My secret identity

I have inadvertently created a secret identity. To explain I must go back to the first time I met the organizer of the writing group I recently joined. She wasn’t there in the first meeting I went to but made a point of introducing herself in the second. She is a delightfully lady but has obvious leadership skills.

In the conversation she told me the history of the group and when it was first founded three years ago, she was made its leader because she is an ex-teacher. ‘People always expect teachers to run things!’ I believe were her words. At that moment I vowed to keep my profession a secret. Despite being a teacher I am not very good at running things, the phrase party in a brewery springs to mind.

For the next few meetings I was very careful, avoiding the topic of work and brushing it over quickly if it ever came up. Last week I let my guard down, one other members mentioned how he had passed his accountancy exams, so our leader asked him if he now had any letters after his name, he shrugged I piped up ‘I think you are now a ‘MATT’ and in ten years you become a ‘SATT,’ well at least that what it was when I failed the same exams years ago.’ Another member chipped up ‘Ahh we now have three accountants in the group!’ The conversation moved on before I could denied it. 25 years ago I was working in an accounts firm and failed my exams, four times! It will surprise you to hear I wasn’t very good at accountancy.

Now most the writing group now think I’m an accountant. If I was going to make up a fake identity for myself it wouldn’t have been accountant, I would have gone for something at bit more exciting like international spy or lion tamer. I really hope none of them ask me for help with their tax returns, tax was one of the exams I failed.