Ellaisaire looked at her wristwatch. It was 10:30 am Her laundry was still undone and her house, in a mess. Without wasting time, she got started with her house chores. It was getting to 1:00 pm when she turned on her radio. After a couple of minutes, she turned it off and switched on the television. All the channels were airing shows for the younger generation. She concluded that there was a conspiracy by the media people, to send her outdoors. But she was not going to leave, so she turned on the radio once again.
On the radio, lunchtime music was playing. Presently she was overtaken by sleep.
This type of sleep is referred to as the siesta. Conventional wisdom dictated that before you start your siesta, you must make sure that your house is secure. You see when you are asleep; a visitor might walk in and disturb you from your sweet sleep. Or that they may find out that you are the kind of person who snores, grinds their teeth, or passes wind. What if you saw a bad dream? Suppose the visitor turns out to be wicked or indeed conceives it in their evil mind to hurt you? How would you convince anyone it was not your fault? But Ellaisaire was now already sleeping. And these safety precautions are better spoken than done. A little slumber, a little folding of the arms, and poverty comes knocking at the door.
But in this situation, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands, and the worst happen.
While Ellaisaire was asleep, someone knocked at her door and allowed himself in.
The owner of the taxi company, that brought Sony, was a man who grew up in the same neighborhood as Jose. His nickname was Dladla or Armadillo. He boasted of himself to be a man who could pass through fire and come out unscathed. He had seen much fire; not the kind of fire you and I use to cook food, but the kind that scorches the soul and scars the spirit, searing it. He said that he had the skin of the Armadillo.
He walked over to Sony, who promptly explained his mission.
Dladla briefed an enthusiastic Sony about what he does daily. Sony told him that he was still not sure what career path to follow and that all he knew was that someday he will have a wife and a job. What job or who for a wife, he knew nothing.
Sony sat at the back left seat of the taxi cab he was driven, thinking for a while that he was a VIP. As he did the deliveries, he took time to ask questions and when the answer was not satisfactory, he would look for another chance to ask the same question. The studios were located far apart. Again, finding an artist who was willing to assist was not an easy task.
He, however, used his innocent looks and inquisitive mind to get all the information he needed. Presently, he was ready to return home.
Sony pondered, "If the best jobs were white-collar jobs; that are - office jobs, then those jobs were here; a place where successful career people rode the crest of the good life. There was money, power, and status therefore prestige and class. But on second thought, prestige and class are not all there is to a successful man's career life.''
At the Omega One studio, artists work in groups at times. Other times, they worked in solitude. They laughed and made noise but had times of solemn business-like interactions. They were casual in speech and dress but could also take or give orders. Sony did not know what it was like to face the music until he met a choir director who brought his 'tone-deaf choir to face the music.
There was no minute to spare for a joke or two at Sparrow Linx. They turned off their mobile phones once they stepped into that workstation. They dressed and conversed formally. When it came to refreshments, they observed a strict code of conduct. Any construed or misconstrued act of misconduct was met with instant disapproval. They considered themselves cultured folk. When you came to Sparrow Linx, you came to work. Any activity above or below your job description was termed deviant. Sony would be unhappy working at Sparrow Linx as much as he would be working at any of the studios.
No one expects an eleventh-grade pupil to lay down his finger on any job and be happy doing it. His ride was coming to an end. He'd a good day and was feeling proud. He felt like an adult. Adult life was enviable.
Comparing and contrasting career enrichment at Sparrow Linx and the studio left Sony more confused.