Good morning all. We have reached the middle of the week. It is going to be a good one. I can feel it. A busy one, but a good one. So let’s kick it off with our morning writing prompt. Are you ready? Fantastic, let’s go.
This one was fun, but I had just reached the stage where i was about to torpedo Jeff when the timer went off. Still I suppose I can circle back and destroy his expectations later.
Wednesday, April 6th: His victory was assured.
His victory was assured. All of the odds were in his favor. He knew all the right people, or at least his family did. He traveled in all the right circles and said all the right catch phrases. He knew everyone’s hobbies and interests and even if he didn’t care for some of them himself he cultivated an interest in them as he had been taught, letting the other feel like an expert.
The fact that he even had to interview was laughable. He looked over the room at the other candidates waiting to be interviewed. Clearly they were wasting their time. He almost pitied them.
Almost.
At first he was annoyed at the fact he had to interview at all. His father explained that the image must be maintained. The company had to look unbiased. He understood that and swallowed his irritation. Now, he had to admit there was some satisfaction in seeing how many people wanted his job.
The door opened and the le last candidate left. Jeff saw him shake the woman’s hand. He fought back a frown. He knew all of the heads of the offices. None of them were women.
‘Probably an assistant, a receptionist drafted to make things flow smoothly.’ He thought to himself. Still he felt a slight tremor of unease. She didn’t look like a receptionist. While he could never put his finger on it all of the receptionists working for Farnham and Company all had a similar look to them. They were individuals, yet they all seemed to dress from a similar closet. This woman was a deviation.
‘Maybe a corporate assistant then.’ He consoled himself.
Jeff heard his name called and dismissed his qualms as he stood. He buttoned his suit jacket as he walked. He hadn’t wanted it to wrinkle when he sat. He had planned on remaining more casual when he interviewed and leaving it unbuttoned as he knew that Evan Michalis often appreciated a flexibility in his staff. However the woman made him rethink.
Still it would be Michaels who made the decision. His hand hesitated but he left the button buttoned figuring he could undo it as a dramatic gesture during a creativity based question. As he walked he mentally reviewed what he knew about Michaels. He let the litany of the man’s hobbies and interests float through his mind. The man was married with no children and he and his wife were quite social.
‘At least I don’t have to fain interest in children,’ he thought as he stepped inside. The door closed behind him. As Jeff strode to the chair the woman indicated, he looked around. His footsteps faltered. Evan Michaels wasn’t there. No one was. It was just him and the woman.
As Jeff took his seat he wracked his brains. He didn’t know who she was. He should have known who she was if she was someone. And if she was interviewing him then she had to be someone.
‘Maybe they have to have their HR department take charge of the initial interviews,’ he thought. The thought was comforting. ‘That’s why he didn’t know her. There was no need to know the general staff, only the executives. Clearly she was here to weed out the unworthy to a manageable level before passing the final candidates on to the executives. Comfortable with his assessment he readjusted his interview technique.
Ten til Midnight 