by Ruff, K. S.
Rafael chuckled. “Good. Hopefully, you’ll be spending a lot of time there. Let me know how the interview goes, and good luck with Kadyn tonight.”
My stomach turned at the thought of telling Kadyn about Rafael. “Thanks. I’ll try to touch base later tonight.”
Rafael disconnected the call. I set his alarm and locked the door behind me. I had to admit it was pretty dang convenient to walk just a couple of steps over to my place… maybe a little too convenient.
I ran upstairs to my bathroom so I could apply my make-up and style my hair. I changed into my navy blue dress suit, grabbed a padfolio from the office, and programmed the address to Seeds for Peace into my cell phone. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge as I cut through the kitchen on my way to the garage.
I was halfway up I-395 before I realized I had forgotten coffee. How was I supposed to get through a job interview without coffee? I clutched my steering wheel as I talked myself down from a full blown anxiety attack. Thankfully, rush hour traffic was beginning to die down.
I was still stressing over the coffee, or the lack thereof, when I walked into the office. I checked in with the receptionist, settled into a chair near her desk, and texted Shae. I’m here!
“Ms. Stone?”
I jumped to my feet. A gentleman in his mid-forties was approaching me. He had dark blond hair, light blue eyes, and a trim build. He was wearing a dark gray suit with a black and gray patterned tie. I quickly shoved the phone inside my purse. “Yes. I’m Kristine Stone.”
He offered me his hand. “I’m Paul Scott, the Executive Director of Seeds for Peace. Thanks for coming in on such short notice.”
I smiled as I shook Mr. Scott’s hand. “Thank you, Mr. Scott. I really appreciate the opportunity to interview for a position with your organization.”
He smiled. “This way, please.”
I follow Mr. Scott down a wide hallway. We turned into a large conference room that was located halfway down the hall. Mr. Scott motioned toward two people who were sitting at the conference table. They both stood as we entered the room. “This is Cory Davis. He is the director of our CR skill building program.” I assumed CR meant conflict resolution.
Cory had short brown hair, bright brown eyes, and skin as black as night. He was wearing a navy suit, with a soft blue tie. I reached for his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Davis.”
Mr. Scott continued the introductions. “This is Samantha Roberts. She is the program manager for the train-the-trainer program.”
Ms. Roberts was petite. She had soft green eyes and jet black hair that was cut bluntly across her shoulders. She was wearing a stylish black pantsuit. I reached for her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. Roberts.”
We all took our seats. Mr. Scott was the first to speak. “As you know, we are looking for someone to work in our conflict resolution skill building program. I understand that you recently completed the Virginia Mediation Program and you are currently enrolled in the master’s program at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. You come highly recommended by Dr. Sandstrom and one of our newest employees, Shae Garlington. I can see by your resume that you have over six years of experience doing advocacy work, and your last position was with Senator Rockefeller.”
I nodded politely.
He smiled. “Your employment history and your GPA are rather impressive. I’d like to hear why you’re interested in working for our program.”
I glanced around the table before focusing my attention on Mr. Scott. “Shae told me a little bit about your program, and I have spent some time on your website familiarizing myself with your mission and your strategies. I couldn’t be more impressed with your approach to peace-building. I believe that skill building programs like yours are essential to bringing peace and stability to areas embroiled in conflict. Building these skills among younger generations… people who are likely to have the energy, passion, and open minds needed to effect positive change in their communities… just seems like a really smart strategy. I like that you’re teaching people how to resolve their own conflicts, and I believe that this type of skill building will help ensure that peace is self-sustaining and more durable in the long run. Besides, when I go home at the end of the day, I want to know that I’ve helped someone… that I have done something to make this world a better place. I believe this position would enable me to do that.”
Mr. Scott nodded while scribbling on a yellow legal pad.
Ms. Roberts looked up from her laptop. “Do you have any concerns about going into countries that have a history of instability, conflict, and violence?”
