It was 8PM and the dinner rush was at it's height when Penelope felt her pocket vibrate. She was too busy to answer and besides, Gary didn't like his "girls" using cell phones at work. He called it classless. As if a guy with a voice like Turman Capote and a face like Andre the giant who owned only two shirts was a good compass of classlessness. Well, actually he was, but not in a good way.
Penelope finally got a break around 10:30 and checked her messages. Holy crap! She had a message from that job posting she applied to three weeks ago! Her mind raced: what to wear, how early to arrive, did she have the correct footwear to exude confidence yet humility? She definitely had the outfit pressed and ready. Right after graduation from City College her mother had driven her to Macy's and bought her an official interview suit as a graduation gift. Oh what hopes she'd had that day three years ago. She expected to be driving a BMW by now. Not hustling beet surprise in a greasy spoon on the wrong side of town. The only thing missing was the perfect blouse. She knew where to find it too - - - in her room mate's closet. The problem was she couldn't just ask to borrow it, it had to seem like Carol's idea and that wasn't easy. If Carol sensed a favor coming she tended to become purposely obtuse and clueless. God forbid Penelope get the job and be indebted to her for life! She came up with a plan, she'd pick up a 6-pack on the way home and gently guide the conversation towards the interview and the outfit and hope that Carol offered up the blouse on her own after a few beers...better make it a 12-pack.
She spent the rest of the evening dreaming of the day she could tell Gary to shove it and walk out of this hell hole. She'd never come back. Not even for coffee.
Great story!
ReplyDelete