by Sky Corgan
“Half of the job postings didn't have the company name listed. I mainly just applied you based on job description.”
“Well then, I guess I won't bother going to that one.”
“Go anyway.”
“Why? If it's a waste of time, then what's the point?”
She thought for a moment. “It might not be a waste of your time. They probably won't put you anywhere near Jack Kemble. I was just over thinking things when I said that.”
“Who's Jack Kemble and why does it matter if I'm near him or not?” I arched an eyebrow.
She shook her head. “No wonder you haven't gotten a job yet. Haven't you been researching these companies before you've gone out to them?”
“No.”
“Jennifer!” Mandy raised her voice, a clear sign of disappointment. When I didn't respond, she continued, “Jack Kemble owns Syngex Incorporated. The guy is a celebrity around here. I'm surprised you've never heard of him.”
“I could not care less about businessmen.”
“He's not just any businessman. He's wealthy beyond words and ridiculously attractive. He was dating that one girl from your favorite movie.”
“Interesting,” I replied, not really caring. “Yeah, if this guy is as big a deal as you're making him out to be, then I doubt they'd put me anywhere near him.”
“You're probably right. The reason I said I didn't think you'd get it though is because he has a certain taste for blondes.” Mandy glanced at my long dark-brown hair.
“Well, I want to work for him, not fuck him.”
“From what I've heard, you don't do one without the other. But again, that's only if you work close to him. You'll probably never even see him.”
“Good. He sounds like a jack ass.”
“Please don't take that attitude to the interview.” She gave me a pleading look.
“I won't. I promise,” I used my mocking voice, though we both knew I was serious. “Well, I'm not dying my hair blonde just for a job. If that Jack Kemble guy only hires bimbos, then I'd rather not work in his office anyway. Ditsy bitches drive me nuts.”
“Positive mind. Don't make it an issue before you even walk through the door. That's half of your problem. You tend to make things worse than they are.”
“I'm making educated guesses,” I teased.
“Well, don't.” She wasn't in the teasing mood.
The following day brought with it a whole new set of miseries. After spending fifteen minutes in training for the pet bather job, I walked out, despite it being the first place that actually gave me a chance. Who knew that squeezing dog assholes was part of the job? Bleck. That was definitely not for me.
By the time I got home to change for Syngex, I was mentally chastising myself for not sticking with the dog bather job. If I wasn't employed within the next few days, I'd be out on the streets. What was wrong with me?
I tried to wash my depression away in the shower, but it didn't work too well. After weeks of spending every day going from one company to the next and facing rejection, I was just about done. This was it, I told myself. If Syngex wouldn't take me, then I was going to start planning my move.
Despite my burdened mind, I gathered myself together as best I could to head to Syngex. The traffic of downtown New York City did little to quell my nerves, and by the time I got to the Human Resources Department, I was already sure I had blown the interview before even stepping inside. I was a frazzled mess of anxiety, and grumpy to boot. This would definitely not go well.
Not surprisingly, I was interviewed by a man. He was nowhere near a movie star though. Older, and with a balding head, he watched my every movement with a deadpan expression. It made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. The man asked me all the standard questions. What did I know about the company? Nothing, since I hadn't bothered to research it. Why did I want to be an office assistant? Because I need a job, dumb ass. At that point, who cared what it was. Of course, I didn't say this. I lied, as Mandy had taught me. “Being an office assistant sounds like fun,” I said. “It would be exciting to work with Jack Kemble's company,” I lied. “Filing and phone calls are what I do best,” I told him. It looked like he wasn't buying any of it, and I eventually dropped the fake enthusiasm. We both knew where this was going.
After the horribly awkward interview was over, I went outside to find that my car had a flat tire. Exasperated, I screamed and kicked at it, causing people on the street to turn and stare. Screw them. Screw finding a job. Screw it all.
When I had calmed down a bit, I grabbed my cellphone to call Eric. Changing tires was a man's job. Besides, I wasn't about to get my interview outfit dirty, not that I planned on using it again for a while. But to add to the misfortune of my day, his phone went straight to voice mail. He must have been at work.
“So much for my knight in shining armor,” I grumbled to myself as I punched in Mandy's number. She didn't answer either. What was this? Don't answer your phone day.
All I could do was wait and call and wait some more, hoping someone would eventually pick up and come to my rescue. An hour later, I was fed up with waiting. The parking meter had run out long ago, and if I didn't want to incur a fine, then I was just going to have to suck it up and try to change the tire myself.
Sighing, I popped the trunk of my silver Nissan Versa and began digging out the spare tire. Who knew a tire could be so heavy . . . and dirty? I groaned as the thing brushed against my red pencil skirt, smudging it before bouncing onto the sidewalk and rolling on its side. Looking down at the stain made me want to have another hissy fit, but I tried to keep calm.
Swallowing my pride, I pulled out the car jack and sat on the curb to find where to put it. Once I slid it under my car and began jacking the car up, I noticed I was denting my frame, which only put me in more of a rage. Shouldn't the damn thing have come with instructions or something? Why did everything have to be so difficult?