I took a deep breath as my eyes met hers. “Honestly?”
She gave a solemn nod. Her fingers hovered over her computer as she prepared to type.
I leaned back in my seat and sighed. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I have survived nine years of domestic violence at the hands of my ex-husband, two kidnappings, and an attempted drowning. I am no stranger to violence, Ms. Roberts. I can certainly relate to people who have endured it, and I’d really like to help others avoid or at least reduce the amount of violence they’re exposed to.”
Ms. Roberts’ hands collapsed against the keyboard. She hadn’t typed a single word. The room fell silent.
I fidgeted nervously in my seat. “TMI?”
Mr. Scott chuckled, and everyone in the room relaxed. “Actually, I appreciate your frankness, Ms. Stone. I’m sorry to hear you’ve been the victim of so much violence, but I can see how that would shape your interests and your determination to help others build more peaceful lives.”
The three of them exchanged glances before Mr. Davis posed his question. “Are your professors okay with you missing school when you have to travel for work?”
I nodded. “Yes. My professors are very supportive of my decision to seek employment with this organization. They’ll allow me to work on my studies remotely when I have to travel out of country for work. With the exception of Thursdays, my classes are scheduled from four to six. On Thursdays they run from three to nine. This class schedule runs through the end of May. I can try to move more classes into evening slots when summer semester begins. Is that workable for you?”
Mr. Scott smiled. “I don’t see why not. We try to be flexible for employees who are working on graduate degrees. There will be plenty of occasions when you have to put in overtime, especially when you travel out of country. It all balances out in the end.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I had assumed my class schedule would be my biggest roadblock.
“How important is salary?” Mr. Scott inquired, leaning forward in his seat.
My eyes widened. I hadn’t expected them to bring up salary during the first interview. “I do have bills to pay, like anyone else, but I’d practically pay you to work in a position like this.”
All three of the interviewers smiled. Mr. Scott relaxed back into his chair. “Do you have any questions for us?”
I shrugged. “How soon can I start?”
Mr. Scott smiled. “How soon, indeed.” Everyone laughed. “Ms. Stone, will you give us a few minutes? You’ll find Ms. Garlington’s office three doors down on your right. You can wait for us in there. We shouldn’t be long.”
I stood and shook each of their hands. “I really appreciate your time and your consideration.”
Mr. Scott closed the door when I walked out of the conference room. I wandered down the hall in search of Shae’s office. She was typing on her computer when I popped my head inside her doorway. “Hey. Would you consider it a good thing or a bad thing that my interview only lasted fifteen minutes?”
Shae leaned back in her chair. “Wow. Fifteen minutes? I don’t know. Were they frowning or smiling?”
I plopped down in the chair across from her desk. “Mostly smiling.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Did you make anyone cry?”
“No,” I replied with a scowl.
Shae tapped a pen against her desk. “Render anyone speechless?”
“There was a moment of silence,” I admitted grudgingly.
Shae raised an eyebrow, but Ms. Roberts popped her head inside the office before she could speak. “Hey, Shae. Ms. Stone, will you please return to the conference room with me?”
I exchanged looks with Shae, then rose to my feet. “Sure.”
I followed Ms. Roberts back down the hallway. When we got back to the conference room, Mr. Scott motioned toward the same chair I had been sitting in before. “Ms. Stone, we’d like to offer you the position.”
I sank into the chair, completely stunned. “Really?”
“I’m afraid we can’t afford to pay you what you’re worth. The best that I can offer is $24,500,” he responded cautiously.
I nodded. Shae had already warned me that the salaries were low. “Are health benefits included?”
“Yes. We provide health and life insurance, two weeks of vacation, ten days of sick leave, and we match your contributions to our retirement plan.”
I smiled. “Then I’d be honored to accept the position.”
Mr. Scott studied me as he leaned back in his chair. “We require all of our employees to go through a criminal background check. You can begin work while the criminal background check is pending, but you should be aware that your employment will be terminated if there are any problems with the criminal background check.”
