Things had been quiet of late. He was a Technical Writer and on his way to catch up with an agency. It was one that often had suitable contract work on their books. There was nothing definite in the wind at the moment but he considered it did no harm to keep himself under their noses. So, this was nothing more than a catch up and a cup of coffee. If nothing else, it got him out of the house. He’d parked his car and was about to catch a bus that would take him from one end of the city to the other.
He had just found a window seat and was settling in when a man in a suit carrying a brief case jumped aboard as the bus pulled out. He stumbled through and flopped down, breathing heavily, next to the contractor. The contractor gave a congratulatory smile saying “Close call!” The suit smiled. “It was… I hate running for buses.” He took out a handkerchief and mopped his forehead. This brief interchange seemed to be a natural prompt and they continued to chat casually as the bus moved along the city’s busy main road. After a while the suit asked his fellow traveller what he did for a living.
The contractor inwardly cringed. He hated being asked that. He would tell people and they would say “Technical Writer? What’s that then? What exactly do you do? Is it like working for a newspaper? How do you get paid? Who do you report to? How do you become a Technical Writer?” The questions would just go on and on. He was sick of it. He’d just finished a contract, preparing documentation for a new water management scheme for an iron ore mine. He’d learned a lot about hydrology by working alongside an expert in the field. Very casually he said “I’m a Hydrologist; most of my work involves mine site expansions.” The other nodded. That seemed to satisfy him. The contractor smiled. How easy was that? There was something both mischievous and exciting about side-stepping all those inevitable questions. He was pleased with the thrill it gave him. They chatted on for a while.
Suddenly, the suit’s stop came up and he bounced out of his seat, hugging his case. “I didn’t ask” said the contractor, “what line are you in?”
“Oh! I’m an Account Manager.” he said, as he moved towards the door. “Spend most of my time trying to track down available Technical Writers. Good chatting. Bye.”
And he was gone.