Chapter 21: To Work in a Bank
Thus, as her last resort, Loreen had no choice but to apply to a bank since it was the only one with an opening left that did not require prior experience and training for the job.
It was a walking distance from her apartment.
In case she got hired, she would not need to commute so it would at least lessen her expenses.
"Good day, I'm here to apply for the job hiring," she showed the online post about the hiring when the guard asked her purpose.
"I see. Please follow me," one of the guards opened the door and ushered her in.'
She followed him as she was told, and he led her to one of the offices.
Loreen nervously submitted her resume, but it was simply forwarded from one person to another since she did not even graduate a course related to the vacant position.
"Can you wait for a while? The manager will do the interview," one of the office personnel said.
"Yes, of course," Loreen smiled politely.
She was made to wait in one of the lounges.
But more than three hours passed, and nothing happened. No one even told her if the interview was cancelled or if she should wait longer.
They must have forgotten they asked her to wait, but her resume must have been rejected.
'I guess, I should leave,' Loreen sighed heavily.
Where would she apply now?
Just as she was about to go out…
"Ms. Garcia," one of the personnel came.
It was the employee that talked to her earlier.
"Thank goodness, I thought you may have left. Sorry for the long wait. The manager was in a meeting, and it took longer than planned. Please come with me."
Loreen perked up and quickly followed the employee. She was ushered to the manager's office.
"Ms. Garcia?" the manager inquired when she entered.
"Yes, sir…" Loreen hoped and prayed that this interview will be different from the others.
And it did.
The interview went on for just a few minutes since they needed someone who could start right away.
Of course, Loreen agreed since she badly needed a job. Their needs aligned. She would begin reporting to work the following day.
She was rather grateful for it. It suited her since she needed to begin working as soon as possible since her money was running out.
And just like that, after more than a week of hard work looking for a job where she could fit, she landed a job that she was unsure about.
She had no choice but to compromise about what she wanted for the sake of her basic needs.
It was routine and repetitive office work, so different from what she was used to doing in her past work three years ago.
The salary was not that much either, but at least this work can already pay for her monthly rent and bills.
And they were the ones who hired her despite her outdated credentials. Her degree was not even related to this job, but they hired her anyway.
'I will do my best every day,' Loreen promised in thanks for getting hired.
But she still needed to have another source of income for her other needs. Thus, even after getting hired, she went to find another job that would accept a part time worker.
The following day, she began working at the bank since they needed the hands. They were overloaded with work, so she had to begin immediately.
They taught her the basics and it was so much easier than she thought.
Formerly, Loreen thought she may have a hard time since it was so different from her previous line of work, but she was able to learn it quickly since the tasks were almost always the same every day.
Just a different set of documents. But there was so much work to do, and it was what made it seem difficult.
She was usually done with office work by 5:00 PM. And her home was nearby.
Thus, she also applied to a cafe as a part-time crew. It was for her food and other needs. It was also just a walking distance from her apartment, so it worked well.
Loreen never worked in restaurants before since the pressure was heavy when there were a lot of people. But she still applied in the café anyway.
And she was right to do so. It had been a while since she mingled with people, and it was a nice change of pace to see and listen to people eating and conversing comfortably.
The schedule was tight, but she enjoyed being pressured to be on time and do something. She missed the pressure of working every day and doing her best.
It made her feel alive and motivated to achieve.
Once she was done with office work at the bank, she would leave immediately.
She drops by her apartment, rests a bit, retouches, and changes her clothes if necessary. Then, she heads to the café and works from 6:00 PM until 11:00 pm.
Since she needed the money, Loreen asked to work in the café on Saturdays and Sundays as well.
The owner agreed.
Her work schedule on Saturdays was 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. On Sundays, it was 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon so she would have a bit of rest time for office work the following day.
The café was more relaxed since they were not always in a hurry as they do in major fast-food restaurants, so she managed to get used to it.
Her dinners were also solved since the café provided one meal a day for all its crew.
They also have a snack before leaving or they could take it home. She made it as her midnight snack before she slept every night.
Thus, her only problem was breakfast and lunch.
She ate light meals for breakfast and medium to heavy meals for lunch. Hopefully, her budget would last until she gets her first payout from both of her work.
.
.
.
A month passed by quickly, and everything was going well.
Loreen was able to adjust to her new job smoothly and did well in her part time in the café. And most importantly, she got her first paycheck in both her jobs!