Chapter 1 Job hunting

Nora

The metered taxi deposited me, Nora Reidy, at the corner of my intended destination. My neck worked overtime as I studied my environment. Downtown Bluewaters was cleaner and less crowded than my noisy, overcrowded stomping ground, the upper part of town.

The upper part of town hosted a cauldron of races, blacks, whites, browns, any colour you know, Bluewaters had it. Her e prominent race appeared to be white.

The stationary and moving cars looked expensive. The few people l saw on the street wore costly clothes, shoes, and accessories. I felt underdressed in my washed-out jeans, scruffy sneakers and a sweater that had seen better days.

I turned a corner and the Ratliff offices came into sight. I uncapped my liter bottle filled with iced water from home. l could not afford to pay for the taxi and buy bottled water at the same time. I gulped down the water and studied the building.

All my hopes were pinned on this building. If l failed to get the job today, my world faced total collapse.

You see, my beloved granny was dying; she needed a kidney transplant. We could not afford the surgery. Our family was dirt poor. Our relatives ignored our plight and refused to help.

My life was in limbo right now. My university results were yet to come out. I was a medical student who had just finished her studies to become a neurosurgeon. My attempts to get a job bombed. At twenty-five, l still lived under granny's roof.

Two glass doors faced me, l pushed my wavy brown hair from my face, craned my neck, and looked at the tallest building in town. At the top, the words Ratliff Airlines Group were written in gold against the black backdrop. My gaze moved to the door again, and l sprinted inside.

The security guard stopped me as l made my way towards the reception area.

" Sorry, miss, where are you going?"

I backtracked and halted in front of him.

" To the CEO's office, I have an interview there."

" Ok, miss, floor 29. Good luck."

I nodded and started towards the elevators. There were two, one on the far left behind the receptionist, the other on the far right. There were about a dozen people in front of the right one. I decided to take the onethath was clear.

As l passed behind the receptionist, she swivelled around in her chair.

"Miss, you can't use that elevator, please use the other one."

I ignored her and went on my way. Why wait when the other elevator was clear?. I pressed number 29 and waited, then I heard,

"I'm sorry, sir, l tried to stop her, she ignored me."

Quick footsteps fast approached me. I watched the elevator intently as it came down. The elevator door opened. As I stepped forward, a hand roughly pulled me back. My water bottle flew over my shoulder and hit something or someone.

The chaos that followed was instantaneous. Manly voices shouted simultaneously.

"Hey"

Sir, are you alright?."

"What are you doing?."

At the same time, l was pushed into the midst of heaving bodies. Pain shot through my cheekbone as a fist or an elbow grazed against it. I came face to face with a dripping white shirt, moulded to a broad chest.

Manly nipples pointed at my face. In the confusion, before l processed what l had seen, l was shoved towards the adjacent wall. My back hit the wall, the pain paralyzed my legs. My butt hit the floor as the starch went from my knees.

My tailbone screamed in pain. The secretary stormed towards me in red stilettos and a black tight skirt. She stood over me and barked,

" Miss, do you want me to lose my job? Didn't I tell you not to use that elevator? Now you have poured water all over the CEO. That's the CEO's private elevator!"

" Sorry."

I mumbled and peered between her long, bowlegged legs.

A black suit clad man was trying to dab at the chest of a tall man, who swatted his hand away. The way the water cascaded down his chest, l was sure it ended in unmentionable places.

The tall man'sface was familiar. What did l do to myself? This was Maxwell Ratliff, Bluewaters's bachelor billionaire. He was rumoured to be short-tempered and rude.

" Frank, bring that insolent girl here."

My heart rate sped up in flight mode. The man called Frank trotted over to us, and the receptionist moved out of his way. He hefted me off my feet. My spine screamed in protest. Maxwell Ratliff's bad reputation made me plant my feet stubbornly. Frank dragged me, my shoes scuffed the floor, crrrrr as l resisted. Frank deposited me in front of the angry man.

I raised my eyes, my gaze met the blackest, maddest eyes I had ever seen.

" Who gave you permission to use my elevator?" A deep voice demanded. I touched my cheekbone and winced. The pain was long gone,

"You slapped me!!

Two fat tears dropped from my eyes. I observed Maxwell and his men's reaction through a sheet of tears. They stared at me dubiously, their facial expressions were like: What's this girl talking about? I got caught in a lie. I chose drama over answering why I opted for the CEO's elevator.

Maxwell glared at me for a minute, then made up his mind. He moved his hand, shooed me off like l was a chicken,

"Take her away before I lose my temper."

Frank dragged me again, this time towards the door. We stepped outside,

" Miss, these people are not like u; they value their property, you can't just pitch up and use the boss's elevator."

I sniffed and used the back of my hand to wipe my tears, Frank gave me his handkerchief. I wiped my face, blew my nose, and clutched the handkerchief in my hand.

Frank sighed,

" Miss, where were you going?"

" These people called me for an interview only to treat me like a dog."

Frank extended his hand,

" Give me the letter, let me see if l can direct you to the correct department."

I patted my pocket.

" Oh my phone."

" Forget the phone, miss, l will get it, just hand over the interview letter."

I fished the letter from my pocket and handed it over.

Frank studied it and handed it back,

" You mixed the buildings, you are supposed to go next door through that gate."

Frank pointed to a small gate on the left side. I felt stupid, l would run if l could, but I needed this job.

" Wait here, l will bring your phone." He brought it back a few minutes later,

"Its screen is broken, but it is still working."

" Thank you." My phone was my life

l did everything on it, from my assignments to job hunting. I trudged towards the small gate, my hand on my aching tailbone. I pushed the gate, a huge structure building came into sight.

The signage of Ratliff Restaurants was boldly written in black, against the white backdrop. The double wooden doors were ajar, l stepped in. The cool air from the fan caressed my face. Waitresses and waiters bustled about in black and white uniforms.

I approached the one who looked less busy,

"Hello, can you direct me to the manager's office, please?"

The waiter jerked his thumb over his shoulder, l followed his thumb.

I knocked on the expensive wooden black door.

" Come in."

A singsong voice intoned. A kind, beautiful face with a wide smile greeted me as I came through the door.

" Welcome, you must be the interviewee, Nora Reidy. Right? I'm Marylin Ratliff."

Well, this was promising, a kind boss. " Yes, mum, I am."

She pointed to the chair,

"Sit down and tell me about yourself."

Damnit, the part l hated with everything in me. Nobody wanted to narrate their poverty-stricken life, especially to strangers.

I stared into her kind eyes. I spilled everything, from my childhood to date. She listened with rapt attention, her chin in her hand. It took a long time to get to the end of my life story.

" You got the job."

What! No questions about whether l had experience or not? A knock landed on the door, and before Mrs Ratliff answered, my nightmare walked through the door.