The Interview

Megan was browsing the Internet and a new email notification appeared at the bottom right corner of her computer screen. Clicking on it, a somewhat resemblance of an e-Poem appeared.

I’ve seen better days, but I’ve also seen worse.

“Well you haven’t seen mine!” Megan pouted and made a fist at the computer screen.

I don’t have everything I want, but I do have all I need.

“Well I don’t!” She rebutted loudly.

I woke up with some aches and pains, but I woke up.

“I am beginning to wish I didn’t.” She snapped back.

My life may not be perfect, but I am blessed.

“WELL, I CERTAINLY DON’T FEEL THE BLESSINGS, GOD! NOT EVEN ONE!!!”

Megan cried on top of her lungs and vented her frustration. Bebe, the family dog, jerked her head up from her laid-back position and gave her a bark in response.

Megan turned to look at her. “What? God said to call out to Him! Haven’t you memorized your verses in Sunday School all these years?”

Bebe lowered her head and covered her eyes with her two front paws. This was her way of telling Megan, ‘You are pathetic, no eyes see!’ That was if dogs could talk. Apparently, this one thought she could.

Megan wondered who could have written such a poem and who in their right mind had sent this to her. She noticed the Sender was anonymous with a ‘Do-not-Reply’ address. She turned back to her computer to look for the author of the poem.

(Unknown author)

“Well, it’s a good thing you are unknown; otherwise, I’ll hunt you down!” Megan scoffed.

She then deleted the email and the next one with the subject line – This may be your dream job opened up. After reading the message and the descriptions of the job, she thought about it for a minute. What the heck? Why not give it a try, she told herself.

Right away, she searched her files for the 2-Page Cover Letter and updated it with today’s date. She browsed through the pages and deleted all the unnecessary information. After editing the content, she did a quick read on her cover letter which consisted of five sentences in total – one for introduction, three for the body of the letter and one for the closing statement. Just to be professional, she also did a ‘spell-check’ on the 28-word document to ensure there was no grammatical errors. When she was satisfied with it, she set it up to be sent to the email address that was provided on the job advertisement. Clicking on the attachment icon, she opened up the Entry Level Jobs Resume Folder and selected the one that won her a position at McDonald’s many, many, moons ago. When she clicked the ‘Send’ button, she had no idea this was going to change her life. How could she have known? She was beyond desperate, beyond caring, beyond believing there was ever going to be a job she was good enough for or vice versa. Megan was one blink away from giving up the job search because it only took her five minutes in total to apply for this job - including writing a new cover letter and attaching an outdated resume. Another reason she didn’t put any effort was because the job really sounded too good to be true. Half of her heart thought this was a scam.

Immediately after the email was sent, Bebe barked at her again. ‘Yeah, right! Your dream job!’

Megan gave the canine a warning. “One more bark from you, I will feed you cat food for dinner!”

A week later…

“You lost my file?” Megan cackled so loud that every customer in the small Q-Pete Café turned to look at her. If she was in a different place at a different time, her cheeks would have been flushed with a rosy hue when she noticed 5 pair of eyes looking at her with concern. But she was at her best friend’s café and she knew each customer there by name. So she made a ‘heaven forbid’ gesture by smacking her forehead with her hand and addressed them. “Can you guys believe it? Even Cupid lost my file. It’s a sign! I’m a hopeless case when it comes to finding love!”

“Oh Dear!” Words of consolation were given to Megan from all corners of the café. One of the ladies stood up from her table and called out to the owner. “Kalina, give her more of those chocolates you made!”

“The ones with the magic potion!” Another lady suggested.

Q-Pete Café was one of the city’s all-time favorite places for those on their first date. It was a place rumored to be where ‘Cupid’ was residing. Numerous articles were published in the local newspaper about the Café, calling it The Haven of Love. Kalina Cheng, the owner and founder of this café was supposed to be a very well-known International Matchmaker. Well, she was better-known by her customers for her wonderful specialty lattes and snacks, not so much for the matchmaking part.

“To this day, you are still the only client I’m unable to find a match for!” Kalina reached over the counter and tried to strangle Megan by the neck. “If it’s not because of you, I would have a perfect record for matching all my clients!”

