Jerickca looked into Denver’s eyes while she spoke, and she felt that Denver appeared somewhat uneasy. Jerickca wouldn’t hold this against Denver. In her experience as a manager, most people started off uncomfortable when they first met families, because they didn’t know what they were facing. They were walking into the unknown. So to make Denver more comfortable, she asked her how she would handle a family that had no food.
“I would contact a local food bank or make a referral to the American Red Cross or other organizations in the community that have various resources.” Denver responded. “I would also find out why the family had no food and address that issue, either through food and budget planning or teaching the parent how to stretch their food stamp allotment.”
Jerickca was pleased with that answer and decided that she liked Denver. She knew that Denver was giving off vibes of some timidity, but felt that she could help her to overcome that problem with time. She then asked Denver her last question, which was, “What do you like to do for fun?”
Denver eyes glowed and she smiled. “I enjoy reading and taking long walks. I really like peaceful times,” Denver hesitantly stated.
“Well, Denver,” Jerickca said. “I’m sure that will come in handy once you start working here, because it will be hectic starting a new program. I will be calling you again next week so that you can sit in with other candidates during the group interview. This will give you a chance to see how we process information. However, you will officially start working here in three weeks, which is the beginning of our new pay period. Do you have any questions?”
Denver thought about that question but was unsure how to proceed because she had heard that you shouldn’t inquire about benefits until you actually had the job, but she decided to risk it and said, “Only one. What are the benefits and how often do we get paid?”
“As far as your pay goes, I can only offer you thirty five thousand to start. This is the same figure that you wrote in the budget for the person who would get this position,” Jerickca said while looking up with a raised eye.
Denver smiled, “That will be great!”
Jerickca pulled out a manila envelope and handed her one white sheet of paper. Then she spoke, “On your first day of employment here you will go through an orientation with our personnel director. In the meantime, this will give you all the holidays that we celebrate and, as you will notice, they are most of the major ones. We also accumulate one sick day a month. We are paid on the fifteenth and thirtieth or thirty-first of each month. Your insurance benefits, which include health and dental, will start on your thirty-first day of employment.”
“Thank you,” said Denver.
“I’ll be in touch with you by letter. It will give you other instructions for bringing in documentation, such as a driver’s license and insurance card, because you will need car insurance to go out in the field. Also, you will need to get a physical and a TB skin test, because you will be working with families and their children.” As Jerickca spoke, she stood up and said, “I am looking forward to working with you.”
Denver felt great and showed her beautiful white teeth as she stood up and prepared to leave the interview. She picked up her Coach city bag, extended her hand to Jerickca, and made sure her handshake was firm. She said, “Thank you for your time. I’ll await your letter,” before she walked out of the office.
Denver thought, I’m so glad that I wore my only designer navy blue Jones of New York double-breasted suit and my low heel Nickels because I could tell that Ms. Parker had good taste. I think she was impressed with me. This interview was really an experience for me. I think she could see right through my spirit and knew that I was a little too timid. I know I need to change and become more assertive, but how? I’ve been like this all my life. Yet, I didn’t feel that she would hold it against me. I think I am really going to like working for Ms. Parker. I was very impressed with her. I need to go and let Donna know how the interview went. I really do feel good about working for this organization. I’m happy that I put that salary in for myself. It really is a good starting salary in this area for a first time employee.
Chapter 10
Jerickca had scheduled two more interviews for that evening. She was very impressed with Denver, but knew that she would be stronger and more valuable as a grant writer and fund developer. However, there was no money in this grant for a position of that nature, so Jerickca decided that she would allow Denver to work as a social worker with less than an average caseload and increase her duties in other programmatic areas. Jerickca went back to her office to make a few phone calls and to complete her evaluation forms on Denver. It would be easy to score Denver in with the rating scale she developed.
Just before lunch, Jerickca received a call from her sister Pamela. Pamela was a drug abuser and had dropped out of school when she was in the eleventh grade. She was smart, and even though she had dropped out of school, she was still able to carry a decent grade point average because her grades had been perfect in all her classes. When the school notified their mother that Pamela was ditching school on a regular basis, her mother had her evaluated by a mental health therapist. The therapist found that Pamela was suffering from depression. Pamela was immediately put on medication, but she never returned to school. She also unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide. In a ten-year period, Pamela had three children, whom she loved dearly, but unfortunately, she could not break her drug habit to take care of them. Pamela had been in treatment three times and tried hard to quit, but once back on the street, she used drugs more than before she had gone for treatment.
Jerickca asked Pamela what she needed.
Pamela said, “I need you to dig deep down in your heart and help me get off drugs.”
“You dig deep into your own damn heart because you’re the only one who can help yourself,” Jerickca said.
“Why can’t you just help me?” cried Pamela.
“Pammie, please understand that I love you, but getting off drugs will take self control, will power, and desire. I would love to help you stop abusing your body. Remember, I’m the one who keeps finding rehab places for you to go to, and then I send money to take care of you while you are there. But I’m tired baby. You have got to do this for yourself.”
