"I Expect Full Co-operation !"

"To be brutally honest Debbi, I've been extremely disappointed with your demeanor over the last few months" Jeff admonished her. He had just talked to Debbi about Diane's idea for the Easter Parade and how he expected her full co-operation. Debbi had been less than enthusiastic !

"But that's not fair. The team's working well and we've hit all our targets" she protested. "That's as maybe" Jeff replied. "But when you reach your level on the management ladder, the job becomes about more than about just hitting targets. You have to present a positive, can do, dynamic front. Just look at Diane and the value she consistently adds to the company." Debbi used to do that but she was aware that she had withdrawn into more of a defensive shell with the arrival of Diane and her constant attempts to undermine her. Why couldn't Jeff see that ? Why was he taken in by the obvious manipulations of Diane ? But instead he continued, "I won't put up with this petty jealousy and resentment that you seem to harbor against Diane. If I hear that you and Carol have been anything less than 100% co-operative over this parade. I shall take a very dim view of it !"

Debbi stormed out. She had never had such a dressing down before, everything normally went swimmingly for her with Jeff. "It's so unfair" she complained to Carol. "It is a pain" her mature assistant agreed. "Derek isn't going to be happy with a microwaved Easter lunch." "Well, I'd planned to go to Manchester to spend the weekend with James" said Debbi, referring to her policeman boyfriend. "Can't he come down here ?" asked Carol. "No, he's not on duty but he's on standby" Debbi answered. "And they're going to make us look ridiculous dressed up as rabbits" she further complained. "Oh well, it could be worse. You see kids out wearing those onesies with floppy ears all the time" Carol tried to pacify her. "Yeah but we're adults, not in kindergarten" Debbi moaned. "But it's Easter and everyone'll be in fancy dress. We'll be handing out chocolate, nobody'll take any notice" Carol reassured her boss.

"Their costumes have arrived from Japan" Aditty announced excitedly. She and Diane had already tried on their sky blue Easter princess costumes with matching bonnets, the dusky south Asian girl enjoying the novelty of wearing a blonde wig. "It's so funny that they just assumed that they'd be dressing up as cute furry animals" Aditty laughed. "Yeah" agreed Diane with a grin. "It's a good job we've got those contacts in Japan now though or we'd have struggled to get a size to fit Carol !" "The guys were very helpful, they just want some pics" confirmed Aditty. "I thought a regular bunny girl outfit would have been funny enough. I'd never heard of a reverse bunny outfit" she added. "Ah, that's where research and an interest in anime and Japanese culture comes in handy" laughed Diane !