Three years ago, Kalina decided to start her own business in helping people find love. Megan called it an excuse for ‘nosing her way into people’s private life.’ Kalina claimed her business was very successful because it was the matchmaking.com agency with the largest number of clienteles in the world. Of course, Kalina refused to believe there was a difference between paying clienteles versus visitors who browse her website. Megan had given up getting her stubborn friend to acknowledge that her Matching Dot.com scored the largest number of visitor hits among all other subsidiaries, not clienteles.

Kalina and her husband first met here at this little café five years ago. Sadly enough, he met his death three years ago. So whenever she returned to the café, people would give her the same sympathetic look and offered her words of sympathy for being such a young widow. Pete was an archery coach. Coincidently, he was killed when an arrow shot through his left chest during a practice. It was a freak accident because the arrow was released from the wall that was showcasing a compound bow with a drawn arrow held up by a screw. To make the matter light-hearted, Kalina often told others that Pete got ‘screwed’ by the screw.

So after receiving a nice big severance package from the Corporation that laid off Megan and herself three years ago; she used the money, along with some beneficiary funds from her husband’s insurance which she was entitled to due to his untimely death; and purchased this little café and named it Q-Pete Café, just the opposite of ‘Pete killed’. And of course, the name sounded more like Cupid Café.

“That’s because you forced me to be your first clientele,” Megan managed to break free from her friend’s grip. “It’s not like you have hundreds of clients. I can still count your clients with one hand.” She put up two fingers to represent the number of couples successfully matched over the last two years since she started her Matching Dot.com.

Kalina slam dunked her friend’s hand. “It takes time to find the right soul mate! And both couples are happily married and have wonder healthy children. It proves my DNA dating tests work!”

“Whatever!” Megan rolled her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. She was looking for a way to change the subject because she didn’t want to listen to another lecture about the new matching technique using DNA from a person’s saliva.

“Well, you’re not paying me, so all my paid clients have to be matched first!” Kalina snubbed. “Anyways, I remember your lab report, only one match came up for you.”

Megan looked imploringly into her friend’s playful eyes and wondered if she was telling the truth. How pathetic could her life be that there was only one match out of the whole database that was linked to the research lab somewhere in Europe. That lab was supposed to have data files of clients from all over the world.

Kalina read her friend’s mind and pointed her index finger at her. “See how picky you are! It’s your DNA!”

Megan shrugged, sighed and said dejectedly. “Oh well, I guess I’m one of a kind. That’s why I hope I get that job tomorrow. Then everything will be hunky-dory!”

“You got an interview?” Kalina suddenly felt happy and hopeful for her friend. “Where? For what position?”

“The interview is at some head-office downtown. Something AT & MAH. I have to look it up later.” Megan replied. “It’s the one I told you about last week, my dream job!”

Upon hearing that, Kalina’s enthusiasm vanished. “Forget that, Megan! You were only venting. Don’t waste your time! The job sounds spooky! The person you have to tend to may be a DOM!”

“Well, I was surprised to get a call.” Megan gave herself a comforting smile. “God knows I need the money and a place to stay!”

“You must be desperate if you take that job!” Kalina leaned forward and grabbed hold of her friend’s hands. “I am serious! You can work here and stay with me until something better comes along.”

Megan gave her best friend a hug. She and Kalina became friends in university and she knew she could always count on her no matter what. “I know you are always here for me, Kalina. Maybe a change from the corporate world will be do me some good. I am tired of this rat race. I’m too old to compete with this younger generation. It would be nice if I get this job for a change or environment.”

“Well, I hope you don't get this job! And you are not too old! You look like you just turned 40!”

Megan gave a dumb-founded look. “I’m not! I am only going to be 38!”

Kalina was aware she screwed up bad, but she wasn’t willing to admit it. She sat back into her chair, crossed her arms and tilted her head up like a snob. “Exactly!”

Interview Day

Upon arriving at the lobby of the ATT & MA Building, Megan was beginning to think Kalina’s wish was about to come true when she saw a bunch of much, much younger people sitting in the reception area waiting for their turn to be interviewed. She was quite surprised these young university grads would be interested in the job she was applying for; much to her disappointment that they would fight for a job that was meant for seniors like her. Well, soon to be senior. She was here for a Live-in Caretaker position, though the Ad spiced it up by calling it a Residential Manager.

