‘Is here okay?’ Alice asked, standing next to a small table tucked into a corner.
‘Perfect. You take a seat and I’ll order the coffees. Or would you prefer something else?’
‘No, a latte would be lovely, thank you.’
Alice watched as Carmel raised a hand and waggled her fingers when she was halfway to the counter. Two waiters scurried forward to help her, either sensing she was important or in a hurry, or both. Perhaps they knew her well.
Carmel had barely sat down when their drinks arrived – espresso for her and a creamy latte for Alice. Alice took note that Carmel drank her coffee exactly as it came, figuring it might be useful to know later on.
‘So, you’ve just finished an Arts degree. And almost all History subjects I see.’
‘Yes. I chose subjects that interested me – since Arts isn’t really vocational anyway.’
‘Right. What made you go back as a mature-age student? That must have been hard,’ Carmel said, picking up her tiny cup and taking an equally delicate sip.
‘My marriage ended. I felt the need to get out of the small country town I was born in and do something for myself while I decided what I wanted to do with my life.’ Well, David played a big part in it, but I don’t think that’s what you want to hear … And, anyway, I’m a different, stronger person now.
‘And what did you discover?’
‘Sorry?’
‘About yourself, the direction you want to take. Did you find the answers?’
Alice was about to laugh and say no, not all of them – especially about her dream job – but reminded herself just in time that this was a job interview and she needed to sell herself, not indulge in idle chit chat.
‘Let’s see. I did well at university and I discovered I was smarter than I thought. In my second year my results put me in the top fifteen percent of the year across the entire university, and I was invited to join an international honour society. I thought the membership was a bit of a gimmick, but I was still pretty chuffed,’ Alice said, then realised she should stop talking about how much she loved uni and start talking about work.
‘Also, I like to help people. In my last full-time job they actually nicknamed me “Little Miss Helpful”,’ Alice said, grinning.
‘Little Miss Helpful. How sweet,’ Carmel said, and took a sip of her coffee.
Shit, stop being so open, Alice told herself sharply. Professional. Be professional. But Carmel was so disarming and easy to talk to that conversation – even personal stuff – seemed to flow almost too easily. Alice wasn’t sure if Carmel was being genuine and charming, or condescending.
‘I’m organised. I learnt I can do anything I put my mind to, and I’m driven to succeed,’ Alice said, pulling herself together.
‘In what? Driven to succeed in what, exactly?’
‘Oh, well, I just meant driven to be my best in whatever I’m doing – my uni results, for example, as I mentioned.’
‘Yes, they are very impressive.’
‘Thank you.’ Alice was proud of her results. Not long after starting at university she’d begun to feel her whole being physically shifting. Awakening. It was as if she had wings and they were slowly unfurling for the first time, stretching to test what span and strength they had. Discovering that she was much smarter than she’d been led to believe and actually really quite intelligent had initially given her a slightly strange, uneasy feeling – a bit like the sand shifting under her feet at the beach when a wave retreated, or discovering Santa wasn’t real after all. She realised there was so much more to life than marriage and babies, which is what her mother had in mind for her.
‘So, what’s next for Alice Hamilton?’
‘Well, I’m hoping real estate now that I’ve met you …’ Oh dear, too gushy, judging by Carmel’s raised eyebrows. Alice became flustered. ‘Unfortunately I don’t have a dream job or career in mind. Well, I didn’t. What I mean is, I think perhaps I’m a toiler. I’m a hard worker, but I don’t feel the need to be at the top of management or the centre of attention. I think I’m happy providing support from behind, below,’ she said, hearing herself starting to ramble. ‘It’s not that I’m not ambitious, it’s just that my ambition lies more in being comfortable and happy than really rich,’ Alice added, thinking aloud. She cursed the straight up honesty that was such a big part of her character. Oh shit! Just shut up!
‘Why can’t you have both? I do,’ Carmel said, waving a hand – a little theatrically, Alice thought.
‘Oh. Well. Perhaps I just haven’t found my groove yet.’
‘Alice, you’re thirty, you’d better get your act together.’