Defeated, I rested my head in my arms to sob. It was only a matter of time before a traffic warden came by. I couldn't afford to pay a ticket. Heck, I had barely been able to feed the meter.
“Are you alright, miss?” a voice startled me, and I quickly wiped my eyes before looking up to see a man wearing dark sunglasses standing over me.
Oh, thank God. Maybe this guy can help, I thought. “I got a flat tire.”
“I can see that,” he said, turning his attention to the car. “I could get someone to change it for you, but it's going to cost you a coffee.”
My heart sank. If I had enough change for a coffee, I would have fed it into the meter. “I'm sorry. I can't afford to buy you one.” Could I look anymore pathetic?
“I'll buy. You just have to come with me.” The man smiled a set of perfect white teeth.
“But I don't have any way to repay you.” I pulled myself off the curb, dusting off my skirt.
“Don't worry about it.” He took out his cell phone and dialed a number. The person on the other end answered almost instantly. “Robert, there's a young lady down here that needs her tire changed. Could you come change it, or send down someone who can?”
Within less than a minute, a large muscular man in a black suit arrived to change my tire. While he worked, I tried not to stare too much at my hero. He was surprisingly attractive, with dark disheveled hair, pale skin, and what I assumed to be a decent body. I couldn't see much behind the suit he wore, though it was well tailored to fit him. From what I was seeing though, he was a lucky find. How many women got rescued by someone so attractive?
“Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?” the man in the black suit asked when he had finished changing my tire.
“No, Robert. That will be all. Thank you,” Mister Attractive said, and I watched as Robert walked back into the Syngex building.
“You work in there?” I pointed to the building.
“Yes,” he replied, extending his hand to me. “Apologies for my rudeness. My name is Jim. What's yours?”
I shook his hand gingerly. “I'm Je
nnifer, but my friends just call me Jen.”
“Well, Jen, if I may call you that, there's a great little coffee shop down the street a ways. I hope that will be alright with you.”
“Fine.” I nodded, flanking Jim's side as we walked toward the coffee shop. “Thank you for rescuing me. It's amazing how many people just passed me by.”
“I saw you from my office. You looked like you needed help, so I came down.”
“Well, I'm glad you did. Who knows how long I would have been out there if you hadn't?"
“What brings you downtown?”
“Job hunting,” my voice conveyed distaste.
“Is that so? Syngex has a few positions open. What kind of work are you looking for?”
“I was just at Syngex. I applied for the office assistant position, but I don't think the interview went very well.”
“Why's that?” His interest seemed piqued.
“The HR guy didn't seem interested in me. It was like he was staring through me the entire time, not really listening to what I had to say, just going through the motions.”
“Hm.”
As we rounded the door to the coffee shop, my nose filled with the enchanting aroma of fresh brewed coffee. It was a bit late in the day for coffee, but who was I to deny this kind man's offer. This was far better than the cheap instant stuff I normally drank anyway.
“Are you sure this is alright?” I asked timidly.
“Why wouldn't it be? I offered.”
“Good morning, sir. The usual?” a young bright-eyed barista inquired of Jim. I could tell she found him every bit as attractive as I did, if not more. It made me feel special to be by his side, even if it was only for the few minutes that we'd be sharing coffee.
“Yes, Lynn. And I'd like a coffee for this young lady as well.” Jim glanced at me.
“And what will you have?” The barista's eyes darkened with jealousy, though it was so slight only a woman would have noticed.
“I'll have what he's having,” I replied nervously.
“Two caramel macchiatos with an added shot of espresso, coming up,” she said before running his card and then sending us off to wait.
It wasn't until we had our coffees and were seated that Jim took off his sunglasses, revealing pale blue eyes that I was afraid to look into. He was definitely more attractive than I had imagined. No wonder the barista was so eager to please him. What woman wouldn't be?
“So.” I stirred my coffee, avoiding Jim's gaze. “What do you do over at Syngex that allows you to rescue damsels in distress whenever the mood suits you?”
He chortled. “I work on mergers and acquisitions, as well as other stuff.”
“Sounds important.”
“It is. The business would fall apart without me.”
“Impressive,” I tried to feign interest. “How long have you worked there?”
“A long time. It's the only job I've ever had. That's enough about me though, let's talk about you. Are you from around here?”
“Yup. Born and raised. My life isn't too interesting though.”
“Why do you say that?” He smiled up at me, and I felt my pulse quicken as our eyes met.
“I um . . . don't go out much. I mean, I can't really afford to.” My nerves were getting the better of me, quickly rendering me speechless.
“A lot of people are going through hard times right now. How long have you been looking for a job?”
“A while. I'm actually probably going to lose my apartment if I don't get one soon. I have a roommate, but she's tired of flipping my portion of the rent, which is understandable.”
“That's unfortunate. I would think a bright beautiful girl like you would be able to get a job just about anywhere.”
My cheeks flushed at the compliment. “You haven't seen my resume,” I laughed uncomfortably.
“Do you have it on you? I could give it a look over if you want and tell you how to improve it. I'm pretty good at that sort of thing.”
