Chapter Two
Myfingersdrummednervouslyagainst the plastic arm of the waiting room chair. The secretary shot me an annoyed glance, and I tried to still them. The tight pencil skirt I wore kept my legs together, and my blazer felt like a straitjacket. They both fit me fine, but after weeks spent in pajamas and months in casual clothes, they felt restrictive.
I busied my hands by flipping through a college course catalog, but the words made little sense, and my eyes flitted over the stock pictures of smiling students. A door opened and a small woman in her fifties stepped out, “Good morning, Miss, uh…”
“Green,” I told the interviewer as I pushed out of the chair and did my best to walk smoothly in my heels. She held the door to her office open for me. Being the only person in the waiting room gave me a touch of hope that I might get this job. This was the only interview I’d gotten after filling out ten plus applications.”
“Please, come in. Have a seat there.” I followed her to her desk, taking a quick look around the room. Sandra Whiting was the office administrator for the physical headquarters of a popular online college. Pictures of small children and various accolades related to her position covered the walls.
Meticulous order prevailed, like dust wouldn’t dare settle itself in her domain. Sitting opposite her with her organized desk between us, it was obvious she ran a tight ship. Her small brown eyes darted across my resume and references with crinkled concentration. She looked over her wiry glasses as she read, and I wondered if they were the correct script.
“Yes, Miss Green,” she pushed her glasses up her nose as she looked at me. “Why are you interested in this position?”
I wasn’t, but avoiding eviction outweighed my urge to tell her the truth. I straightened my back, forcing away the nervousness I felt. “I have extensive experience with office work and a fondness for education. I’m prompt, hardworking, and detail-oriented. I think I’m perfectly suited for the job.” My hands settled into my lap, and I crossed my ankles. The only part I lied about was being detail-oriented, but it seemed like the right thing to say to someone like her.
Her fingers tapped against the desk as she thought. “You’re overqualified for the position. Why aren’t you working in your chosen field…” her eyes scanned my resume, “library sciences?”
I shrugged my shoulders, trying to look nonplussed. “There are no open positions in the city’s library system or local schools. I’m not interested in moving, so I’m waiting for the opportunity to present itself. Given how coveted those positions are, I don’t expect that to happen any time soon.” I forced a little smile to my lips to validate the idea that it didn’t bother me much.
She asked me a few more questions, and I answered them as best I could.
“Well, Ms. Green, I have a few more interviews to complete, but I’ll call you either way.” I shook her hand and left, feeling good that whether I got the job or not, she wouldn’t leave me hanging for an answer.
I rode the bus home, preparing myself for the rejection. To my surprise, she called me the very next day and offered me a full-time, nine-to-five schedule. I went to the mall and bought myself a few new business casual outfits. On my first day there, one admissions counselor, Tyler, took an interest in me right away. Sandy, who gave me the job, was giving me a tour when he popped out of nowhere and insisted he had time to do it.
“So, Claire, how are you liking us so far?” he asked as he led me into the kitchen and poured us each a cup of coffee, “Cream and sugar?” I nodded, and he passed me the one he already prepared.
“In my very limited experience, everyone seems nice.” I started there less than an hour before, so I had no idea what I thought of them yet. He watched me as I took a sip of my coffee. He stood on the tall side with neatly gelled brown hair and matching brown eyes. In his dark jeans and blazer, I couldn’t help thinking he was handsome, even if he made me a touch uncomfortable. I cut off the thought immediately. If fucking where you eat is bad, fucking where you work is much worse.”
“They are nice,” he agreed, “but I don’t have much in common with them.”
“Oh, no?”
He shook his head, “Definitely not. I’m an adventurous person. I like to keep busy,” he gave me a moment to respond, but I had nothing to add to that. “We’re the only ones here in our twenties, and I’m assuming you’re not a grandma.”
“No, I’m not even an aunt or a cousin,” I commented dryly.
“Are you an only child?” He took a sip of his coffee, but his eyes remained on me.
“Yeah, I am.” A little twinge of nervousness tightened my stomach. It was my fault for bringing it up, talking about my family was about as pleasant as a root canal.
“Me too, that’s another thing we have in common.”What were the other things? Being in our twenties and not having grandkids?“You know, another reason we should stick together around here.”
“You think?” I tried to keep my answer aloof, not sure where he was going with this.
“Oh yeah, it’s always good to have someone in your corner, right?” I took an unnecessarily long sip of my coffee to decide on an answer.
“Of course,” I agreed, though I wouldn’t know. I had little experience with supportive relationships, but he seemed nice enough, if not a little pushy, “Let’s stick together then,” I smiled briefly, hoping he wouldn’t read too much into it.
“Solidarity, sister.” He toasted me with his mug.
“Solidarity,” I agreed.
The rest of my first week went by in a blur of meeting people and getting used to the job. The position consisted of a lot of filing and processing applications. It wasn’t a love connection, but it paid enough for me to just scrape by, and that had to be sufficient for the time being.
I cleaned my apartment until it was spotless that Saturday afternoon, and I did my best to keep it in order the following week. Since I was low on money, I cooked all my meals, even taking them to work with me for lunch. It was better for the budget, but I missed Sadar and the Indian food I would never be skilled enough to cook.
Two weeks after I was hired, I sat at a table in the break room eating a chicken salad sandwich with a book open on the table when Tyler plopped down next to me like we were the best of friends. “That looks good. What is it?”