1. The Interview
Daniel was moving smoothly through
the job application when he came to the question he hated most. He had filled
out dozens, maybe hundreds, of applications in the last year, and in spite of
the wide variety of styles, they all asked this question. Pen poised over the
paper, Daniel hesitated.
He was sure he could do this job well. He had
strong skills and was well qualified for the position. Until this moment he had
felt confident he could make a positive enough impression on the interviewer to
land the job. As much as he needed a
job, he had learned to temper his desperation and channel his energy into a
confident, convincing approach to an interview.
All of the workshops he had attended on resume writing and interview
techniques had taught him to make a strong, affirmative first impression, so
now he was very adept at interviewing. Twice he had even made it past the first
interview and on to the second. Then this application question had come up, and
he had been denied the job, again. Only
once had he heard from the personnel department that this particular question
was indeed the reason why he had not been hired. “Corporate Policy” was all the explanation he
was ever given.
“‘Corporate Policy’ be hanged,”
Daniel muttered to himself. “I have to keep going. I intend to get a job and be
a fully functioning and contributing member of society.” Then, in firm, clear
strokes he answered the question “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”
with “Yes”, and in the space allotted for an explanation he filled in the
synopsis he had practiced so many times.
When Daniel gave his application
form to the receptionist, he noticed her quick glance down the page to the
offending question. In a professional
manner, she gave him a friendly nod, rose from her chair and took the pages
into another room. When she returned, she told Daniel, “Mr. Wickham will be
with you shortly.” Daniel returned to his seat to wait.
Trying to appear nonchalant and
relaxed, Daniel focused on the upcoming interview. He purposefully prevented
his thoughts from wandering onto the “what-if” path. That direction only
spiraled downward, and he could not afford to be distracted from making his
strong, upbeat, capable first impression in the brief moment of introduction to
this potential employer. Pushing aside
the first intrusive “What if I don’t get this job?” Daniel rehearsed his skills
and qualifications. The next attack was “What if he asks me about what I have
been doing?” That one was countered by a review of his community service
activities.
“What if I hadn’t reacted to their
taunts?”
The scene appeared unbidden in his
mind. It arose clearly, sharply - the scene he had gone over so many times in
the past two years. He would never be able to forget it.
The
parking structure was dimly lit and nearly deserted. Only a few cars remained,
the owners lingering at their evening activities. Daniel and Elena were walking
towards their car when he sensed movement in the shadows behind a thick support
pillar. He took Elena’s arm and steered her toward the car, quickening his
pace. She looked at him, starting to ask what was wrong when her gaze fixed on
the moving shadows. Daniel identified the group of youths as they emerged into
the dim light. He had had encounters with them when they were all in school,
but now there were no teachers or other students to buffer the interaction.
Daniel moved Elena protectively behind him, her large belly brushing against
his back.
“Knocked
up another one, eh Danny Boy,” Dirk, the leader, sneered. The other boys
snickered. “Got her good, I see”
“Let
it go, Dirk,” Daniel responded, edging towards the car.
“Oh,
is Danny Boy afraid? No teachers to come to your rescue now,” Dirk said. Then
he added threateningly, “It’s just us.”
Daniel
saw one of the young men leave the group and approach him and Elena from the
side. He glanced at him, then back to Dirk. “Let my wife go, Dirk,” he said.
"Can’t you see she’s pregnant?”
“Oh,
we can see that, Danny Boy, can’t we fellas?” The empty structure echoed with
their laughs and sounds of agreement.
“That your kid, Luis?” Dirk asked his lieutenant.
Luis
spat noisily. “No way! I got no truck with that whore.”
Daniel’s
face burned with the insult, and he felt Elena’s fingers dig into his arm. He
continued to steer Elena towards the car, edging backwards while keeping an eye
on the menacing group. The man on his side crept closer, and Dirk was backed up
by Luis. Daniel recognized them all and
knew at least the side man would run if there was real trouble. In high school Dirk had been the popular
football player with his hangers-on. Now
he was soft from too much beer and not enough activity. Daniel thought he could
out-fight Dirk, if the others would let him. He felt the knife in his pocket.
