Or at least behind the door and down the street. I’ve finally done it. I went for the interview today. It took me getting up three hours early just to shower, dress and stop the dry heaves. I shouldn’t have been nervous. I’ve known the head tech at Blackthorne Computers for nearly two years. George comes in every Tuesday for a burger with fries. Same sandwich every time. We’ve chatted while I take his order and even seen each other in passing at the movies or the local Safeway. Curly brown hair, hazel eyes and a real witty sense of humor. I knew he did things with computers as he always has this leather covered laptop with him, but never knew where he worked. Didn’t really care to be honest. I was too busy being fry girl at the local burger joint. Hell, it isn’t even a national chain. Also too busy trying to forget all the bad relationships I’d ever had and life in general. I guess I did a good job. Good enough that when he saw my name on the resume, he didn’t connect it with me.
George was really shocked when he realized it was the same girl he talked to at the Burger Bar. I felt so stupid! I was nervous enough when I went in. Seeing George there made it worse. Oh why couldn’t it have been some total stranger? oh yeah, right! in a town this small?
You’d think at 28 that I’d have my head together enough to sell myself to a company. Let alone a small computer and ISP company. That after 4 years of college, traveling the world and being out on my own for nearly ten years that I could find a good job, and get through the interview without feeling like an idiot. Right. It took me three weeks of reading the ad in the newspapers to get up the courage to write up my resume. Another three days to actually post it to the company. I about died of embarrassment when the reply arrived in my email. Then I walked in and there was Mr. Pierce. George Pierce. George with no barbecue sauce, extra cheese and Dr. Pepper every Tuesday. I wanted to melt right through the floor.
I felt like I answered every question wrong. That the two other people in the office were leaving the room just to laugh. George just kept asking questions and cracking jokes. When it was all over, he smiled, shook my hand and said they’d call me. I don’t know if I screwed up or not. I don’t know if there were even any other people coming in for interviews.
All I really know is that I want the job. Office Manager. Wow! What a nice Politically Correct way to say secretary. But I don’t care. I want to answer the phone, ‘Blackthorne Computers, Gemma speaking. How can I help you?’ so bad it hurts. I want to tell Chuck down at the Burger Bar to take his fry basket and shove it! I want to stop smelling of deep fried anything. I don’t want to have to take my work clothes to the dry cleaners once a month to get all the grease smell out of them.
Oh gods I hope I get the job!
