Clare London - Naughty or Nice 23 - Pop-Ups.pdf

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Clare London
Pop-Ups [2]
“ Y OU are our hourly winner! ”
The banner flashed at me, garish neon yellow, scrolling
across my laptop screen. Sitting at my PC in the corner of
the living room, I glared back at it. Right . Where was the
close down button? I may not have been the world’s greatest
computer geek, but at least I could recognize spam when I
saw it.
“ Just click here and find out what you’ve won! ”
What the hell interest did I have in pop-up ads? Of
course I understood marketing. I knew I had to accept these
outrageously misleading campaigns as part of the consumer
world, though how and why they infiltrated even my
respected financial advisory sites, I’d never know. But I’d
never made a buying decision except as a result of sensible
analysis and assessment of all the options available. And
right now, all I wanted after an exhausting fourteen-hour
day was to pick up my email, to see if there was any news
from Sara, my sister-in-law. I wanted to know if she’d had
her baby, if they were all okay. Also if the family was coming
back to the city in time for the holiday, if our annual family
get-together was still going ahead, if….
Well, to be entirely honest, if I had somewhere to go for
Christmas.
“ Good day, Can I trust you? Please get back to me this
holiday on business proposition. ”
Clare London
Pop-Ups [3]
I rolled my eyes at the screen and glanced over at the
case propped up by the front door of my city apartment. My
luggage had been waiting there ever since my brother Tom
called to say it looked like Sara had gone into labor early
while they were up at her parents’ home. Mum and Dad were
with them, having gone there for a social pre-Christmas visit,
but now staying to help out with the birth arrangements.
Tom’s call had been hurried and his voice excited, most
unlike his usual calm, cynical self. He’d suggested I’d better
wait for further news before setting out to meet them all.
Judging from the doctor’s initial advice—and the long range
weather forecast for that part of the country—there was a
good chance they’d all be stranded there for the holiday.
I understood how it was, didn’t I?
Of course, I said I did. To be honest, Sara was as much
a sister to me as if we were related by birth, so I was pretty
tense about the baby thing, myself. But it was a
disappointment. I’d really been looking forward to seeing
both her and Tom. As usual, my commitments hadn’t
allowed me time off as the holiday approached, although my
boss had all but insisted I kept bookings to a minimum over
Christmas itself. He muttered something about the difficulty
of closing the office for a couple of days, when I was being a
complete workaholic. Or a word that sounded similar. So I’d
been virtually forced to schedule in some family time for
once.
But what was I meant to do now? My boss had been
closing and locking his office door even as I picked up my
jacket. The only place I had left to wait was back in my
apartment.
Clare London
Pop-Ups [4]
Just keep me posted, I’d said to Tom. I’d make other
plans if needs be. And I usually enjoyed the bustle and buzz
of the city. It was just….
“ All glitter supplies for Christmas available now. Have
you hung your star this year? ”
I looked around the living room of my apartment. Didn’t
take long. It looked calm and plain, no different than any
other time of year, really. Couch with neat, tastefully covered
cushions, polished side table with small but efficient lamp,
modest bookcase on one wall with my reference manuals
and certificates of qualification on display. I hadn’t bothered
with any Christmas decorations, as I’d been expecting to be
back at my parents’ house. To be honest, I didn’t ever
bother. Vacations weren’t my thing, let alone the festive
ones. A couple of early cards—from business contacts and
office supply vendors—were on my mantel, and that was it.
“ Fun party animations for all your social networking
needs! 1000s of smiles and winks, free for a limited time! ”
I glared back at my case as if it might have something to
say about my situation. It was often packed, often ready to
go at a moment’s notice. As Investigations Manager at a
financial services firm, I went where the contracts were. It
was a lifestyle characterized by tight deadlines, liaison with
senior executives in all industries, and often the potential for
uncovering major fraud. Very exciting, of course, if you could
keep up with the pressure—which I’d proved I could. The
senior partners in my firm often praised my willingness to
work unusual hours, to travel at a moment’s notice, when
other employees balked at it. I was surely on line for a
partnership myself one day.
Clare London
Pop-Ups [5]
Even if Tom still rolled his eyes and mouthed ‘bean
counter’ to my mother behind my back.
“ Great Prices on Timeless Masterpieces. Call today! ”
I frowned at a new batch of pop-ups and stabbed at my
keyboard, trying to get the little “x” to respond. Of course, I
had to admit there were disadvantages to this jet-set,
trouble-shooting lifestyle. Nowadays, I always seemed to be
tired, or coming down with a version of the flu. Plus, working
such long hours meant I didn’t have a local circle of friends.
I’d lost touch with most of my school buddies. I struggled to
get back home for family events, whereas Tom and Sara had
more routine jobs near my parents and were always on
hand. And dating… well, that was a bit hit and miss for me.
More miss than hit, actually. Thank God I had some regular
fun with….
Henry.
“ Only minutes left to claim your unique prize! ”
The banner on my screen blinked and shimmered,
leaving hazy spots in front of my eyes. It still wouldn’t erase.
The X was on strike, or something. It seemed to be grayed
out. I didn’t usually have this much trouble. I tried Ctrl, Alt,
Caps, then—in frustration—all three together. I’d never been
very good at technical issues, software or hardware, just
good, solid hard work. That was, of course, greatly
appreciated at the office, even though my boss had made
some not-so-veiled comments at my last appraisal about the
counterproductive effect of long hours and the shortsighted
fear of never taking risks. Obviously he was covering those
areas with all the managers, not just me. The tapping of my
keyboard sounded more like hammer strikes, and a nagging

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