It was not a large knife, but it was sharp enough to do damage.
“What
about it, Danny Boy? Just the two of us, mano a mano,” urged Dirk. He signaled
to his henchman at the side of the couple. Quickly he closed in, grabbed Elena
and dragged her a few feet away. Her screams inflamed Daniel. The knife was out
of his pocket and ready for action before he thought. Dirk had stepped closer,
but at the sight of the knife glinting faintly in the dim light, he paused.
Taking advantage of Dirk’s hesitation, Daniel lunged forward, slashing Dirk on
the arm.
“Call
off your gang, Dirk,” he growled, waving the knife protectively around him,
keeping the other toughs at bay. “Let us
go.”
At
Dirk’s nod the man holding Elena let her go. She rushed towards Daniel, but he
waved her into the car. As he backed towards the car himself, he saw the trio
closing in on him. Knife held ready, he heard the sirens. Bitterly he realized help had come too late
and would be no help at all.
The bitterness he had felt at the
arrest for assault with a deadly weapon threatened to choke him now. There had
been no money for a trial. The woman who had called in the “gang fight”, and
who might have been a witness for Daniel never came forward. Elena’s baby was
due soon, so Daniel, anxious to hasten the process, accepted the plea bargain.
Daniel still felt resentful at missing his son’s birth and first steps because
of the jail time. Now he swallowed, took
a few deep breaths and attempted to put the past behind him once again. He
could not let the past undermine this important job interview. Before he had successfully composed himself,
the receptionist said, “Mr. Canales, Mr. Wickham will see you now.”
In spite of his apprehension, the
interview appeared to be going well. Daniel answered the questions clearly and
confidently. He showed that he had researched the company and indicated how his
skills would benefit them. In short, he did all he had been trained to do and
had practiced at so many prior interviews. Mr. Wickham seemed genuinely
interested in what Daniel had to offer. The atmosphere in the room was
friendly. Daniel started to relax.
Suddenly Wickham’s voice became
sharp and accusing. “Mr. Canales, you did prison time in Lodgeworth. Is that
where you honed your skills? Did you also practice cheating “The Man?” Isn’t
that what ex-prisoners do?” Wickham’s cold eyes bored into Daniel’s. His
accusatory tone cut deeply. “Would you attack me if I criticized your work?”
Daniel was startled and felt betrayed. He
stammered out an answer, which did not seem to satisfy Wickham. The interviewer poured more diatribes on
Daniel and demanded more complex and personal answers, far beyond the scope of
a job interview. The room seemed to
darken around Daniel and his throat tightened. He struggled to remain calm, to
fight the rising rage within him. Slowly he stood up. “Mr. Wickham, I came here
to interview for a job which I can do well.
I have offered my services to your company. I think now the interview is
over.” He turned to leave, his face burning with shame and suppressed anger.
Daniel had already opened the door
when he heard the pleasant voice say gently, “Daniel.” He paused long enough to
hear Mr. Wickham continue, “Daniel, the job is yours.”
Turning to look at the interviewer,
Daniel stammered, “Why…? What …?”
“Daniel, I have great respect for
your skills and for the way you handled yourself during the interview. I just
wanted to be sure there would be no repetition of the behavior that got you in
trouble.” He smiled warmly at Daniel. “You passed the test. Are you willing to
work for me?”
Was he willing? Was he willing to
work? Would a hallelujah shout be appropriate? “Yes, yes, of course. Thank you, thank you, Mr. Wickham.”
“Call me Larry. Can you start Monday?”
Gretchen Keefer
Gretchen Keefer received a BA in English and German and later an MS in Education. After teaching English to adult non-English speakers for a long time, Gretchen started writing short fiction for fun. Her stories are family friendly and, hopefully entertaining and/or thought provoking. She doesn’t believe in the dark trend in fiction today. Gretchen has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul – The Magic of Christmas, Rain Magazine, CommuterLit.com, Ariel Chart.com, Particular Passages: Decked Halls, Academy of the Heart and Mind, Voices from the Millpond, and some local anthologies.