一串電郵，兩間供應商，三十六封信件。一邊話佢哋軟件掛唔到對方接口；另一邊話唔知對方平台要求係乜。你來我往，每封內容都好有禮貌，「唔好意思遲咗覆」、「跟進一下下面個內容」、「唔好意思又追」；傾足兩年，結果係我公司網站有個功能，一直用唔到。
One email thread, two suppliers, thirty-six messages. One side said their software could not connect to the other's interface; the other said nobody had told them what the platform required. Back and forth, every message impeccably polite: apologies for the delay, just following up on the below, sorry to chase again. Two whole years of it, and the upshot was a feature on the company website that nobody could use.
最近我升咗職。上面特別叮囑：而家講嘢份量重咗喇，每字每句都要慎重啲。
I was promoted recently. Word came down from above: your words carry more weight now, so weigh every one of them.
喺英國五年，我學識嘅日常用語，有一半係用嚟包裝問題；有時問完仲要補一句唔好意思，驚死得罪人咁。
Five years in England, and half the everyday English I have picked up is for wrapping a question in. Sometimes a sorry goes on the end as well, in case the question has offended anyone.
第三十七封電郵，係我寫嘅：「大家好。項目限期已屆。我哋決定唔再等，會換供應商。多謝各位一直以來嘅支持。此致。」
Email thirty-seven was mine. "Dear all. The project deadline has passed. We have decided not to wait any longer and will be changing supplier. Thank you for your support throughout. Kind regards."
第二日，三方齊人開會。
The next day, all three parties were on the call.
「如果今日定唔到方案，我就去搵新承包商。而家技術上究竟卡喺邊呢……」記住老細提點，我喺句尾特登加咗兩個字：「請問？」
"If we cannot settle on a solution today, I will be looking for a new contractor. So where exactly is this stuck, technically…" Mindful of the word from above, I put three more on the end, on purpose: "if I may?"
有人接：「其實，如果佢哋肯改接口，我哋收到訊號就可以開始砌。我哋都好希望可以盡快開始開工。」另一邊答：「改唔係大問題，我哋只係唔知要改成點先配合到。首先，呢條問題係代我哋技術部門提出嘅。請問你哋跟歐盟標準，定係亞洲標準？」
Someone picked it up. "Well, if they are willing to change the interface, we can start building the moment we get the signal. We would very much like to get started as soon as possible." The other side replied. "Changing it is not the problem. We just don't know what to change it to. First of all, I am asking this on behalf of our technical department. May I ask whether you follow the EU standard, or the Asian one?"
之後佢哋你一句我一句，講咗幾分鐘，係都入唔到問題核心。
They went back and forth for a few minutes and never got near the point.
我忍唔住，嘆咗一口氣。
I could not help it. I sighed.
好大、好響的一口氣。
A big one. A loud one.
全場靜晒。
The call went silent.
四秒、五秒。
Four seconds. Five.
然後我小心翼翼問：「即係要用邊個標準呀？邊個得就用邊個。如果兩個都可以，咪睇下邊套快啲搞掂囉……」
Then, very carefully, I asked: "So which standard is it to be? Whichever works. And if both work, perhaps whichever is quicker…"
個會開咗十五分鐘，我帶住個結果同老細報告，順便講埋我點樣抵唔住頸，可能有少少失禮。佢聽完大笑咗一聲：「你嗰種直白，都係保留吧。講嘢小心就唔係你啦！」
The meeting was over in fifteen minutes. I took the outcome to my boss, and confessed along the way that I had lost my patience and might have been a little rude. There was a bark of laughter. "Keep that bluntness of yours. Careful was never you."
兩個星期後，個功能用得。
Two weeks later, the feature worked.