I really do not take pride in what I wear, so I do not have much more than an assortment of T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. Growing up, I was the one who resisted all the times when someone wanted to take me shopping to spruce up my image and wardrobe. Standing in front of a closet full of the wrong kind of clothes made me wonder why I spent all my time pushing away people who only wanted to help. I felt myself swaying slowly back and forth as I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my sister standing in the doorway of my bedroom. She waited until I turned and gave her an obvious sign that I was in need of help.
“I laid out something for you last night. It’s in the bathroom. It was a suit that Dad had that might be a little big, but at least it’s not out of style.” She walked away slowly when I frowned.
“Thanks,” I called.
I moved quickly to see what I would be wearing and was elated to see that it was a light-blue pinstripe suit with a matching tie that wasn’t too wide or wild. With a renewed sense of purpose, I bounced down the steps and headed for the kitchen.
“He wasn’t laid out in that, was he?”
My sister grinned from ear to ear and handed me a bowl and spoon. “You would like that, wouldn’t you?”
I sat down, poured some cereal into the bowl, and added enough milk to make it all float to the top edge. “I really didn’t have a good reason to walk away from all this when I did. I’m sorry.”
“You were missed,” she said as she prepared some eggs and toast. “I owe you big for coming back when you did.”
“Your kids are growing on me.” I kept munching away as my sister cooked. “Are you going to put them in day care again or something else?”
“I haven’t decided what I want to do.” I could tell she had but didn’t like having to put the children in the care of strangers. “They really do like you being around.”
“Well, if this company is flexible, maybe I can work from home and watch them.” I finished up and rinsed my bowl. “What do you think?”
My sister looked me in the eyes, and I could see she was grateful for the offer of free babysitting. “How about you get that job first? Maybe if you impress them, you can move up and get those types of perks.” She gave me a hug. “Go ahead, get out there and impress them like you have me.”
I went through the normal morning routine and then dressed. The waist was a little big in the pants, while the leg length was a little short. Putting on the jacket and stretching my arms out proved I would never find anything that could handle my freakish wingspan. I actually got the tie right on the first attempt even though it had been years since I’ve even picked one up. Taking a deep cleansing breath, I stared at myself in the mirror and imagined I was ready to face my interviewer.
“I have some tokens if you need them,” my sister said, holding out her open hand. “It beats trying to feed dollars into the machine. You do remember how to get there and back again, right?”
“Sure do. Public transportation is my best friend…” I began.
“Because you are too afraid to drive, I know. I’ve heard it many times.” My sister dropped the fare into my hand and disappeared into the kitchen. “I’ll see you tonight sometime.”
“Right.”
I stepped outside and leisurely strolled down the block to the corner where I could ride a trolley downtown. Trolleys made me feel very secure. They were like riding in tanks, and I liked that feeling. Since I was traveling after the morning rush, I had my pick of seats. A single seat was perfect for staring out the window and watching the blocks speed past.
While I had been gone for a few years, not much had changed along the route. Before long, we arrived at the part where the trolley goes underground, and it brought back fond memories. As a kid, I used to sit backward in the last row of seats, propped up on my knees, to see out the back window. Daylight would fade away, the trolley rocking gently side to side, as we sped onward into the dark tunnel.
As we approached my stop, I pulled the cord to signal the driver, got up cautiously, and walked to the doors. Stepping down, I waited for the trolley to stop and the doors to open. I exited and walked up the steps to the outside. People were walking quickly to and fro, but for the most part, there wasn’t an onslaught of constant traffic. I got my bearings and walked in the direction of the interview.
Within a few minutes, I was at the little brick building. I pulled out my watch from my pocket and saw I was more than thirty minutes early. Not wanting to appear too needy, I kept walking to a nearby park. After making sure there wasn’t anything on the bench, I sat down and stretched my legs out. A few people were still rushing to get somewhere, but most were enjoying the beautiful day.
Fifteen minutes before I was scheduled to be at the interview, I was knocking on the window of the front door. I heard a buzz, and I pulled the door open. It was heavier than I thought, so I had to hold it so it didn’t close loudly.
“Can I help you?” asked a girl a lot younger than me.
“I’m here for an interview. My name’s Derrick Sadasky.” I smiled and suddenly felt concerned that my ill-fitting suit was going to be an obvious distraction to everyone who saw me.
“I’ll let them know,” she said, pushing some buttons and picking up the receiver. “Mr. Sadasky is here for his interview.” She smiled at me and listened to a rather lengthy response. Putting down the phone, she stood and motioned for me to walk up a flight of steps. “If you could go up and into the room slightly to the right, someone will be with you shortly.”
“Thank you so much.”
I began to take the steps two at a time and then realized I should be a little more professional and take my time. I looked over my shoulder and gave a nervous wave before going out of the receptionist’s sight.
At the top of the flight of steps, I saw a set of open doors with a little bathroom and then another set of doors that were closed. I stopped, looked at myself in the bathroom mirror, and straightened my tie.
I wasn’t sure if I should knock or just open the second set of doors slowly. I decided to knock twice then opened the door slowly and peered into a large room with a conference table. Someone was sitting there with papers scattered about.
“I’m sorry, is this the right room for the interview?”
The person sized me up and then stood.
“I know I’m a little early.”
“What job are you here for?” she asked, twisting her long dark-brown hair.
“Desktop layout, or something like that. Is this the right place?” I moved into the room, closed the door silently, and took in the surroundings.
