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NEW AUTHORS SHOWCASE |
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27-11-03 12M (p3) |
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The Dancing Snow By Anita E. Burrell |
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Synopsis The Dancing Snow is a name given to Denise Farrell by Winston Harper’s Grandmother. When Denise is transferred to Calgary from her London office to teach the latest 3D cad design package, she and Winston become friends while working together. He tells her of his involvement in a protest movement to stop the Provincial Government from building an unwanted and environmentally damaging dam on land taken without legal permission from his Indian band in Southern Alberta. Denise expresses interest in the plight of the Indians, and Winston takes her to meet his family and friends on the Reserve. Native Canadians are becoming less welcome in the cities because of alcohol problems, yet they are being squeezed onto smaller areas of land with little to keep them occupied. Denise admires Winston for his stand, but can’t officially get involved. She also hears another side to the issue that sounds as reasonable as his, and comes to the conclusion that her interest is really in Winston Harper himself. The two fall in love, and marry. They face many challenges, some of which are just too much for Denise to handle. This story is a heart bouncer. The ending is tearful, but somehow satisfying, leaving the reader feeling good.
Chapter One The latest office gossip landed by way of paper aeroplane on Denise’s keyboard, breaking her concentration. She looked across the room and traced its flight path back to the point of takeoff. Andrea grinned, and pointed to the note. Her mouth eagerly moved to no sound. She appeared to be saying, “Go on, read it. Go on.” Denise carefully unfolded the paper to find out what could merit such a fuss. The note did look a little more interesting than the usual tittle-tattle. It read, “The Calgary office is seeking one or two people from here to teach them Tri-Cad, the new 3D drafting program. They have the chance of a big job from China, but with no one that can do three-dimensional drawings they need help. Keep an eye on George; I’ve been told he’ll approach someone today. How about a little bet on the side, who would you say goes over there this time?” Denise crumpled the note and threw it into her basket, dismissing it as just another one of Andrea’s little distractions. Making an attempt to concentrate on work at hand, she failed, and instead found herself thinking about the message. Four people in the Linton office were qualified to teach Tri-Cad, but she couldn’t be sure which of them George would see fit to send, if indeed anyone could be spared. Also, the question of, which of them would be willing to leave his family for six months, had to be addressed. Charles and Ian were the obvious choices; single, no ties, but both were crucial to the present job. Alex’s qualifications made him a good candidate, but he wouldn’t want to leave his wife and new baby. That left only Denise, and she knew she would not be considered; they never sent women to their overseas offices. The management had a method of wording their excuses in such a way as to avoid being accused of discrimination, but everyone knew women were last on the list for privileges abroad. So, in answer to the question just delivered by paper plane, Denise decided that Charles would have to be her bet, if indeed the rumour turned out to be true. Charles had been to Calgary once before to help with the transition from drawing boards to computers. Canada had become his favourite topic of conversation. Andrea eagerly awaited a reply; she peered over the row of heads in front of her, stretching tall in her seat, looking for a reaction to the message. Denise had no intention of throwing paper aeroplanes all over the place, so she wrote her thoughts on a little piece of scrap paper. Looking around the room to make sure George’s attention had been taken elsewhere, she went to the coffee machine and poured herself a drink: her friend joined her there. Andy read the note and laughed. Nudging with her elbow, not minding the coffee trickling down Denise’s arm, she whispered, “Charles, just Charles?” Without thinking, she picked up a paper towel to wipe the coffee from Denise’s hand, still whispering as she wiped. “Go on then, guess again. I’ve heard there are two to go, maybe more. You must have some idea who else. What about you?” Denise took a sip from her cup, looked at the inquisitive face staring at her and decided not to answer. Instead, she posed a question of her own. “Where did you get this information, Andrea? Have you been listening to your friend in reception again? It doesn’t make sense. We can’t spare two people to go to Calgary. Even one would be pushing it on this project.” “Yes, Sheila told me, only this time she assures me it’s true. She happened to be in Ed Langdon’s office when he took the call. Then came a fax clearly stating that they need one, maybe two instructors and they need them urgently. The Calgary office has to demonstrate to the Chinese that they can do the job in 3D. An appointment is set for July. “You mean an appointment for someone to transfer from here in July?” “No, it’s for the Chinese to visit Calgary July 26th. If the delegation can see for itself that the team can do the job, the contract is theirs. Believe me, Denise; I know what I’m talking about this time. You keep your eye on George, he’ll make a move today.” Denise sipped her coffee and wished that she would be offered the opportunity to go to Canada. She appeared to be staring out of the window, but the view she had in her mind bore no resemblance to the noisy street below. Coming back to actuality, she looked at her friend and asked, “How come they don’t just give us the contract? We could do it. There are plenty of good contractors looking for work here in England.” “Oh, I don’t know. The other lot needs the work more, I suppose.” “Well, that’s true, we have plenty to keep us going for the next year or so.” With a final knowing nudge, Andrea brought the whispering session to a close. She took a cup of coffee and went back to her desk carrying with her a look of superiority at having inside information. Denise on the other hand felt none too sure. Andrea’s rumours had made their way around the office many times before, and at best they were usually only half-true. She tried to dismiss the nonsense outright, but walking slowly back to her computer, she recognised a definite desire to work in Canada. Envy welled up over whoever would land the job. Swiftly, she smothered her feelings: knowing, as she did that women never enjoyed such privileges at James Brown UK Ltd. Each time George, the department manager, came out of his office the two women followed him around the room with their eyes. By lunchtime, it had become obvious to him that something was up. He nervously checked himself each time he walked by their desks. The whole room knew he felt uneasy. Everyone felt uneasy, and the two women were responsible. Maybe the rumours had no substance yet again. Denise had begun to feel a little foolish for having fallen into the gossip trap once more. Charles popped his head over the dividing screen to ask if he had missed something. She told him Andy had another of her rumours circulating, this time about Calgary needing someone to teach Tri-cad. His ears pricked up, and right away he began to talk about the city he enjoyed so much. “Oh, don’t I ever wish I could go back there, but I know I’m needed here. Why don’t you ask for the job, Denise? You could do it, and you’d adore the place. The people are very friendly. You’d love it, I know you would.” |