Chapter 2 The blue eyed stranger

The next morning Kelvin awoke to the annoying beep of his alarm clock. For the first time in weeks, he was not awoken by hunger.

Using the money the handsome stranger had given him, Kelvin had gone to the corner mart and bought himself some groceries, bread, sandwich meat, and some milk.

He went to sleep with a full belly, something he hadn't done in a while.

***

Yawning, Kelvin swiped at his clock before rolling off the sofa.

He used his sink to wash up and brush his teeth before checking his e-mail. His heart did a jump when he opened his inbox and his eyes settled on the first unread result.

He had an interview!

He opened the email and qucikly scanned the contents. His heart jumped again. The email was from Morgan Investments, one of his most desired prospects.

They wanted him to come in that afternoon "to discuss potential opportunities for you at Morgan Investments."

When he had re-read the email over a couple of times, Kelvin let out a whoop of joy.

Running to his closet, he checked on his one and only suit which still hung untouched since his graduation ceremony.

Everything was in order as he headed for the door of his apartment. Sure, he had to get ready for his interview. But, he still had sixty bucks of what the stranger had given him yesterday, and he needed to repay Ralph for his kindness.

Ralph would be in the park setting up for the lunch crowd, and Kelvin knew he'd appreciate the news.

Several hours later, standing outside the twenty-five story Morgan Investments building, Kelvin swallowed his nervousness.

Located at the center of the Financial District, it wasn't the largest or the nicest building, but Kelvin knew it was one of few buildings fully owned by one firm. Most of the others shared office space and floors with other firms.

Smoothing his palms over his red tie, Kelvin gathered himself before going inside. The lobby was enormous, lined in rich sandstone tile. Two guards behind the reception desk carefully watched him approach, while alongside them stood a kinder-looking brunette that gave him a small smile.

Kelvin was surprised to see the lady had the same eyes as the stranger from the park yesterday. "Can I help you, sir?"

Kelvin gave his best professional smile, nodding. "My name's Kelvin Houstin; I'm here for an interview at two."

The receptionist checked the schedule before looking up and nodding. "Yes sir, I have you right here, Mister Houstin. Could you please show some identification?"

Surprised at the security check, Kelvin dug his old student ID out of his wallet and handed it over awkwardly. "Is this okay? I don't have a driver's license," he explained. "You don't really need it when you walk or take the sub all the time."

"This is just fine, Mister Houstin. You can wait right over there," the receptionist replied, pointing to a series of comfortable-looking chairs off to one side of the lobby. I'll get with you in just a minute.

Kelvin walked over and sat down and then pulled his resume packet from his bag. It dawned on him that he should have brought something more professional than an NYU backpack.

It wasn't long before the receptionist came over, surprising Kelvin with how tall she was. She held an ID badge, with a large "V" stamped on it.

"Thank you Mister Houstin. Here's your visitor's badge and your student ID back. If you'd just follow me please, I'll take you up to the interviewing area."

On the twenty-first floor, the door opened to a quiet hallway.

Kelvin could see offices of people working vigorously off to each side, the whole room buzzing with purpose. He was thrilled at seeing such energy again; it had been a while. The receptionist led him to a conference room and opened the door for him.

"Please have a seat. Someone will be with you in a moment."

"Thank you, Miss...."

The receptionist's smile grew, and Kelvin knew he had impressed at least one person.

" Tshini, the woman replied, offering a handshake. "Karen Tshini." The two briefly shook hands, and Karen shut the door behind her.

Kelvin took a moment to look around the small conference room, observing the security camera in the corner.

He had to assume he was being watched at all times, so he made his way to a chair and sat down, intent on making the best possible impression. He really needed this job.

***

Down the hall, Karen gazed at the monitor screen showing the video feed from the room. "You think this is the same boy you saw yesterday?" she asked, glancing at her brother.

Her brother nodded; his arms clasped behind his back as he studied Kelvin's every movement.

"Yes. He's the same age, same neighborhood, everything matching the application we received."

"Did you go out intentionally searching for him?" Karen asked, "Or was it just fate?"

