Morning all and welcome to the middle of the week. The end of June is creaming up on us. This month just flew by didn’t it? I know I say that about every thirty day month. It is more so with June though. But we still have a few days so let’s see what stories this sentence starts. Timers at the ready and off we go…
Not really sure where this story is going to go. I think I would have to figure out what he was trained for. I do like the character type though. A person who has followed a plan others set out for him and is launched into a career path others think suitable, only to have doubts as he enters the field. There is a lot that can be done with that. I just need to find the right story for him. I kind of dig the receptionist too.
Wednesday, June 28th: He straightened his tie.
He straightened his tie. It had been a long time since he wore one and it felt strange around his neck. ‘Granddad’s funeral,’ he recalled. It seemed like a bad image to invoke before a job interview. ‘Maybe it was Pete’s wedding.’
Considering the current state of Pete’s marriage, he wasn’t sure that was a better thought but he left it. He picked up the file from the passenger’s seat and let himself out of the car. He pressed the button on the fob to log the doors, confident that the keys were in his hand and therefore not locked inside the car and slipped the keys in his pocket.
He took a deep breath and realized this was as settled as he was going to get. ‘I’ll either get the job or I won’t get the job,’ he told himself as he began to walk towards the main doors. The trouble was, he wasn’t entirely certain he wanted the job. It was what he worked for and everyone kept telling him what a good company this was and how fantastic it was to work for them.
Everyone thought this was the best job for him.
He wasn’t sure. But he knew he had to do something. It was time to get into motion. He moved through the front door and was stopped by security. He gave his name and was cleared for entry. He stepped through the metal detectors, placing his watch and keys in the little plastic bowl on one side and retrieving it on the other. Once it was declared that he was weapon free, he was issued a guest pass and given directions to his destination. He suspected that if he deviated from the set course there would be problems.
Luckily there was no need to deviate and he soon found himself sitting in the waiting area of the man conducting the interviews. His secretary pointed to the seating area and told him Mr. Scott would be with him shortly. She then dismissed him from her thoughts as she returned to her work. He couldn’t blame her. Between the phone and the computer she was in constant motion.
It was an interesting circuit to watch. The phone range and she answered it. She took the message or transferred the call. Sometimes more lights would light up on the phone before the call was completed and she would use the eraser end of the pencil to shift between the various phone lines. When the phone stopped ringing she rolled her chair to a row of boxes and placed the accumulated call slips in each box before rolling to the computer. There she would click away until the phone rang again and she turned to it.
He watched her make the circuit eight times before he was tld that Mr. Scott was ready for him and that he could enter the office. He nodded and stood. She had already dismissed him again and was back to the phone. He walked to the indicated door and opened it. He looked inside. The back wall of the office was floor to ceiling windows and gave an impressive view of the city to anyone walking into the office.
‘What a shame Mr. Scott can’t see it,’ he thought. The view he supposed was supposed to intimidate visitors, but it was on the left hand side of the desk. Mr. Scott’s desk faced a wall with framed awards and him shaking hands with famous people.
‘I would have preferred the view,’ he thought as he sat in the chair facing the desk. There were more framed photos behind Mr. Scott.
Ten til Midnight 