Chapter 2 Got the Job

Elsie looked at her phone for the hundredth time in the past hour. It was already afternoon, and she hadn't gotten any email notifications from the many job applications she'd stayed up all night sending out.

"Why won't the universe be on my side for once?" She asked in frustration, glancing up at the ceiling of the small Barbie-pink bedroom she shared with her best friend.

Her best friend came out of the bathroom adjacent to the bed. The size of the bathroom reminded them of the janitor's closet back in college.

"Nothing good, yet?" Darla, her best friend, asked when she stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a lime green towel covering her upper body but stopping at her mid-thigh.

"No, nothing yet." Elsie shook her head, sighing.

"That sucks," Darla said, stepping out of the towel and heading for the medium vanity mirror in the corner of their room.

The vanity was a gift from one of Darla's exes, who was a carpenter. He designed and constructed it himself, painting it in Darla"s favorite color, burgundy red. The relationship was over but Darla was grateful to have met such a nice guy like him.

Unfortunately, he had to relocate abroad when he was offered an exclusive contract to be the head designer and constructor at a furniture company in Asia.

"Yeah, it does suck." Elsie agreed with Darla's earlier statement. Darla was sitting naked at the vanity, combing her hair. Elsie, on the other hand, had given up on refreshing her email box for the hundredth time and tossed her phone to the side of the bed.

She grabbed the pillow closest to her and put it over her face. Then she let out a scream that was muffled by the pillow but sounded like someone screaming in a hollow ditch.

When Darla heard the muffled sound of Elsie's scream, she shook her head and tsked to herself.

"Don't worry, El. It's going to work out. These things take time." Darla tried to reassure her. Elsie wanted to agree with her but couldn't.

Although they were best friends and had known each other since college, Darla had more capabilities for becoming rich than Elsie. Elsie felt guilty that Darla was living with her in their small bedroom out of pity.

She wished Darla would embrace the better life that was right in front of her.

She was good at tech stuff, but she chose to remain a waitress in an upscale restaurant not far from where they lived. Elsie just couldn't understand Darla.

She knew that if she were in Darla's shoes, she'd take any opportunity to become richer, not in spite of her but because of her.

Instead of worrying too much about Darla and her lifestyle, Elsie nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, you're right. It does take time." Elsie tossed the pillow aside and grabbed her phone.

She didn't bother checking her emails again but decided to apply for more jobs on the Jobber website. When the website loaded, she saw many job opportunities waiting to be applied for.

"Why are there so many job opportunities when they don't even respond to applications on time?" Elsie asked Darla in a whiny voice.

Darla was no longer naked and was wearing red lace panties and a bra.

"I also wonder the same thing. I remember how long it took before the restaurant approved my application." Darla responded. She walked to their clothes rack and pulled out a white t-shirt and a black fitted skirt that stopped at her knees. It was her waitress uniform.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to apply for more positions, I guess," Elsie said as she scrolled through the positions. The job opportunities she'd been applying for were ones that involved writing and keeping records. Then an idea came to Elsie.

Maybe she could apply for a position that involved serving and doing other things as well. Elsie was penniless and unproductive and needed the money. It didn't matter what kind of job it was as long as it paid, Elsie thought to herself.

"You know, I"ll just apply for any positions randomly. Many people are trying to be writers these days anyway, that could be why I haven't gotten any emails yet." Elsie told Darla, who had already finished putting on her outfit.

"Oh, my God. Why didn't I think of that? You're right. Maybe you could even join me at my restaurant. I'll let you know if they're hiring when I'm back from work, alright?" Darla excitedly told Elsie.

This made Elsie smile and chuckle to herself. As she scrolled through the Jobber website, she ignored the writer's job opportunities. She changed her search options to any job opportunities, and the page refreshed.

On top of the new page, she saw one that caught her interest. The heading of the job opportunity read,

"Diligent Secretary Needed Immediately."

As she scrolled through the qualifications listed for the job, she wondered if the person who posted it was serious. The qualifications were things she could easily do, even with her eyes closed.

Must know how to cook.

Must be punctual to the office or answer the boss when needed.

Should be able to track very important records. Plans and sticks to schedules and makes things flow easily for her boss.

You should know how to speak and write in English fluently.

You should have a good fashion sense and know how to put together a stellar outfit.

You must be ready at any point in time. Even if it's 12 a.m. and your house is burning and you have to save your precious possessions. Once the boss calls for you, you drop everything and answer.

Must be dedicated to the job. This means you cannot quit until the boss says so. You'll be charged in court and made to pay $1 billion to the company.

The last qualification and its elaboration caused shivers to run down Elsie's body. She began to wonder if the employer was a sadist or a serial killer.

Only a fool would apply for such a position, Elsie said to herself. She was about to close the window on the job opportunity when her eyes caught on the salary of the position and the date the job was posted.

The job opportunity was posted about thirty minutes ago, and so far, only two people have applied for it. Elsie couldn't blame them because the salary was very tempting.

Fifty thousand dollars a month was going to set her up for life. It meant she had to keep the job forever. No wonder the employer said the secretary couldn't quit.

"50,000 dollars," Elsie whispered to herself in amazement. She didn't care about the implications, she was going to apply for the job.

"What did you just say?" Darla asked Elsie as she came up behind her.

"This job pays 50,000 dollars a month, but the catch is that you cannot quit, ever." Elsie informed Darla. Then she read out the qualifications and terms and conditions. When she was done, Darla shook her head, puzzled.

"Wow, that's a lot," Darla said, and Elsie nodded in agreement, still looking at her phone.

"What's the worst that could happen? You should go for it, it's not like they're asking for your kidney or anything like that," Darla spoke.

"Right," Elsie agreed.

"They're just asking you to give up your life." Darla deadpanned. When she glanced at Elsie, they both burst out laughing, remembering a certain movie they'd seen together in college.

"Is my life about to become a movie?" Elsie laughed, trying to catch her breath.

Darla joined her in laughing. She bent over, grabbed her stomach, and laughed harder.

"Better a movie than whatever is happening right now." Darla laughed again. They continued laughing until they couldn't feel their stomachs. When they finished, they sighed at the same time and shook their heads.

"I better apply before more people do," Elsie grinned. With that, she sent in her application form and credentials.

"I'll see you in the evening then,"Darla said as she walked to the door.

"Bye-bye." Elsie waved her off when she stepped out. She was about to close the jobber website when she caught another text about the secretary positions.

"When you receive an email from us, know that it is an acceptance email. Don't open it. Just head over to the Acia company and report to Mr. Hunt. The receptionist will direct you to his office."

Elsie wondered what kind of people worked at the Acia company. She'd heard about them in the news before but never paid attention to the details. Judging from the details of the job offer, they must be very hardworking and thorough people, she concluded.

Most of all, she wondered if she'd get the job, but she tried to stay positive. For backup, she decided to research the company. She saw good articles about the company in her research.

Trying to remain positive, she spoke aloud. "Please, let me get this job."

With that, she got out of bed and went into the bathroom. The weather was hot, and she was starting to feel icky. When she came out, her phone pinged and her heart rate spiked.

She walked cautiously to the bed and grabbed it. When she looked at the notification, it was from Acia. She'd gotten the job, and she couldn't believe it.

She screamed into the room and jumped up, clapping her hands.

"I got it. I got it!" She shouted at no one in particular.

Still reeling from the excitement, she turned to the clothing rack and hunted for her best corporate outfit. She was officially going to start working at Acia, and she couldn't wait.