Pamela became so infuriated that she screamed, “You make me sick with your higher than mighty self!” She slammed the phone as hard as she could in Jerickca’s ear.
Jerickca took the phone and looked at the mouthpiece and thought, That little bitch hung up on me. I have too much work to do today to let that crap bother me. I just wish that she could get herself together, because this is really getting old and I’m tired of constantly worrying about her safety.
Jerickca called her girlfriend, Deborah, and asked her to meet her at the Yung Chinese Restaurant. Once there, the waiter seated her and asked if she would be dining alone. She said, “I’m expecting another party.”
Jerickca gazed at the menu. When she looked up to signal the waiter that she was ready to order, she saw Deborah and waved to her so that she would know where they were seated.
“Hey girl, what’s shaking?” Deborah asked with a smile.
“Girl, ain’t nothing shaking but the leaves on the trees. Other than the fact that I’m interviewing staff for that grant I told you about. Remember the girl I told you about who wrote that grant? Well, she seems to be a sharp young lady, but I don’t think she knows it,” Jerickca sighed.
Looking up from the menu, Deborah asked, “What do you mean?”
“She seemed to have the saddest eyes that I’ve ever seen, and she had trouble making eye contact throughout the interview. Her former employer hired her directly out of college because she had strong work ethics and had interned with her for two semesters. She had great things to say about her, and honestly, I was impressed. But you know me, Deborah! My antenna went up and my social worker skills smelled low self-esteem.”
“Well, if she has the reputation of being a good worker, maybe you cou
ld help her with the other problems,” Deborah stated with the utmost confidence.
“Let’s order. I have to get back because I’m interviewing two more people this afternoon. How’s Danny, Deb?”
“Same as always. Still tripping.” Deborah hunched her shoulders and sipped her water. “I’m tired, Jerickca. I think I’m going to let him go. I’m so tired of trying to please him and he’s still not happy. I feel like he’s using me because I have been so good to him, but not good enough since he doesn’t want to get married. I’m tired of the weak excuses like he doesn’t believe in the institution of marriage, yet his ass lays up on me taking all my good pussy and doesn’t want to make a life-long commitment to me.”
Jerickca felt so bad for her friend. They met when they were in the third grade. They were both walking down the street and saw each other and just stopped and started talking. They found out that they attended different schools and lived across a major highway from each other. Jerickca was only on that side of the highway because she was with her brother who had stopped to talk to some friends. From that first meeting, they hit it off and spent most of their time together. They had become so tight, you would have to take a tire wrench to pull them apart. Each became the other’s closest and dearest friend, and they could talk to each other about anything.
Jerickca wanted desperately for Deborah to be happy and to find a man who would appreciate how kind and sweet she is to everyone. “You know what is best for you, but before you break up with him, talk to him because it’s hard out there without a man. Just let Danny know how important marriage is to you. Then if he doesn’t agree, you will have all the information you need to let him go and move on. You know what they say. As soon as you let that man go, another woman will be waiting to call him hers.” Jerickca leaned in close. “Deborah, please make sure that you can handle being without Danny. Talk to him and try to really let him know your feelings—how much it hurts you to feel that you are good enough to shack up, with but not to be his wife. I know how much you love him. You and I both know what happens to you when you aren’t with him, how depressed and moody you become. Please make sure that leaving him will be something that you can handle and know that I will be here for you no matter what you choose to do. No man is worth it, especially if he is using you.”
Deborah smiled. She was so happy to have Jerickca in her life, because she didn’t have any siblings and always felt like part of her best friend’s family. Ever since they were old enough to understand friendship, they had been together, and from past experience, they knew that they could always count on each other for trust and support. Looking up at Jerickca, she said, “Thank you for always being in my corner, girl. I wouldn’t know what to do without you in my life.”
“I love you, too.” Jerickca said with a toothy smile.
When Jerickca arrived at the office, she informed her secretary that she was back and that she should have the applicants complete the paperwork when they arrived. Jerickca continued her paperwork while awaiting the next interview. So far, everything was going smoothly.
Chapter 11
Today was a special day for Megan, and she could barely contain her excitement because she had landed an interview with the Department of Adolescent and Children Resource. Megan had been laid off from her previous job for three months, and she was not excited about looking for another job. It wasn’t that she needed to work for financial reasons, but she desired to because it gave her status. All the smartest and successful sisters had careers, and she wasn’t about to stay home and live off insurance benefits from her deceased husband. This is why this interview was so important to her. She needed to have a reason to dress up and she needed a place to go.
It was April 15, a bright and beautiful morning, when Megan arrived at the Department. The building was brand new, which made Megan feel good. She wouldn’t tolerate being seen working in an old, broken-down looking building. As she waited for the receptionist to call her, she thought about her life.