I nodded. “I had a criminal background check completed when I went to work for Senator Rockefeller, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Do you require a security clearance?”
He shook his head. “No. We don’t require a security clearance because our employees don’t work with classified information or secure government documents.” His pen hovered over his legal pad. “When can you start?”
I shrugged. “I’m flexible. How does Monday sound?”
He scribbled the date on his notepad, then rose from his chair. “Monday sounds good to me. Welcome aboard, Ms. Stone. Ms. Roberts will introduce you to our Human Resource Specialist, so you can complete the required employment documents and have your picture taken for an ID badge. I’ll see you at eight a.m. on Monday.”
I couldn’t hide my excitement as I shook his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Scott. I’m really looking forward to working with you.”
Mr. Scott and Mr. Davis remained in the conference room as I followed Ms. Roberts down the hall. She glanced at me and smiled. “Do you go by Kristine?”
I nodded. “Kri or Kristine is fine.”
“You can call me Sammi. Do you want to grab some coffee from the break room before you go to HR? That paperwork is going to take a while.”
I laughed. “Sammi, you’re officially my new best friend. I forgot to grab coffee before I left my house this morning, and I’ve been dying for a cup.”
Sammi took me to the break room before showing me around the rest of the office. I spent a good hour filling out the required paperwork. I stopped by Shae’s office as soon as I was done. “I got the job! Can you go out for lunch to celebrate?”
Shae grinned as she rose from her chair. “Like there was ever any doubt. Come on, Kri. My treat!”
* * * * * *
My class ran a little late, so I told Kadyn to use the spare key if he beat me home. He was in my kitchen popping open a can of Sprite when I walked in from the garage. “Hey, Kadyn! I hope you’re hungry. I’ve already picked up the Thai food so we can roll right into the movies.”
Kadyn set his Sprite on the counter. He smiled and gave me a hug. “Thanks. How was school?”
I handed him the take-out bag so I could dig plates and silverware out of the cupboards. I balanced it all in one hand so I could grab another Sprite from the refrigerator. I used my foot to nudge the refrigerator door shut. “Good. Wednesdays are pretty easy, since I only have one class. How are your classes going?”
Kadyn followed me into the family room. We set everything on top of the coffee table so we could eat in front of the television. “They’re okay. Kind of boring, actually.”
I kicked my heels off as Kadyn slipped the movie into the DVD player. I dished the food onto our plates while Kadyn played with the remote.
He set the remote down and joined me on the couch. “Okay. This is Batman Begins. It’s the first of the three Dark Knight movies. The acting leaves a lot to be desired, but you have to get through this one so you understand the other two.”
We dug into the curry chicken as the movie began. I typically maintained a no talking policy during movies, but I quickly revoked it. “Okay, Kadyn, this acting is really, really bad, and that kid’s dad is seriously creeping me out.”
Kadyn chuckled. “I told you. You have to push through this one.”
I was still moaning over the terrible acting a half hour later. Then I perked up. “Morgan Freeman? How in the world did they convince him to be in this movie? Isn’t this a bit beneath him?”
Kadyn burst out laughing. “Evidently he’s a huge Batman fan. He wanted in the movie.”
I just shook my head. “Unbelievable.” I kept my mouth zipped for the rest of the movie.
Kadyn turned to me as the movie ended. “Well, what do you think?”
I stood so I could clear our plates and the remaining food. “Christian Bale left a lot to be desired. He has no sex appeal, no personality, and that raspy voice he used as Batman was incredibly annoying. Michael Keaton and George Clooney were way better as Batman. The guy who played the Scarecrow was surprisingly good. Morgan Freeman was awesome, as always, and I’ll admit the car was kind of cool.”
Kadyn nodded. “Agreed. Ready for the second one?”
I paused in front of the refrigerator. “No. I need ice cream. Do you want some?”