“I appreciate it, but you've helped me enough. Besides, I'm not sure you could work it over to make it look better.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Well, I'm kind of a job hopper. I don't stick around at the same place for too long.”
“Why not?”
I took a long sip of coffee, tasting the sweetness of the caramel. It felt odd disclosing so much to a stranger, but I figured it was the least I could do. Besides, it would keep the flow of conversation going, and the longer the conversation lasted, the longer I'd get to bask in Jim's presence. “I tend to run my mouth and get fired,” I confessed, which was met with a guffaw of amusement.
“So you're very opinionated, I take it?”
“I suppose. I just don't like to take crap from people, and most employers treat their employees like crap.”
“It's not like that at Syngex. They do their best to treat people fairly.”
“If you say so.”
“If you'd like, I can put in a good word for you,” he offered.
“A novel full of good words probably couldn't make that guy change his mind about me. I'm pretty sure it was a no-go, but if you feel like doing yet another good deed for the day, then by all means.”
“I think I shall.” Jim's grin was absolutely captivating, lighting up the room.
We made small talk, though it mostly revolved around me, for the little that I had to say. It was the longest coffee break in the history of coffee breaks, and I worried that he would get in trouble for being out of the office for so long. Jim didn't seem to care though, laughing and smiling and talking as if his job didn't even matter.
All good things have to come to an end though, and eventually our coffees were drained and the conversation had run out. I walked by Jim's side back to my car and was admittedly disappointed when he didn't ask for my number. Usually, if a guy was interested in you, this was the point where he tried to find some way to keep in contact. There was no such request though, and I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach, wondering if I had screwed this up too.
With a polite smile, I thanked Jim again before watching him jog up the steps to the Syngex building and disappear inside. That was it. My excitement for the day was over, and it was time to return to the harsh reality that my life was completely up in the air.
When I got home, I thought about telling Mandy what had happened. A coffee date with a mysterious handsome stranger would probably sound more like goofing off to her than serious job hunting though, so I decided it was better not to mention it.
The week dialed down toward the end of the month, and I began packing my things. Though Mandy and I never spoke about it, there was a silent understanding between us that I had to go. I had screwed up one too many times to stick around and burden her further.
A few days before the end of the month, I gave Eric a phone call. Between him and my parents, he was the lesser of the two evils. At least if I couldn't come up with rent, I could pay my part with sex. It wasn't something I ever wanted to have to do, but I couldn't face the non-stop degradation that I was sure I would get from my parents if I came home. I was a complete failure to them, and they enjoyed reminding me of it daily, as if saying it repeatedly would somehow change me into a different person.
“Hey Jenny,” Eric greeted me when he answered the phone, always excited to hear my voice on the other end of the line.
“Hey Eric.” I did my best not to sound completely depressed. If he thought that I didn't actually want to move in with him, he probably wouldn't allow it. It was time to put my acting skills on overdrive.
“What are you up to?”
“Packing.”
“For what? Going on vacation?”
“Nope. Moving.”
“Moving?” Eric's voice was alarmed. “Where?”
“Back in with my parents unless I can find somewhere else to stay by the end of the month.”
“Back to Chicago?”
“Mhm.”
“But that's so far aw
ay. What happened to you living with Mandy?”
“She's tired of waiting for me to get back up on my feet. Finding a job is hard though, with the economy and my track record and all.”
“Yeah,” he hesitated. “Well, you could stay here if you wanted . . . until you get back up on your feet, that is.”
Yes. I knew it. “You really wouldn't mind?”
“Of course not. I'd love to have you around. This place gets lonely.”
“I really appreciate it.”
“So, um, when can we get you moved?”
“I'd like to stick around here until the end of the month, if possible. I still have some packing to do.” The truth was that I wanted to avoid living with Eric for as long as possible. As soon as I moved in with him, life would be one big ball of awkward sexual tension.
“Alright. Just let me know when, so I can take off of work.”
“How about we move me over the weekend? That way, you won't have to take off from work.”
“Do you think Mandy would let you stay the few extra days?”
“I'm sure that as long as she knows I'm leaving she'll be fine with it.” While Mandy might not be happy about my over-staying, I knew she was good enough of a friend to tolerate it.
“Sounds like a plan then.” I could hear Eric fighting to keep the excitement from his voice.
After I got off the phone, I went to tell Mandy. She was fine with me staying the few extra days, which I was thankful for. There really wasn't anything she could have done about it anyway though.
For the next few days, I laid around the apartment, packing here and there and watching television the rest of the time. There wasn't much else to do since the job search was over. My mind kept going back and forth over whether I had made the right decision by calling Eric and manipulating him into inviting me to move in with him. The more I thought about it, the worse it seemed. Even if I did sleep with Eric, it was only a matter of time before I screwed that up too and ended up out on the street again. Maybe it would have been better if I had just called my parents. It wasn't too late to change my mind, was it?
On Thursday, I got a phone call from an unknown number. Not thinking much of it, I answered and was surprised to find that it was Syngex inviting me for a second interview. My heart leaped with joy.