NORMAL LIFE: Telling The Redhead

It was my first social event in my new work, and it went surprisingly well. Firstly, we took a three hour cruise from Katajanokka (my old neighbourhood) around an archipelago off the shores of Vuosaari to the west of Helsinki. The weather was fantastic, the atmosphere very friendly for every now and then one of the engineers or one of the Product Managers would come over and take the time to chat with me in my mother tongue.

For the first time, I felt that I could actually work with this team. Despite my boss' sudden departure from the team and one of the Product Manager's constantly digging at me, I felt I could actually work with the remainder of my colleagues quite well. It amused me when a number of the colleagues asked what I thought of Finns; by international standards, Finns are very paranoid and actually welcome feedback on their weird ways. Well, they are not so weird, although they are somewhat quiet socially.

This quietness didn't last long, however, for the drinking commenced followed by a lovely meal below deck. I saw a remarkable change in the Product Manager who refused to talk to me; she was laughing and joking and cheering. Of course, the drink helped her attitdue to be a little bit more bearable. Still, however, we didn't speak for the whole evening.

When we returned to Katajanokka, we had a few drinks in Sipuli, one of Helsinki's upmarket restaurants before moving onto Teatteri, one of the superficial places to be and be seen. A huge bar, Teatteri is full of pretty girls and boys who somewhat manage to ignore eachother. It's not that they're already married or even gay for that matter, but just that they love themselves so much that there isn't any room for anyone else in their lives! I love the unthreatening environment there for I have no agenda.

Come 1am, I announced that it was time for my bed. One of the engineers, in fact the only good looking one, asked: you're going home alone? I explained that I had an early start so it was best I get going. I saw the look of disappointment on his face. Persuaded, I bought one more drink for myself. The Product Manager (PM), my favourite, propped herself up the bar and started a conversation that went something like this:-

PM: Are you dating?
Blogger: Yes... for four and a half years.
PM: Four and a half years?!!
Blogger: Yes... and you'll understand why I want to keep it quiet.

With a sudden twitch in her face, it had clicked. Her expression went from realisation to knowing and then she smiled. 'Of course', she said, 'it's none of my business. In fact, I'm happy for you'!

I left the bar shortly after - it wasn't for want or need of attention that I told her. Having someone know at the office is always good for, if there's an emergency, she will know that there's somebody special who might need to know what's going on.

I went to a gay bar nearby where I knew Bree wait for me. When I arrived, I met my next challenge which I think warrants a blog entry all of its own (see here).