Kadyn shot me an incredulous look.
I rolled my eyes. “Of course you do.” I dished him up a bowl of strawberry cheesecake ice cream, which I kept on hand just for him. I threw a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream in a bowl for me, drizzled it with Mrs. Richardson’s butterscotch caramel, and threw a handful of frozen chocolate chips on top. I handed Kadyn his bowl of ice cream as I joined him on the couch. “This second movie better be good, or I’m not watching the third.”
Kadyn chuckled. “It’s much better. Trust me.”
We hadn’t gotten very far into the movie when I violated my no talking policy again. “Okay, it’s a little tough to watch the Joker and not be sad about what happened to Heath Ledger.”
Kadyn nodded. “He made a really good Joker, though.”
My eyes widened. “Wait, is that supposed to be Rachel Dawes? What happened to Katie Holmes? Seriously? They had to use the same woman who played Spiderman’s girlfriend? Are there no other women willing to date superheroes?”
Kadyn picked up the DVD case and looked at the back. “That’s not Kirsten Dunst. It’s an actress named Maggie Gyllenhall.”
I stared at Kadyn. “Really? They look exactly the same.”
He just shrugged.
I settled back in to watch the rest of the movie. I was unhappy that Holmes had been replaced but relieved that Batman hadn’t stolen Spiderman’s girl. I managed to make it through the rest of the movie without commenting.
“Well?” Kadyn asked as the credits rolled.
I took our bowls to the sink. “The Dark Knight was a lot better than the first movie… better plot, nice plot twists, and I liked the special effects. I’m glad they killed Rachel off since there was absolutely no chemistry there. I’m not happy with the decision to make Batman out to be the bad guy. I’m still not a fan of Christian Bale. That raspy voice is stupid. Whoever decided to give Batman that voice should be shot.”
Kadyn burst out laughing. “I don’t like the voice either. Are you still up for the third movie? It’s after eleven o’clock.”
I shrugged. “I don’t have to get up early. You do.”
Kadyn grabbed the third DVD. “Let’s do it.”
I hovered inside the kitchen. “Do you want popcorn?”
“No, thanks. I’m good.” Kadyn shov
ed the movie inside the DVD player and joined me on the couch. This time he grabbed a fleece blanket from the back of the couch and pulled it over the top of us. “Come here and warm me up. It’s cold in here.”
I tugged the blanket over our legs as I curled up next to Kadyn. “Don’t let me fall asleep,” I demanded with a yawn.
Kadyn tucked me under his arm. “No way are you falling asleep during this movie.”
I immediately threw the no talking policy out the window. “Okay. Pause the movie. What is up with Batman being a recluse? What the heck happened between the second and third movies?”
Kadyn rolled his eyes at me. “He’s in mourning. Give the guy a break.”
“And totally disabled? What the heck? He was walking around just fine at the end of the second movie.”
Kadyn shrugged as he took the movie off pause. “Keep watching.”
Thirty seconds passed before I shot straight upright, taking the blanket with me. “No way am I buying Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. She’s too wholesome. She was in the Princess Diaries for Pete’s sake!”
“Keep watching,” Kadyn growled.
“I’m not digging the mask on that guy’s face, either,” I muttered. “That’s too Silence of the Lambs for me.”
Kadyn picked me up and set me down at the far end of the couch. He yanked the blanket away before settling in at the opposite end of the couch.
I stalked up to my bedroom to grab another blanket. I stuck my tongue out at Kadyn as I settled back onto the couch.
Kadyn shook his head as he took the movie off pause. “Nice, Kri. Real grown up.”
The rest of the movie kept me sufficiently engaged, so I didn’t speak.
“Do I dare ask?” Kadyn inquired as he retrieved the movie from the DVD player.
I smiled. “The Dark Knight Rises was my favorite of the three movies. Anne Hathaway grew on me, but I still prefer Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Let’s just say I won’t hate you for making me watch these.”