Seated behind the desk in all his dignity was Dave!!!! Same Dave who said he was there for an interview.
"I knew it!" She stomped her foot on the floor.
"Courtesy Miss Adams. Have a seat and let us begin"
"Yes... Uhm... Yes sir" she replied, looking confused. Was she supposed to still refer to him as Dave or sir?
She sat on a chair directly facing him. She wasn't prepared for this. No, wait, she was prepared but this man behind that desk destroyed it within a few minutes.
She forgot everything she was supposed to say, including the possible questions and answers.
And then she had gone ahead and blabbed her mouth earlier about the paints looking dull and eerie, the entrance doors being too small, and so on.
"First Miss Adams, I'd like you to know that whatever happened outside this office remains there. Forget about the guy who introduced himself to you as Dave. Right now, I'm your interviewer and might be your boss in the future. I'm Mr. Dave Anderson, CEO of Oceanic"
"Damn! Dave Anderson! I should have known! How dumb am I?!" She said and flicked her forehead. Then apologized when she saw him staring at her, looking amused.
"Okay. Tell me about yourself" he began to go through her credentials and nodded his head in approval while she spoke.
"My name is Crystal Adams, I'm twenty—"
"Crystal Adams, twenty-five years old. I know that. Tell me what I don't know" he closed the file and leaned forward, his hands on the desk.
Crystal was growing agitated. She never expected this close contact with THE BOSS.
"God helps me" she whispered. "Well Mr. Anderson, I'll go straight to the point. I'm a very hardworking lady and—"
He cut her off mid-sentence again.
"Everyone in search of a job says that about themselves. Shouldn't I be the judge of that?"
"I'm not done sir" she replied, almost irritated but still maintaining her cool and calm look.
"I'm listening than" he smiled. He thought she was going to mess it all up but she kept surprising him.
"Well", she continued, "As I said, I'm a very hardworking woman and if you don't hire me, I'll go somewhere else and work harder and their industry will be rated higher than yours. Trust me, sir, you do not want that"
She almost slapped herself after those words left her mouth.
But she still kept her cool. He was shocked. What substance is she made of? He thought.
"Well uh... That was personal Miss Adams. I only asked you to tell me what I don't know. I didn't ask you to be honest"
"I'm sorry Mr. Anderson, I can't help it" she replied professionally.
She realized that she'd had him confused and she decided to use it to her advantage. She answered the questions quickly, just like one eating hot boiled yams.
"Describe exactly what you do, Miss Adams"
"I'm an interior decorator and events planner. I try to create an atmosphere that aligns with what the client wants"
"And how do you do this?" He asked
"Communication. I simply communicate my visions to my clients for them to easily compare with theirs. And then I design" she simply replied.
"Wow. And how many years of experience?" He asked.
This was the one question she had been praying to avoid.
"I haven't had an official job in interior decorations. But I've been doing it since I was a kid. My mom was an interior decorator too and she took me to events and houses where she worked"
"That's great. I noticed you said 'was'... Is she..."
"Yes sir"
"I'm sorry"
"Thank you sir" she replied, praying the interview would come to an end. It was taking too long.
"Do you make mistakes?" He asked, yet again.
"Yes sir, I do. I believe everyone does and no one is really above it"
"Hmm. So why are you the best person for this job? Why should we hire you?"
"Well, first of all, you should hire me because no one else applied for this particular post. Secondly, I'm simply the best. And last but not the least, I told you earlier, I'll go somewhere else and make them proud" she smiled.
"Are you threatening me, Miss Adams?" He truly felt threatened and pissed.
"What?! No sir. Why would I even dare think of that?! You're my boss, aren't you?"
He felt pissed because she was refusing to be tamed. He had tried to erase that confident look in her eyes but she never let him. Her head was up and she was staring straight at him.
She wasn't scared.
"Okay, Miss Adams. As it is, you're not qualified for this job because we do not require an interior decorator. And when or if we are hiring, we'll be needing professionals"
Her heart was already racing. This wasn't happening. She knew she should have been quiet when she sat with him at the reception. Maybe he was disqualifying her for the things she'd said while they were waiting. Or maybe because of how she had replied to his questions during the interview or maybe she truly wasn't qualified.
So she simply sighed and said "okay sir"
"I'm not done" he continued, "The waiting room truly looks hideous and the paints in some of the offices aren't Welcoming either. So, I'm ready to give you a chance to prove yourself. I recognize talent, hard work, and zeal when I see one. You've got all that Crystal. We'll fit you into our public relations team. You can work with them, plan events and decorations too"
Meanwhile, Crystal was grinning from ear to ear. She was becoming restless in her chair as well. She felt like jumping up, screaming out loud, and giving every single human being a hug.
This was like a dream come true. It was a dream come true.
"Thank you, sir. You won't regret this. I promise" she said, overjoyed.
"I hope so" he smiled. Then continued "we'll have your employment letter emailed to you and then we'll talk about the salary. Please check your email constantly and reply to us via email as well. Everything will be ready, before the weekend, on our part and yours. Do you have any questions, Miss Adams?"
"No sir. No, I don't. I understand everything you've said" she replied.
"That'll be all then. See you on Monday at 9 AM. Be punctual" he got up and she followed suit. They shook hands and she left immediately.
He couldn't help but smile. The joy on her face was priceless and he felt good because he put a smile on that face. He had a hand in it.
Just as Crystal left, a lady busted into his office without knocking.
She was beautiful. Large eyes and luscious lips had tinted her hair purple. The dress she wore clung to all the curves on her body and the slit revealed long smooth legs.
"Stephanie! Knock before barging into my office! And what are you wearing?!" He protested.
"Who's the lady I saw walking out of here?" She asked, folding her arms and pouting her lips.
"How's that your business? Go back to work. You always disrespect me. I am your elder brother and also your boss, so you will do as I say. Go back to work, ma'am"
"Another prey? You found a new toy huh?" She walked farther into the room and threw herself on a plush cushion.
"That's our new employee. We just finished an interview. She resumes on Monday" he began to arrange papers and files on his table, getting ready to work and also praying his nosy kid sister would leave him alone.
"Hmm. She looks smart and really hard to get. Take your eyes off of her. She's not your type Dave"
"What are you talking about" he scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"I know when you're up to something. Why did you have to interview her yourself? Why didn't you let others do it?"
She made a point. Dave never interviewed applicants by himself unless they were professionals from other remarkable industries.
"You're just a nosy brat"
"And you love me just the way I am"
"Always baby sis" he smiled
"What's her name?" Stephanie asked curiously.
"Crystal" he replied and turned his laptop on.
"Hmm" was all she said as she got up and walked out.
He sighed in relief. Crystal's face was still in his head and he admitted deep within him that the moment he saw her, something stirred within him.
He also tried to convince himself that he did not give her the job just because she was pretty or because he wanted to keep seeing her every day. He gave her the job because she earned it. She was sharp-witted.
He was damn right.
Crystal on the other hand was still outside. She called Jason immediately after she stepped out of the building.
"Hey sunshine" he greeted
"Hey, rain. Guess what!"
He didn't have to guess. Her voice said it all. She got the job.
"My baby is now a big girl..." He said and they laughed.
It was still noon, just a few minutes past 2 PM.
"Where are you? Wait there. I'll come to pick you up. I'm taking you out to lunch and dinner as well. How does that sound?"
"Okay" she laughed joyously and he prayed and wished such pure laughter never cease. The sound alone could bring peace and calm to a troubled soul.