Chapter 2 New Job Interview

Elsa

“Fûck. Fûck. Fûck.” I ran down the subway stairs, my small feet moving as fast as they could. I had already been late in leaving my house— it was no small feat to make Victoria and Anna eat their breakfast, and after that I had to search the quickest and cheapest way to get to the K & K law firm where I was going for the interview.

After three long weeks of searching for a place to stay and then finding one and making it habitable for the other two lives that depended on me by spending every last penny I had left, this interview was my last hope. It was by some miracle that I had happened upon the newspaper in which the classified for this job was listed. And in my quest to read the job description I had almost sat on the lap of the old man outside the shelter where we had spent our last week. The old man was kind enough as he had handed me the section of the paper I was looking at.

And I fûcking knew that the god above must’ve had some mercy because the pay was good and all I had to do was assort the files and manage the paperwork. I took it as my due for the last few miserable years of my life except the one part that I would never change.

I stepped out into the morning sun- even the day was perfect which I took as one more sign of a good day ahead. I loved mornings and the sunshine as much as I hated rain and gloomy clouds, maybe it was to the fact that I never could get to enjoy the rain like many other people sitting up in their warm houses and looking at the world through their windows, not knowing what it was like to be hungry and miserable with wet clothes on your body. I pushed those thoughts back to the depressed box they belonged to and quickened my steps only to slam into someone face first and barely caught myself before I could’ve fallen flat on my arse.

“I am so sorry!” I said as I looked up at the man standing in front of me. He was tall and I meant at least two feet taller than me, okay I was small in comparison to most of the women at five two, but this man was tall-tall.

His dark eyes were wide and horrified as he said, “Oh no, I am sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

I was taken aback by his apology because I knew from experience most people won’t apologize in such a situation but then the reason for his horror and apology registered when I felt something wet slithering down inside my clothes, on my skin. I looked down and squeezed my eyes shut as I saw the big coffee stain on my white shirt that was quickly soaking in my beige skirt. No. No. No.

“I am really sorry.” The man was saying but all I could think about was how I had spent my entire night in altering this shirt for the interview. The soft touch had me looking up into his dark eyes and he said, “Please, let me make it up to you.”

“No, it’s alright. I am alright. Everything will be alright.” I mumbled the words that had gotten me through the darkest of nights.

His strong fingers curled around my arm and he steered me to the side of the footpath because people had started to notice us standing there in the middle. “Look, I don’t know where you were going—”

“To the interview. I really wanted that job.” I said on autopilot, seeing the only chance to turn things around for three of us slipping far away from me.

“And, I am sure you will get it. Just let me help.” When I looked at him with suspicious eyes, he said, “My sister’s boutique is not far from here, I could take you there and you can have a new set of clothes.”

I shrugged off his touch knowing full well that no kindness comes strings free. I shook my head. “No thanks. I will manage.” Even as I said that, I didn’t believe those words.

He sighed. “Look, I am really sorry, and believe me or not I really want to help.” He held up his hands and said, “I promise I’m not a serial killer.” I looked back down at my clothes and cringed inwardly. Fuck. As if sensing that I was inclining to accept his help, he said, “We could walk, it’s just a block away.”

I looked at my watch and said, “I will be late for my interview.”

He asked, “Where are you interviewing?”

“K & K law firm.” I answered and when his eyes lit up, I asked, “Do you by any chance know someone there?”

He said, “If you are heading toward K & K then you are going in the wrong direction.” I frowned. He turned me around in the direction he was heading to. “It’s that way. And fortunately for you, my sister’s boutique is there too.”

Not having any other choice and needing this job to stay alive and to keep the two lives that depended on me safe and healthy, I started walking with him, accepting his help silently.

After a few minutes of walking, he asked, “So how did you get to know about the job? And, what are you applying for?”

“I saw it in a newspaper clipping. I am applying for back office work, file management and such.”

He hummed under his breath and asked, “What are your qualifications?”

I chewed on my bottom lip wondering if I should have to answer his questions out of politeness just because I was accepting his help and then my good senses answered in a resounding yes and I gave in feeling my cheeks heat up in the morning sun in embarrassment. “I have graduated from high school.”

“Oh. Not much of an academic student?”

I didn’t know why I answered, maybe for the first time I took it as an insult and it came to pride but I replied with a very arrogant, “I got full scholarship to Duke but I had to decline it.”

At his silence I peeked up at him and found that I had managed to surprise him. He didn’t question me further so we walked the remaining distance to his sister’s boutique in silence. Glitz and Glamour was a two storey store with glass doors and windows. The tall man pushed one such door open and waited for me to step inside. The store was quite at this time of the morning and I couldn’t even see the employees. I turned to him to tell him that we might be too early and also the opulence was making me uncomfortable. It looked expensive and nowhere near the ten dollars I had spent on my shirt.

But before I could deny what we came here for, a tall woman in a black A-line dress appeared, from out of nowhere and greeted the tall man. “Good morning, Mr McKenzie. How can I help you?”

“Good morning, Delene. Is my sister here?” He asked.

“Not yet, but she’ll be here in twenty minutes, that's her usual time.”

“Hmm, that would be unacceptable. So I guess you’d have to help my friend here.” I looked up at him sharply but he didn’t glance at me as he said, “I unintentionally ruined her dress, and she has an interview in the next fifteen minutes so hurry up and do your magic.”