"Fate, for sure," her brother chuckled. "I am not in the habit of looking for handsome young men in Central Park."

"I see. So what should I do?"

"Send Jasmine to interview him. I will watch from here."

Karen looked at her brother, then nodded her head once. "As you wish, Shalem."

***

About five minutes later, the door to the conference room swung open, and Kelvin stood up as a dark-haired woman entered the room. "Mister Houstin, my name is Jasmine White," she said, sitting down at the other side of the table. "How are you today?"

The two exchanged pleasantries and Kelvin relaxed as the interview continued, enjoying the pleasant tone of the woman's voice.

She was a bit older than Kelvin, maybe thirty-four or thirty-five, but had a healthy sense of humor that quickly set his nerves at ease. His first surprise came when Jasmine told him what his position would entail.

"I know that you indicated on your resume that you were mainly interested in working with commodities trading, but we're really at capacity up there currently," she said, going through Kelvin's notes. "That's why we took a while to get back with you. Anyway, our CEO's executive assistant recently moved on to another role here at Morgan Investments. I think that you would do well filling that position."

"Don't you think I'm a little overqualified for that, Miss White?" Kelvin commented, trying not to sound ungrateful. He was shocked, and a bit frustrated. He did need a job badly, but he also didn't want to get typecast as a secretary.

Our CEO has a very demanding schedule. Many of his assistants go on to do very well in our company within only a couple of years. What do you think? Our CEO was impressed with your resume and expressly asked for you to be interviewed."

Kelvin sat back, pretending to ponder the situation. He couldn't look too eager for the job, he knew that for sure, if he were going to have any possibility of getting decent pay or benefits. "How's the compensation package?" he asked.

***

Karen and Shalem gazed at the screen as Kelvin spoke with Jasmine. "He's spirited," Karen noted, her sharp eyes catching every nuance of Kelvin's body language. "I'm surprised that someone in his position would have questions at all."

"That's why I want him," Shalem said. "If I just needed someone who'd fill my coffee cup, I could have a million of those anytime I wanted. I want someone who is going to have some backbone. Someone who can actually give some input if I want it."

"I see. Shall I buzz Jasmine now?" Karen asked, a bit of annoyance in her voice.

Shalem turned to his sister and smiled at her.

"Karen, you'll always be my most trusted consultant. Don't worry, I'd never dream of replacing my sister, especially not with a college graduate."

Karen stared at him wearily. "You better not. And I'm only your half sister. It's how I got the hair, remember? And should I buzz Jasmine?"

Tilting his head to the side, Shalem studied the monitor before shaking his head. "No," he said gently. "I think I will go say hello."

***

Kelvin was still trying to figure out if his ears were failing him. "Did you say a hundred-thousand a year?"

Jasmine nodded, her face expressionless. "Yes, Mister Houstin. Do you find that to your liking?"

Kelvin tried his best to keep his hands from shaking. "No! I mean yes! I mean.... the salary's great, Miss White," he said, a giddy grin breaking out on his handsome face. "I just.... one-hundred thousand. Wow."

"Mister Houstin, the money is just part of it. Our CEO is very generous to employees who work hard for him, but he's also very demanding. Do you think you can put in the work?"

"I'm confident I can, Miss White," Kelvin replied. "I guess the only question I have left is, how soon can I start?"

A knock at the door interrupted Jasmine's reply, and the door opened to leave Kelvin slack-jawed.

Wearing a custom tailored suit, was the blue-eyed stranger from the 230th street playground. His tall frame and broad shoulders filled the doorway, and Kelvin could see he even had to turn slightly sideways to fit his shoulders through.

"Ah, Mr. Tshini, Mister Houstin just was saying he wanted to accept our offer," Jasmine said, standing in respect.

Kelvin scrambled to his feet. In his hastiness, he caused the chair to go sliding back and hit the wall. He felt embarrassed, but they didn't seem to notice.

"That's great, Jasmine. I suppose I should introduce myself. Mister Houstin, I'm Shalem Tshini, President and CEO of Morgan Investments. Starting next week, you and I will be working a lot together."