Happily Plastered Young Man Yields a Big Knife

We're having a visit from The Company's Operations Manager, who is no less that the Happily Plastered Young Man I got chatting to at the Christmas do. He's only here for 48 hours.

We were called into a meeting with him at two o'clock today. He and "Rick" were twenty minutes late, which caused some unspoked irritation because we were all awaiting this week's Arabic lesson at 2.30. Anyway, it was brief. DoS's wife has manifested a mysterious illness, and he's had to go home. Today. And, miraculously, LMM's wife is on the bettering line, and they're going to approach him to see if he'll come back. "Rick" will be acting DoS.

I overheard "Rick" (hereinafter DoS2) telling PTI and LM that the reason he and HPYM were late was that they had to escort DoS off the premises. He wasn't able to say goodbye to anyone.

I wondered what form of words would be used if a childless, single orphan were to be sacked? His houseplants were languishing? Strange, the humour that this change inspired. It's good to be a little fish sometimes.