he and Nancy were leaving on their honeymoon tonight. $onight at eight?fifteen.

0e sonra! 2u eski sportmenlik. Nancy i*in ne kadar da 1.1l1yordu. sl+nda pek de 1.g1n g/r1nm1yordu. 0e Bill de 1.g1n g/r1nm1yordu. ;na her 2eyin yolunda oldu,unu! Nancy i*in endi2elenmemesi gerekti,ini! nihayetinde Nancynin bu i2e uygun olmad+,+n+! ve bunun yan+s+ra! o ve Nancynin bu ak2am balay+na *+kacaklar+n+ s/yledi. Bu ak2am! saat seki.?onbe2teki trenle.