Story 1 Chapter 4: Job hunting

How long did it take for Albert to actually start job searching? 4 days. In those four days, he basically laid around and contemplated his life, along with binge-watching anime. Heavy emphasis on binge-watching.

Within that time frame he finished 6 anime series, 3 movies, and two OVAs. Throughout the whole time, he had the job search tab on the computer, barely touching the page. It was only until Veronica barged in and started yelling at him that he started searching for jobs seriously.

"Sigh… this is annoying. I don't wanna do this. I mean, I already paid for rent, didn't I? So what if I don't eat as much? I'll still survive."

"I'm still here, moron. Now get me some tea, I WILL watch you 'till you fill a job application."

Albert sighed and stood up, going to the kitchen.

"Don't you have things to do?"

"Nope. I got nothing better to do than sit here and watch you. OF COURSE I HAVE THINGS TO DO! I'm doing this 'cus I can do my work on my laptop and I know you wouldn't get anything done if I'm not here." Veronica rolled her eyes, pulling the plug on her laptop.

"Thanks I guess?" Albert remarked, walking back with a steaming cup of tea. This time, he also had the kettle with him.

Veronic sipped on the tea, thinking for a bit.

"Jasmine?"

"Yep. had a box of it in the back so why not."

"Mediocre choice, but I'll take it. Now get back to work."

Albert sighed and shuffled back to his desk, continuing the job applications. Just like that, two hours went by with Veronica typing on her laptop and Albert completing paperwork, with the occasional break or tea refill. By then, it was high noon and both of them were hungry.

"Hey kiddo. I'm going to buy takeout. Ya want something? My treat." Veronica asked, turning off her computer.

"Uhm… beef noodles please. Thanks for getting it!" Albert looked up from his computer, submitting another job application.

"How many didja apply to?" Veronica grabbed her keys and walked as she walked to the door.

"Like eight? I think?"

"Not bad, kiddo, not bad. You can take a break, play whatever game you want. Just get Classroom Of The Elite up on the screen by the time I'm back, which should be… around 45 minutes."

"Thank you!"

"Don't sweat it."

Albert sat on the couch, scrolling through his phone-reddit, to be specific. On the TV, Classroom Of The Elite was on screen, unplayed. Around 30 minutes later, Albert got up to refill the teapot, putting the cups on a mini tray as he waited for the water to boil. He got two sets of silverware ready. When the tea was ready and the table was set, Albert resumed scrolling through Reddit, browsing memes.

Soon, Veronica came in with two bags of food. There was a box of popcorn chicken, a container of rice, two plastic containers of soup and dry noodles, and a couple of other boxes with an assortment of side dishes.

"I see you've set everything up. Good job."

" 'Twas the least I can do since you bought the food. Saw anything interesting out there?"

"Nope. Everything was normal."

"Was anything on sale?"

"Corn."

"Again?"

"Yep. Just corn and beans."

"It's always corn and beans!"

"They are really easy to grow, so that is to be expected."

"Makes sense I guess. What soup?"

"Whaddaya expect? Something fancy?"

"Nah. just wondering how much MSG is in it."

"Ha ha. Very funny. This is from the noodle shop a few blocks over, so you can guess."

"Oh that one! Great choice."

Veronica shook her head, a slight smirk on her lips. She poured some of the soup into the bowl, passing the rest to Albert.

"Now that you're out of your old job, what field do you want to work in? Or do you want to be a freelancer?"

Albert poured the soup in his own bowl, adding noodles and vegetables to it. He waited a few moments before answering.

"I applied for a few office jobs, but I feel like I want to try working with food. A small local restaurant, maybe. Or a cafe."

"That sounds nice. Anything else?"

Albert picked up his bowl, lifting a few noodles with his chopstick.

"Maybe I can try my hand at writing or music. That sounds nice."

Veronica picked up the remote and pressed play before picking up her chopsticks and bowl of food.

"As long as it makes you happy, I guess. Just know that it might not pay off, so be ready to take on a second job."

"I know, I know. Ugh, this is gonna take a while."

For a period of time, there was no conversation between the two of them. All they did was eat and watch the T.V., casually tossing comments about the show.

'I like this a lot. It's peaceful.' Albert thought, with a small smile on his face.

~~~~~~~

Two weeks later, Albert still did not find a job. At this point, he had submitted over a hundred applications, and he was starting to feel dismayed.

"Ughhhhhhh"

Albert groaned, his face resting on the table. Although he had enough savings to last him around three months, he still wanted to find a job so he wasn't completely reliant on his savings. He was desperate.

'I can't let this go on. What can I do…'

Albert stood up to get another cup of tea and a bag of chips. He was tired and hungry, but he needed to keep searching for jobs. When he came back, he went back to the job search websites and continued scrolling.

'Construction, cleaning, pharmacy, ugh. Why is it so difficult? Can't I find a job as a barista or something?' Albert thought to himself. Although it wasn't a high-paying position, it was still something.

Ding!

Albert quickly switched tabs to his email, clicking on the newest one.

Hello Applicant. Unfortunately, we have found better candidates for this position…

Bang!

"F*&$! Another rejection! Why does this keep happening?!"

Albert brought his hands to his face, muttering curses under his breath. He was tired of this. Checking the time, he noticed it was already 9pm, and he decided to stop for today. He closed his laptop, grabbed his jacket, and walked out the door. At that moment, Veronica walked past and started unlocking her door.

"Oh hey Albert. Going somewhere?"

"Yeah. I need a break. I'm going to the bar."

Veronica raised her eyebrow, giving Albert a questioning look. Seeing how frustrated he was, though, Veronica just shook her head.

"Ah. don't get too wasted."

"Gotcha. I'll be back before midnight."

Veronica sighed, then waved him off. She had better things to do than babysit a grown man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fifteen minutes later, Albert was standing in front of a familiar bar. Taking a look around, he noticed that there were not a lot of patrons inside, but that didn't matter. It just meant less noise to deal with.

Ding~

The old man at the bar looked up from cleaning the table, visible surprise on his face.

"Ah! It's you! Something happen again?"

Albert shook his head in response, sighing in a dramatic fashion.

"No, not really. I can't find a job, so might as well relieve some stress. I'm tired."

"Tell me about it. More whiskey? Or do you want something else?"

Albert sat down on a stool, thinking for a moment.

"Do you have anything lighter? Maybe I'll just have a beer."

Samuel reached up for a glass and filled it with a yellowish liquid before handing it to Albert.

"Tell me more."

Albert grabbed the handle and took a sip of the beer before sighing.

"I've got enough money to last another three months, but I'm slowly running out. I've already applied for over a hundred jobs, but I either get no response or a rejection. What am I doing wrong? Haaaaaa…."

Albert took another swig of the beer, clearly dejected.

"At this point, I'll do almost anything. I really want to work in a cafe though. Or a bar. Both of them seem calm enough, and I don't have to deal with all the paperwork. Ughhhh, why can't I find a job…"

Samuel seemed deep in thought for a while. He let Albert continue ranting for a while before speaking up.

"Say… I have a new shop that needs some help. I'm thinking of shutting this old bar down and working on that one more. Do you want a job there?"

"Uh?"

Albert's head shot up as he stared at Samuel with a look of shock on his face.

"You have another shop? Isn't it too much to handle two at a time?"

"Why do you think I'm shutting this one down?"

"Good point…"

Albert sat there, thinking for a while. Samuel sighed and shook his head.

'Kids these days. Always overthinking things.'

After a few minutes of contemplation, Albert looked at Samuel with a smile on his face.

"I'll take the job. When do I start?"