Dinner with Terry
(before meeting the APs)
Culled for not adding anything to the plot
The second best restaurant in Mahikkala looks the part: deep red velvet curtains, oak panelling, small chandeliers. It’s quite expensive, but even Mark knows it will be a good investment. Once upon a time you could expect the project manager to pay for the meal on such an occasion, but no one with a real job is on expenses these days. Instead we all get a standard ‘daily allowance’ in local currency which is modified for any country by an index produced by one of the big consulting firms. Being Scandinavia, the multiplier for Finland is quite high. It does cost a fortune to live in Helsinki, but out here in the provinces we can manage quite comfortably, very comfortably, in fact, on our fifty Euros a day. The thing is that the company reserves the right to modify the allowance up or down if they think it is unreasonably low or high. Terry’s a good guy, I don’t think he’d say anything, but just to be on the safe side, we always take him to the posh places. It’s only polite after all.
“So guys, what should I choose?” he booms. People around the other polished tables look up, startled from their menus. This is always the worst thing about taking Terry out. Was he born next to a motorway?
“Try the reindeer steak,” says John.
“I was thinking about that, but lingonberry sauce?”
“Aye, they love their berry sauces do the Finns. Try it, it goes surprisingly well.”
“Like cranberry sauce with turkey,” I add.
An hour later, a replete Terry is idly stirring his coffee. “I don’t know how you can eat that in this weather.” John and I are finishing off sundaes liberally doused in cloudberry sauce.
“Ne’er ha’ nae ices back home, if we wait for hot weather,” says John, his accent broadening for effect.
“So are you going to show me a few of these bars you’re always talking about?” Terry asks. This is a surprise as normally he goes back to the hotel straight after the meal. Perhaps he has decided that a little ‘team-building’ is needed.
“Just so long as you don’t get us too drunk for the meeting in the morning,” says John.