With a smile and slight nod, Delene grabbed my arm and pulled me in the store. She didn’t waste any time and she didn't ask me many questions as she left me near the dressing section and then ran off somewhere. After a few minutes she returned holding three dresses. One was a cream colored a-line dress just like hers, the other one was a pastel green blouse with checkered black pants and the third one was simple black pants with a floral printed pink shirt.

I asked her if I can wear the pastel green blouse with simple black pants, when she gave me a go ahead I took them from her and disappeared inside the changing room. I quickly slipped off my ruined clothes and donned the new ones. The feel of the fabric, soft and cool against my skin had me sighing and closing my eyes in bliss. It was years now since I had felt this sensation of new fabric against my skin, of something so expensive.

When I came out Delene was waiting outside and I asked, “How much does this cost?”

She said, “Oh, they are the basic ones. The shirt is only fifteen hundred dollars and the trousers are for twelve hundred and ninety nine.” I was sure that I was close to fainting. No way I could have these clothes. Delene looked at me with a frown and I realised I was already shaking my head, she asked, “Is there a problem?”

“Oh no, I could not take these. I am sorry for your trouble.” With that I turned around, ready to go back into my wet and stained clothes.

But then a voice came from behind. “Excuse us for a moment, Delene.”

“Of course, sir.” Delene left me alone with the tall man. Mr Mackenzie.

I faced him and said, “I appreciate your help but I can’t take these clothes, they are too expensive!”

His lips tipped up at the corners and he said, “I can see that I won’t be able to convince you so why don’t we come to a compromise.” I waited. He said, “You can wear these clothes to the interview and then return it here and pay the dry cleaning bill when you get the job.”

“If I get the job.”

He shrugged. “I am sure you will.”

I contemplated it for a moment and who am I kidding I really needed to be able to score this job. I nodded reluctantly and said, “Thank you.”

The tall man, aka Mr McKenzie, directed me toward the skyscraper that was K & K law firm. And I reached there just in time for the old lady to usher the candidates who had come for the interview into the waiting area outside the office where the interviews were being held. I sat in the hard metal chair with my fingers crossed. All the women waiting with me were tall and looked well put together in comparison to me, they probably had their degrees ready to show off.

With each passing minute I was starting to question my good fortune even as I knew that back office work didn’t need a degree to assort through files but I was convinced that they would prefer other women than the one who couldn’t accept the scholarship.

But when the next time the old lady came out, she pointed at me and said, “You. You are next.”

My fingers trembling on the thin file I was holding with my meagre paperwork and certificates I had gotten in high school, I sent a prayer above and entered the office. Just as the door closed behind me, I heard the old lady saying to other waiting candidates that they could go now and interviews had come to an end.

I frowned in confusion but that disappeared as I met the dark eyes sitting behind the desk. “Oh.” I whispered softly.

“Well, isn’t it the best attire for an interview.” The tall man, Mr Mackenzie said.

I flushed. “I— You—”

He gestured at the empty chair in front of his desk and said, “I am sorry I didn’t tell you who I was and that you were coming for the interview to me. I guess I wanted to see that shocked expression on your face.” I sat down and he held out his hand for the file. “May I?”

I swallowed and extended my file. He didn’t open it or look at it as he asked, “I have only one question for you, Miss—?”

“Elsa Smith.”

“So, Miss Elsa, tell me why you didn't go to Duke and why you need this job?”

I licked my lips and because when we were waiting outside and were given a form to fill, I had only written half truth in it so I repeated that half truth afraid I won’t get the job otherwise. So I said, “Because my mother has breast cancer. She was diagnosed with it after a year of me graduating high school so I couldn’t attend college and she’s the reason I need this job.” At least half of it.

His eyes filled with sympathy and I looked down. After a moment he cleared his throat and said, “You could join right away or from tomorrow.” I looked up in surprise but he didn’t look at me as he pulled out a file and plucked a stack of papers from it. Sliding those papers toward me, he said, “Fill these and sign them with the attested copies of your identification and other documents that are mentioned. And submit it to me before you go.”

“Really?” I whispered. “Are you serious? Are you really giving me this job?”

He smiled and his eyes shimmered with kindness. “Of course, Miss Elsa. I wouldn't be sitting here otherwise as this isn't really my job.”

My eyes widened at his answer. “Oh, thank you so much, Mr Mackenzie. I won’t disappoint you.”

“I am sure you won’t. But you will be addressing my partner, but given your job profile I don't think you’ll be coming out of that file room anytime soon.”

He shuddered dramatically but I didn't care, I finally have the job to support my family and right in that moment I couldn't care even if the sky opened up and drenched me for suddenly everything was as bright as the ray of sunshine.

After thanking the tall man, Mr Mackenzie one more time, I took the stack of papers and sat down to fill them in. I brushed over the bitter truths with half lies and mentioned little of my background except that was truly necessary. When I gave him the papers and thanked him again. He smiled and said, “You can stop calling me Mr MacKenzie, it makes me feel like I’m some sort of doddering old man, instead call me Kaden.”

“I should not, you'll be my boss.”

He shook his head and said, “Like I said, you'll be answering to my partner, the other K in the firm. So I’m not technically your boss.”

When I didn’t say anything, he arched a brow and I huffed, making him smile. “Okay, Kaden.”

~

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