Alice was a little taken aback. God, you sound like my mother! It’s not my fault there aren’t any jobs going that use my passion for history. I’m doing my best. When she enrolled in Arts, she’d chosen to study modern history because it captured her interest and she’d shared a love of the subject with her dad. It had been one of their ‘things’, and theirs alone. As a child she’d sit on his lap, he in his big reclining faux leather chair, their heads close together, flicking through books about the olden days, people they’d never meet and places they’d most likely never go to. When she thought about it, Alice realised she had found her groove in her studies. Now she needed to find it in a job.
‘I’m probably too driven,’ said Carmel. ‘And I knew I wanted to be in real estate when I was ten.’
‘I envy people who know exactly what they want from an early age.’ Alice might have seriously considered modelling as a career, if she didn’t enjoy food quite so much and hated the idea of starving herself, and her mother hadn’t said over and over that being vain and drawing attention to oneself was vulgar. Strange coming from a woman who couldn’t walk past a mirror without stopping to inspect her reflection and adjust her hair or apply more lipstick …
‘Yes, it certainly makes it easier for planning one’s life. But don’t underestimate what you’ve gained through trying different things and keeping an open mind,’ Carmel said, smiling warmly again, all hint of the criticism from seconds ago gone. She turned her phone over and checked the time on the display. ‘Right, so what do you think about being my PA? A three-month probation will ensure we’re the right fit and then if you’re interested we’ll see if maybe your groove is real estate.’
Oh really? Wow. Alice was suddenly excited about the prospect of becoming an agent. It was something she’d never thought about, but the more she considered it now, the more she thought she’d be great at it. She could see that helping people to find and purchase their dream property, or sell and achieve their dream price might be right up her alley.
‘I think I’d love to be your PA, with the view to becoming an agent, Carmel. Thank you so much.’
‘I like your enthusiasm, Alice. Now, I warn you, I can be a hard taskmaster at times. I’m always fair, but I am firm. I have strict ways I like things done, but I can promise there’ll be no smashing of photocopiers.’
Alice cringed. She really wished she hadn’t shot her mouth off like that.
‘I look forward to living up to your high standards, Carmel.’
‘Great. Now, I need to cut this short; I have another appointment and you’re expected back up in reception,’ she said, standing up.
Alice leapt to attention, leaving behind the coffee she’d only taken two sips from, and hurrying to catch up to Carmel.
Carmel spent the lift ride back up to the twenty-fourth floor in silence, focussed on her phone. Alice found the atmosphere considerably colder than when they’d been going down, but shook the feeling aside. The woman was successful. Being busy and remaining focussed on the tasks at hand was no doubt how she came to be one of Melbourne’s leading real estate sales people, which is what a quick Google of the company had told Alice.
‘It was lovely to meet you, Alice. I look forward to you being my new protégé, should you accept the position,’ she said as they stepped out of the lift. ‘And now I’ll leave you with the
management team to discuss things further and for them to consider your suitability.’
‘Oh, right. Okay. Thanks, Carmel,’ Alice said. She was starting to feel a little dazed at Carmel’s intensity. Did she just offer me a job or not? She began to hold out her hand, but Carmel was already striding away, giving a wave to the man and two women standing near the reception desk – all dressed in company livery. Still none the wiser, Alice turned towards them.
‘Alice, great to meet you,’ the man said. ‘I’m Paul Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, and this is Mary Murphy and Rose Sharp from our management team.’ They all shook hands and Alice tried to remember which woman was which. Did Rose have the red hair or was she the blonde? She was a little surprised the HR manager, Brenda Andrews, wasn’t there. Why wouldn’t HR be involved? Oh well, she wasn’t about to question how they ran their very successful business.
‘Come through here,’ Paul said, ushering her into the same room Alice had been in earlier with Carmel.
‘So, what were your impressions of Carmel?’ he asked when they were settled.
‘Lovely. Really lovely,’ Alice said. Was that an odd question? No, probably not when they’re interviewing for a personal assistant role.
‘She is very exacting and can come across as a little forceful,’ Rose said. ‘Do you think you’d be okay with that?’