It really had been a good life. She had been provided with all kinds of wonderful material things. She owned clothing from top designers like Versace, Gucci, Coach, and others. She drove a sleek black Jag and a Range Rover. Life was indeed good. But Megan wasn’t fulfilled, and she never had been. It was so easy for her to find fault in everyone around her, but she closed her eyes to her own problems. Although beautiful, she lacked positive self-esteem. Not only that, but she couldn’t find a man to hold her and whisper beautiful soft words in her ears.
Megan was lonely when Richard was alive, and she was even lonelier now that he was gone. The only suitors who had approached her couldn’t get a hard on if they bought one. They were all “old men” looking for company, and she was not the one. So all her hopes and desires fell on making her co-workers feel as if they needed her guidance to help them in their own pitiful lives. This kept her busy and made her feel a sense of importance.
While waiting in the reception area, Megan noticed a somewhat heavy, well-dressed, attractive woman pass her. They both looked at each other and smiled. Megan thought that for a woman who is fat, she sure is dressed well. That suit she is wearing looks like a Ralph Lauren. She continued to stare at the woman and smiled to herself, thinking, I sure hope she is my boss. She certainly does have good taste in clothes.
Several minutes later, Ms. Parker came out of the large double doors and extended her hand to Megan. “Good afternoon. I’m Ms. Parker and you are Megan DuPree. Please come into my office.”
“Yes, I’m Megan. Thank you for taking time to interview me for the position of social worker,” she said while following Ms. Parker into the interviewing area.
Jerickca asked her to take a seat. She noticed that Ms. DuPree was a very beautiful woman who did not look more than thirty-five, but she noticed from her resume that she should be about forty-four based on her graduation date from high school. She was thin and tall with long brown hair with blond highlights. She appeared to be quite bubbly.
“You were recently laid off from the mental health center where you worked as a social worker,” Jerickca said. “Exactly, what did you do in that position?”
Megan held her fingers tightly. She really wanted this job, and it seemed to her that the people here were very friendly. She noticed that everybody who came anywhere near her stopped and talked to her, and even asked if she needed anything. The office was located in a nice area in the middle of the community that she lived in. She thought intensely about this question and the answer she would give, because there was no way she would blow this interview. Megan decided to exaggerate her work experience.
Finally, Megan said, “I worked with clients who had been through our Substance Abuse Inpatient Program. I counseled and encouraged them to remain drug-and alcohol-free. I referred them to available services in the community when they could not keep their utilities on and linked them to other community services for their children to assure that their needs were met. I visited them in their homes, counseled them on preventive health care issues, and many times, I took them to doctor appointments. I also took them to the grocery store and basically made myself available to help them handle problems so that they would not get frustrated and go back to using drugs.” Megan smiled as she concluded her last statement. She knew that she had scored big with Ms. Parker. Hell, she even liked that answer herself.
“Great.” Jerickca said. “How many people did you carry on your caseload?”
“I carried thirty people, but I also assisted their family members when needed. I helped them to find jobs and assisted them in completing forms when they wanted to return to school to get a General Education Diploma. So, my caseload would really increase to large numbers at times because I had to document all my interactions with the total family,” Megan said.
Lifting her eyes up from reading Megan’s application, Jerickca said, “I worked with many of your co-workers from the Mental Health Center, so I am aware of the reasons that so many people were laid off. I was wond
ering, since you had been employed there for so many years, why didn’t you take the transfer to the Child Development Administration?”
“Well,” Megan responded. “As you can see, I do not have a college degree, and most of the available positions required one. So I decided to take some time off to decide my next career move. I have many career goals I would like to achieve. I enjoy working with people and helping them to become all that they can become, because it inspires and gives me the courage to succeed myself. This is why it was important to take my time and decide my next career move.”
“Do you plan on obtaining a degree or going back to school?” Jerickca looked at Megan with a quizzical look.
“I do plan on going back eventually, but I’m not ready at this moment because I recently lost my husband and I’m just barely handling his death.” Megan held her head down and hoped that Ms. Parker would drop the subject. She didn’t like talking about death because she loved to live. Talking about death brought back too many sad memories, and she needed to be happy.
“I’m sorry to hear about your loss Megan. When do you think you could start working if I should hire you?” asked Jerickca.
“Today!” smiled Megan.
“Well, before I actually hire the staff for this grant, applicants that I am interested in will be called back for a second interview. At that time, they will have an opportunity to ask additional questions and participate in a question and answer session about the positions and what would be expected if they were made an offer. I’m inviting you to participate in the second round of interviews that will be held next week. I will send you a letter with the time and date of the interview,” stated Jerickca.
“Thank you, Mrs. Parker, for inviting me to participate in the second round of interviews. I look forward to coming back and hope to begin employment shortly after the interview.” Megan thought showing confidence should be worth about ten more points. She thought, for someone who hasn’t had an interview in more than ten years, I did pretty good, if I do say so myself.
Backroom Confessions Page 6