The appointment

I'm not at all looking forward to my assessment. The people conducting it are no more than the government's lackeys. They have targets and quotas to meet. They obey without question. They are the sort of people who have oiled the wheels of many a totalitarian state. They deliver cruelty and injustice, and smile while they are doing it. I am under no illusion. This time though, I have someone to speak up for me. That's what I really needed before, but it hadn't happened at the time I needed it. The last time I saw these people I wanted to give a good impression. I don't know why I did that. I suppose I thought I needed to. I was all togged up, all smart and clean-shaven. This time I am going exactly as I am, and I won't even try to mind my language. If I have to speak, then I shall say it exactly as it is, and in my own language. Deep breath now.