Interviews were up and running at the Journals. Many went with happy smiles but came out with rather sad and disappointed faces. Mirabel was frustrated and confused as to why no one could meet her expectations. She thought it was because of her hardened look and desperation for the best. However, when she handed it over to Dianne, it was just the same routine.
The interviews were scheduled in three sessions: morning (7-9 am), afternoon (2-4 pm), and evening (5-6 pm). Vicky's interview was scheduled for the morning session, and he prepared with high hopes, feeling the Journals was his dream yet to come true. Mirabel hardly made it to the morning session because she was busy with her online search, looking for a proposal to revive her struggling business.
As Mirabel worked on that, Dianne handled the morning session and sometimes the afternoon session. Vicky anticipated the next Monday, hoping something would come out of the Journals and put a smile on his mother's face, which seldom happened due to the constant pain in her right knee. Doctors told Vicky that if care wasn't taken, she might never walk again.
It was finally Monday morning. Vicky woke up at 4, scrolled through his phone for an hour (technically, 30 minutes because the phone took 30 minutes to power on), and then proceeded to his bathroom at about a minute past five. He came out 40 minutes later, dried his wet body with an old towel, and checked his wardrobe, which was on the verge of collapsing due to termite damage.
He scrolled through his faded but neat clothes, saying "hmm, no, no..." until he reached the two pairs of clothes he termed "THE DUO". He smiled, put them on, and paired them with his white sneakers. Vicky combed his hair for six minutes, shook his perfume bottle for two minutes, and sprayed it on his clothes.
He walked up to the mirror and said, "I look pretty good... I'm sure the interviewer will go wild on seeing me." He chuckled, picked up a file containing his CV and portfolio, and proceeded to his mother's room. Seeing she was still asleep, he left a note beside her and checked the time. "Oh, shit, I have to leave now!" he said, heading out.
On his way out, he saw Joe, who was returning home drunk. Vicky shook his head and boarded the bus to Jones Estate, where he would transfer to another bus to Avenue Street. At the Journals, Lucy greeted him warmly and said, "Wow, I must say you look good this morning..." Vicky smiled and said, "Thanks."
"My name is Lucy, I am single and I am also very attractive," she winked at him and then said, "I'm just joking, how can I help you, are you here to make a delivery or..." Vicky, who was rather surprised, said, "No, I am actually here for an interview." "On a t-shirt and trousers, interesting, have a seat over there, we will attend to you shortly," Lucy said, pointing to the seats beside the office. Vicky thanked her and took a seat among other applicants. Out of all the applicants, Vicky was the only one who did not take out his phone while waiting for his turn to be interviewed.
Vicky was the last person to be interviewed. When it was his turn, he confidently walked into Dianne's office. Dianne instructed Vicky to have a seat and began talking. "Good morning, my name is Dianne, I am the Personal Assistant of the owner of this company..."
"Good morning, I am Vicky, the soon-to-be creative director of the Journals..." Vicky said with a sharp smile. "Hmmm, I see you are very confident..." Dianne said, returning the smile. "Can I see your CV...?"
"Sure, I also prepared a portfolio..." "That won't be necessary, time is limited... Please pass me your CV." Dianne said, interrupting Vicky's speech. Vicky handed over his CV, and Dianne asked him about his experience.
"Yes, I worked as a Creative Director back in Dillsville..." Vicky replied. "So why did you leave Dillsville?" "I wanted more for myself..." Vicky replied, his mind praying that Dianne refrains from asking him questions about his past.
"Okay then, if you were to work on an ad pertaining to an energy drink, what would you do?" Dianne inquired, leaning forward on her desk. "Well, the ad is basically focused on energy, so in the ad, a man returns home from work, tired and stressed, and needs some energy. He drinks the energy drink and suddenly feels revived..." Vicky said.
...Dianne smiled and said, "Good enough, we will get back to you..." "Ma'am, is that all?" Vicky asked. "Yes, you may leave, I will hold on to this..." Dianne said, holding up his CV. "Okay, I will be expecting your call... or not..." Vicky said, leaving the office with a mix of uncertainty and hope.
Immediately he left, Dianne called Mirabel, who answered in 10 seconds. "Yes, Dianne..." Mirabel said. "Ma'am, I think I have found the right person for the job..." "Really... Who's he? Are you sure he's the right fit?" Mirabel asked in a happy tone. "Yes, I am one hundred percent sure that he's fit..." Dianne said with surety.
"Okay then... tell him to be at the office tomorrow, I will be there to assess your choice..." Mirabel said. "Yes, ma'am, we'll be expecting you," Dianne replied. Dianne ended the call, then immediately opened Vicky's CV, got his contact number, and called him.
Vicky, who had just boarded the bus back home, received a call from an unknown number. He picked it up... "Hello..." "I am speaking with Vicky..." Dianne replied. "Yes, who am I speaking with, please?" "I am calling from the Journals company. I just spoke with my boss, and she would love to meet with you tomorrow, so please be on time..."
On hearing the news, he jumped up and screamed, "Thank God!" Placing the phone back on his ear, he said, "I'll surely be on time." "Okay, we'll be expecting you," Dianne replied as she ended the call. Vicky danced, not minding the people around him. Some shook their heads in pity, thinking he had lost his mind, while others ignored him.
Immediately Vicky got home, he hugged his mother, telling her the good news of his potential employment. He then went to his room, took out the little money left on him, and headed out to get himself some cheap new clothes. Vicky was elated; he had another shot at employment and living a meaningful life.