‘Oh, yes, no problem at all. Of course there’ll be a learning curve and it’ll take a little time to understand her nuances, but I’m really excited about the chance to be working with – er, for – someone of her calibre.’
‘Fantastic, that’s what we like to hear,’ Mary said, seemingly with a hint of relief.
‘I can get along well with most people,’ Alice said cheerfully. ‘And I’m organised, efficient and pretty exacting myself.’
‘Okay then,’ Paul said, opening his black leather compendium and taking out a document. ‘Here’s a job description and what we’re offering, should you choose to accept.’ He pushed the paper towards Alice and said, ‘Three-month probation, after which time you can decide if you want to do some study. If you do, you’ll be given a paid day of study leave per month, plus of course time off for lectures and tutorials.’
‘That’s very generous,’ Alice said.
‘It’s not a day off – we’d expect you to be working. And we’d be expecting exceptional results, which I’m sure, given your recent studies, you’d have no problem achieving. We’re a success because we have the brightest and best people. We understand that requires some investment. Then we hope they’ll stay with us long term and repay that investment. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. You might find real estate is not for you. Anyway, over the page is the salary we’re offering,’ he said.
Alice turned the page. She had to stop her mouth opening at seeing the very large number printed in bold black type. It was ten thousand dollars a year higher than what Outercover had been offering. And she’d thought that was a good starting salary. As she stared, pretending to read, she told herself to put her game face back on. She wasn’t greedy, but she hadn’t lived with David’s influence for this long to not at least attempt a negotiation.
‘I see that includes superannuation. I’d be looking for that salary plus super. At a minimum,’ she said, putting on her boldest, most professional sounding voice. She met Paul’s gaze and held it in an attempt to tell him she was serious, and then looked to Mary and then Rose. It was worth a shot. Alice didn’t want them thinking she was a pushover – great offer or not.
‘I think we can stretch to adding super and another five thousand,’ Paul said and looked to Mary and Rose. They both nodded. ‘Alice?’
‘That’s great. Thank you. I accept.’
‘Brilliant.’ He made a note in his compendium and leant over and made the changes to the paper in front of Alice. ‘I’ll get it amended and emailed to you tomorrow,’ he said, ‘but in the meantime, take this so you have everything to hand. If you have any questions, contact Brenda Andrews in HR – her details are at the bottom. Does the start date, next Monday, work for you?’
‘Yes, that works perfectly,’ Alice said. She watched, almost mesmerised, as he put his pen back into the loop in his compendium and zipped it closed.
‘Right, then, great. Welcome aboard, Alice,’ Paul said, standing up and holding out his hand.
‘Thank you,’ Alice said, leaping to her feet and grasping his hand. She then exchanged handshakes with Rose and Mary, who were standing beside Paul.
‘May it be a long and rewarding experience for you,’ Mary said.
‘I’m sure it will. Thank you for the opportunity,’ Alice said, beaming, her thudding heart finally beginning to slow.
‘All the best,’ Rose said, smiling warmly.
Alice was ushered back out to reception.
‘Thanks, Alice. The updated document will be forwarded to you by the end of business tomorrow. Hand it back, signed, to Bianca here at reception when you arrive. We look forward to seeing you around the office from Monday.’
And then they were gone, leaving Alice to feel a little like she’d been through a cycle in the tumble dryer for the past hour.
‘Thank you. See you Monday, Bianca,’ Alice said to the receptionist, and walked towards the lift on legs that didn’t quite feel connected. She nodded in greeting to the young man and woman already in the lift and rode silently with them to the ground, the whole time thinking, Golly, I’ve just got myself a damned fine job with a damned fine salary – woo-hoo! So excited, she wanted to pump her fist in the air or tap-dance. Instead she smiled and clutched her two bags so tightly to her chest.