She took off her glasses and put them into her jacket pocket. “That’s a relief.” Walking over quickly, she held out her hand. “The name’s Alison Maraji.”
I shook her hand gently but firmly.
“I’m here for the exec position. They must have double-booked the room.”
“Should I go down and tell them?”
I did not want to leave her side ever again, but that’s what happens when any woman shows me even the slightest attention. Something in me wants to serve and protect. At least that’s what happens when I meet one as attractive as Alison. It’s not simply physical beauty but even more so the sense of strength and confidence that she radiated in such an obvious way. She was a little younger than me but seemed much more mature.
“I have to finish up some of the paperwork they gave me, but you are welcome to hang out.” She went back to her seat, put on her glasses, and went back to filling in a bunch of forms. When I didn’t move from my spot, she pointed to a chair and said, “Sit down, silly.”
I folded my hands and put them on the table, resting my elbows on the dark-brown wooden surface. All around the room were plaques and posters promoting the company. Awards and achievements from within and without made me believe this would be a wonderful place to work. My sister told me this would be a great opportunity, and I was getting my hopes up that I could be a contributing part to the company’s future success.
“So, you’re into computers?” Alison broke through my daydreaming. “Is that your thing?”
“I guess.” Let me remind you at this point my social skills were weak at best and my communications skills with others often bordered on the barbaric. “You?”
She rolled her eyes and tapped her pencil loudly. “I get by, but to be honest”—she leaned forward—“I could use your help, if you get the job.”
“You mean if we both get the jobs, right?”
Alison leaned back and stared at me.
“You’ll…you’ll get yours,” I stammered, trying to make her happy with me again. “Does your job pay well?”
I could tell that discussing money made things worse.
“It better.” She went back to filling out the forms, and I knew that was the end of our first conversation.
Minutes later, both doors opened quickly and widely as two people appeared suddenly. A short, round man and a tall, thin woman, both dressed very nicely, approached the end of the table and placed some papers on it.
Alison was on her feet and already shaking the woman’s hand and smiling warmly to the man. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you both,” she said, holding her hands behind her back.
I watched from my seat, not knowing any better that I should be doing the same.
“You must be Derrick,” the man said, holding out his hand.
I tried to shake his hand from my seat, but I didn’t reach. Leaning sideways quickly, I felt the chair tipping and caught myself by grabbing the edge of the table. “I’m sorry,” I uttered after I was sure I wasn’t going to fall. I stood slowly and shook the man’s hand and gave a wimpy wave to the woman.
Alison was poorly hiding her amusement, but I didn’t seem to care.
“Wow, I am so nervous.” I blew out a breath and wiped my forehead.
The woman gave me the warmest smile, while the man slapped me on the back and laughed loudly. “You come highly recommended, so there’s no need for nerves today, my boy.”
He moved past me and took the seat to my right, plopping down roughly.
Everyone sat down and looked at the man who was ready to get serious.
“I am W. C. Manor, and this is my business partner, C. S. Cedar. We own this company and would like nothing more than for you both to come to work for us.” He folded his hands and rested them on his belly as he leaned back comfortably.
She looked at Alison, who was sitting next to her. “We wanted to come and personally welcome you today,” the woman continued. “Do you have any questions?”
“No, but I am thankful for the chance to work here. I’ve done a lot of research on both of you and your company. It’s quite an accomplishment what you’ve been able to contribute to your industry.” Alison nodded slowly as she maintained eye contact with them both. “Simply amazing.”
“How about you?” the man asked me.
“I have to apologize, but I really have no idea what you do here. I mean, I get what I’m supposed to do, but past that, not a clue.” I shrugged. “I know you guys aren’t lawyers.”
The woman looked at the man, and he smirked. “Are you always this honest?”
“I try to be. That’s something you should be able to count on from me.” I rested by elbows on the table again. “I’m sure I’ll get it as I go.”
“We manage associations,” the woman said sweetly. “They hire us to handle everything from meetings to membership, dues to data. Whatever they need, we provide. You would be working on designing forms, brochures, newsletters, and all the creative pieces that help attract new members.”
“Alison would be the one that works with the association members and decision makers. She needs to understand what they need so you can give it to them,” the man added. “You will both be working very closely on a number of projects for several clients.”
I liked the idea of working directly with Alison. “When do we start?” I was serious. They had me so worked up.
“We still have a few more interviews before we make our final decision for the executive director position,” the woman said, trying not to sound too harsh.
“Oh.” I looked at Alison and sighed. “I’m sure you’ll both make the right choice.”
“Well, you and I need to get out of here so they can finish the interview,” the man said, guiding me out of the room. Once outside, he closed the door and turned to me. “If you walk down that other set of steps, I can show you where you will be working.”
I followed his instructions and descended the steps. At the bottom, I pushed open a door after looking through a little glass window cut in it. A small hallway with a tiny desk was in front of me, and I moved behind it to allow the man to get through the door. The back wall was actually an emergency exit.
“Is this all mine?” I asked enthusiastically when I saw the size of the computer monitor.
“It’s not much, but you can make it your own.” He pursed his lips and stroked his mustache. “When can you start?”
I saw an overflowing inbox with several inches of paper jutting in numerous directions. Looking around, I imagined the cramped quarters as my own office away from the others. An oddly strong sense of pride overcame me.
“I’m ready now.”