The Interview
David S Reynolds
Copyright 2012 David S Reynolds
Cover by David S Reynolds ©2012
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The Interview
Also by David S Reynolds
Contracts of the Father (sample)
The Interview
Stephen Gordon sat on the edge of the chair. He had been waiting an hour already and was filled with enough nervous energy to run three Boston marathons and was ready to start climbing the wall. A glance at the secretary glued him to the seat. After passing her desk for the third time while pacing earlier she shot him a look that sent him to his chair like a scared schoolchild. He had already been on three interviews with this company, each one with a person higher up on the food chain than the first and he was beginning to wonder if this interview was with God himself. Whoever it was, Stephen hoped the guy would get his act together and start the interview soon, the food stamp office would be closed in an hour.
“Hobbs will see you now Mr. Gordon.” The secretaries voice cut through him like a knife.
“Shit!” Stephen thought to himself. “Old man B. Hobbs himself! President and CEO of the company. Guess I wasn’t too far off in thinking I was waiting on God.”
Behind the door Stephen was surprised by how small and simple the office was. He expected a man with B. Hobbs reputation to have the biggest, most opulent office on the face of the planet. This office was actually quite humble, almost penitent. The only decoration was a painting of a rich garden hung on the wall behind Mr. Hobbs. On the desk sat a smart phone, a bowl of apples and a single sheet of paper. It was too dark to read what was on it at a glance.
B. Hobbs himself was another surprise. Before Stephen was an old man confined to a wheelchair who despite his reputation looked as harmless as a butterfly. He did not bother to look up from the book he was reading. Stephen was reminded of his grandfather.
“Pleased to meet you Mr. Hobbs” said Stephen as he entered the room with his hand extended for a handshake.
“It’s just Hobbs,“ replied Hobbs while pointing to the seat across from him and ignoring the extended hand.
“Way to go,” thought Stephen as he sat, “I managed to piss him off just by walking in the room.”
Hobbs finished the passage he was reading, slowly closed his book and looked at Stephen for what felt like at least two lifetimes and then began to speak.
“Mr. Gordon, thanks for coming in on such short notice. Your application really impressed us and your first interviews with my associates makes us think that you will fit right in here. Tell me something about yourself.”
“Well,” Stephen stammered, “I graduated top of my class with a degree in business and a minor in finance, and I’m”
“Yes, yes.” Hobbs interrupted,” I’ve read your resume. However I’m interested in the real Stephen Gordon. I’m not interested in what you know, more so in what you don’t.”
A million different answers ran through Stephen’s head as he tried to understand what Hobbs meant. Each answer was considered and rejected. He found it hard to answer a question that seemed to have no context. After what felt like an eternity, Hobbs grinned and spoke.
“For instance what about your hobbies? What you do on your down time? Who do you hang out with?”
“Hobbies?” Stephen was beginning to wonder if he was being toyed with and his shrinking patience was starting to fight with the realities of being out of work for so long with a family to support.
“Of course! I’m not hiring a resume, I want to know what makes you tick, gets you going in the morning, what is the heart and soul of Stephen Gordon?”
“Uh, I enjoy traveling, anything that involves time with my kids.” At this point Stephen was fishing for what he hoped was the right thing to say. “My wife says I’m an excellent cook… But I’m sure she says that just to get me to make dinner.”
Hobbs gave a quiet chuckle at that. “So you like to travel. That’s good. You’ll find that you will be travelling a great deal with our company. How else would you describe yourself?”
“Well…” Stephen looked at the ceiling as he gathered his thoughts. “I guess that would have to be in terms of my family. Tyler, that’s my boy, has recently discovered theater. He isn’t any good yet but I still go to all his plays. And it’s easier on the ears than the band experiment. Alice was practically born with a ball in her hands, she’s going to be a great athlete someday. I can’t say enough about my wife Sue, she has kept me sane through all the bad times. I would do anything for her.”
“Family. I like that. Just the image we like to project. Where do you see yourself in five years?”
“Not to sound obnoxious, but I would like to redirect that question back to you and your company. I’ve had three jobs in the last two years due to companys closing their doors and we have already had to move once. It’s too hard on the kids. I need a job that will be around in the future to provide for my family.”
Hobbs put up his hands in an I give up gesture.
“I understand your concerns and have no problems with your attitude. Rest assured Mr. Gordon, my company has a long history and a great future. The product we offer never goes out of style.” Hobbs paused to wink knowingly at Stephen. “What would you say are your greatest weaknesses?”
“ Well” Stephen paused, thinking about how much he hated this question. “What do you mean by weaknesses?”
“What area in your job performance would you like to strengthen? You’ll be working closely with others and I just want to make sure you’re compatible with the team.”
“I’ve been known to over-extend myself. My wife calls me a workaholic. But it doesn’t stop her from spending all the money.”
“I know exactly what you mean. We have lots of internal support within the company that we can custom tailor to your needs. Company housing, car, villas located around the world… We also offer plenty of family vacation packages. I hate to see families break up. Keep them all happy and you get them all I always say.”
“You do?”
“Of course! We all know what the family situation can be like. And we are here to help.”
“I’m still a bit confused about what the job requires.”
“All you need is a go get them attitude. You’ll travel a lot. As our field rep you will get to meet many interesting people and we expect you to leave them with a lasting impression.”
“Okay, so I’ll be a field rep. Is this an entry level position?”
“We aren’t really structured that way. If you have the ability there is no need to start at the bottom. We like to aim high and see what we get. Your position in the company is based on how hard you work and how flexible you are willing to be.”
“I can be flexible. What about benefits?”
“You’ll find that we have an excellent benefits package that covers your entire family’s needs. We like to ensure employee loyalty”
“Are we talking complete dental, medical, and life insurance?”
“Oh, you’ll be covered for life.”
Stephen could not believe what he was hearing. “Sounds like it’s a good HMO.”
Hobbs let out a short laugh. “HMO’s are small time. Work with us long enough and you’ll have one of your own to run. No Mr. Gordon, benefits for our employees and their families are much more comprehensive.”
“Is there a probation period before the benefits are activated?”
“No. Everything is activated immediate
ly,” Hobbs paused for a moment, “when you sign the contract. We treat a problem before it gets out of hand.”
“That sounds like one hell of an offer.”
“It’s standard for this company. What days are you available to work?”
“Any day of the week really. Whatever it takes to get my foot in the door.”
“So, Saturday s and Sundays are okay with you?”
“Sure.”
“Excellent. Do you have any other questions? I really want to make this happen.”
“That’s it?” Stephen couldn’t believe it. After all those months of rejection his luck was finally changing for the better. “Are you offering me the job?”
“If you want it.” Hobbs said with a grin. “All you have to do is sign here.”
Hobbs spun the paper that had been sitting on the desk around and slid it towards Stephen along with a pen he had taken from his pocket. Being a thoughtful man, Stephen carefully read the contract and weighed the pros and cons and spent an extra few moments thinking about the last, somewhat unusual line of the contract before he signed and dated it.
The last line read “I, Stephen Gordon, agree to collect souls in exchange for immorality.”
end
Thanks again and don’t forget to leave a review.
Dave
Also by David S Reynolds:
The Interview
Contracts of the Father
I’m Sorry
Spirits Last Vision
Futurecaster
The Eternal Question
The Second Coming
Aware
Don’t Press the Red X
Collections:
Quickies: A Collection of Short Stories
Essays:
A Burning Problem
Keep reading for a taste of the rest of the tale in “Contracts of the Father”
The Interview Page 1