Outside on the footpath she looked around. What now? It seemed so ordinary to simply go home, such an anticlimax. Oh well, that was life, wasn’t it? Ordinary punctuated by less ordinary. One couldn’t celebrate every exciting event. And, she’d only got a job – hundreds of thousands of people around the planet did just this very thing every day. But she knew that David would be pleased. She took out her phone. There were two missed calls from him, but no notifications of any messages. She tried his number, but it went straight to voicemail so she hung up. Everyone else would be in lectures or at work and out of contact too, she realised, running quickly through her list of nearest and dearest friends. Welcome to the real world, she thought, and put her phone back in her bag with a slightly disappointed sigh. At least Bill would look like he was pleased to hear her news, even if he didn’t understand it. She brightened a little and then began to smile again as she headed back to the train station. I’m going to love being in real estate, and be really good at it, she told herself.
Chapter Five
As Alice unlocked the front door she listened for signs David was already home. You couldn’t tell with this house. With the apartment there had been a glow around the front window shutters if the light was on, which it usually was when they were in. She’d only have to look up and feel a sense of comfort when she saw the gentle light. It happened so rarely that she arrived home after David and it was a feeling she loved. She’d never told him, though, as she didn’t want him to feel guilty about the long hours he worked. Her husband had been lazy and always there and she’d never felt she could have any time on her own. But with David she didn’t crave having time alone.
Perhaps after her marriage ended she’d called out her frustration to the universe loudly enough and she’d been given what she’d asked for – an energetic go-getter. She was determined not to complain about David’s absences and long hours. She did her best to be home waiting for him when he came back from a work trip because she knew the comfort of entering a warm, inhabited space. She could see why keeping the home fires burning had been so important during wartime, which she’d studied at university. She wondered if David appreciated the simple things she did for him, though she doubted it. She was more the romantic at heart.
With this house, even once she’d walked in it was impossible to tell if anyone was there or not, because the open kitchen and l
iving area was behind the bedrooms, at the end of a long hallway. She shook aside the thought that she missed the old apartment and reminded herself how cramped they’d been. And there’d been no Bill, she thought, feeling a wave of warmth instantly flow through her. She’d carefully opened the door in case the dog happened to make a run for it. She hadn’t heard his claws on the floorboards.
Her heart swelled as she saw him sitting to attention a metre or so back out of the way.
‘How good are you? What a beautiful, clever boy,’ she said, putting her bags on the floor and kneeling down to give the dog the attention he deserved. ‘Are you all alone or is David here?’ she asked, ruffling Bill’s ears.
‘Alice, is that you?’ came David’s voice.
‘Yes. Hi.’
‘I’m in the kitchen.’
At that moment Alice detected cooking smells and her heart swelled even further. Could this evening get any better?
‘Come on, Bill, let’s see what’s for dinner.’ Alice scooped up her handbag and tote bag – David didn’t like mess or items out of place – and with Bill trotting alongside she made her way through to the kitchen.
‘You didn’t happen to bring zucchini, did you?’
‘Um, no.’ Why would I have stopped and got zucchini? How random. ‘Did you leave a message about it? Sorry.’ He’d called but hadn’t left a message, so she hadn’t rung him back. She’d assumed he had just wanted to say hi or more likely tell her about his latest work triumph, or debrief or rant about what some idiot had or hadn’t done at work.
He was frowning as he stood there in his navy and white striped apron. Damn. Clearly not in the best mood. He claimed he loved cooking, but got quite frustrated when things didn’t go perfectly to plan or he didn’t achieve exactly what he’d set out to. He followed recipes to the letter. Alice didn’t. She felt cooking came from the heart, not the head. This was a source of consternation for David and was sometimes a real bugbear between them, but Alice did her best not to play the game. When David wanted to cook, she let him, even though preparing their evening meal was one of her favourite things to do each day. She’d learnt early on in their relationship that for David, wanting to cook was more about competing, winning and one-upping her than any desire to actually prepare meals for them to enjoy together. He needed to be the best at everything. Alice just wanted to love and be loved in return – she was a born nurturer. At times cooking seemed positively torturous for David and it took all Alice’s strength not to step in and try to take over. As the more easy-going of the two, she was happy just to enjoy the fruits of his labour and lavish an appropriate amount of praise when required – whether the food deserved it or not.
A Life of Her Own Page 4