Megan thought these young applicants were way too over-dressed for this position. All of them wore business attire and looked very presentable; the perfect appearance for the corporate world that she was a part of until three months ago when she was laid off again. She looked at one of the three young girls who appeared to be the most standoff-dish. Megan could smell her ‘better than thou’ attitude even at a mile away. Megan thought if this girl got the job, it would definitely be due to her big ‘B’, meaning boobs, not brains.

Megan continued her screening to another applicant whose hair was cut in a boyish style. If she wasn’t wearing a skirt, Megan would have thought she was a boy. She looked very much like a high school student, but her mannerism told Megan she was most likely in her early 20s. When the young girl noticed Megan looking at her, she smiled and quickly sashayed over to sit next to her.

“Hi! I am Dani. Short for Danielle and for my height, I know!” She leaned closer to Megan and whispered. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but you really cannot come to interviews dressed in sweat pants and T-shirts. Did you just immigrate here?”

Megan wanted to tell her these were Yoga pants, not just any sweat pants. But she was too shocked to say anything at that moment. However, she managed to laugh with Dani. Megan’s laughter was a cover-up whereas Dani’s was more out of compassion.

Now Megan felt totally out of place and disconnected with the world. She told herself a reality check was desperately needed in her life. She just spent hundreds of dollars buying these Lululemon Athletica series for this interview. Now she was seriously thinking of asking for a refund, especially if she wasn't going to land the job.

“Can you understand me? Do you speak English?” Dani was using her eyes, her hands to communicate to Megan who was still too stunned to utter a sound. Could she speak English? She had to think twice. But when she was about to respond, the receptionist called Dani away to meet her interviewer.

In the same building, on the opposite side of the same ground floor, Audrey came charging down the corridor with an arm-length basket full of mail. “Wait! Ang-doo, wait!” She called out with her village accent that sounded so endearing to Andrew.

He couldn’t help but smile every time she called his name. And especially when she struggled with words spelt with the letter ‘R’ and the 'th' words. “I folgot dis one!”

Andrew took the basket of letters and parcels from Audrey, she was huffing and puffing from her short distant sprint. “Thanks, but next time, just leave it there for the next round.”

Audrey pointed her finger upwards; meaning the big boss on the 8th floor. She was telling Andrew as if he was a child; as if it was not good to get Daddy mad. “Oh no! He don’t like if he don’t get his letters!”

Andrew chuckled as she was once again exhibiting too much motherly instinct around him. Andrew turned around and went about his job.

Want to know more about Andrew? Well, at this point, all there was to tell was that he turned out to be a total disappointment in his mother’s eyes. His mother spared no sweat to make sure he got the best in life. From the moment he was born, his parents had great plans for him. They made sure he went to the best schools; attended the best university; ate the best food; wore the best clothes; even got him the best wife. But three years ago, he didn’t want the best wife but kept the best man instead. Six months ago, he gave himself a nice 38th birthday present; quit his job to pursue his childhood dream job of becoming Mr. Postman. Just like the very first song which he learned to sing and dance to when he was three years old. The very first picture he drew in pre-school was of a postman. And of course, he wrote he wanted to be Mr. Postman when he grew up as his life goal when he was in grade 6. Thus he got himself a mail room job at the ATT & MA Family-Owned Corporation.

To this day, every time his mother saw him, she would shake her head and raised her hands to the highest heavens asking, ‘Why Son? Why a mail room clerk of all jobs?’

And he would always tell his mother this was the closest he could get to being Mr. Postman. Not that there was anything wrong with being a mail room clerk. It’s a wonderful job!

After 15 minutes, Megan was finally led to the 8th floor to meet her interviewer who may have had a shot of Phenylethylamine - aka - The Love Drug. The instant he saw her, he became speechless and smitten. He looked as if he had fallen head-over-heels for her, and he wasn’t even wearing heels.

Megan was standing at half a head shorter than him, looking straight at the one earing stud on his left earlobe. She was thinking to herself if right was left and left was wrong or was it left was right and right was wrong. She gave up trying to figure it out. Megan’s belief was once again reconfirmed that only people like his type could climb the corporate ladder nowadays.

After about 30 seconds, Megan couldn’t take his ogling anymore. So she decided to take the initiative and extended her hand to shake his. “Hello, Mr. Ma? I am Kimberley Chan.”

Note on Chemistry of Love - Phenyl ethylamine - aka - The Love Drug

This chemical is responsible for the head-over-heels feeling when one is in love. It is said to be found in chocolates. With just the right dose, it gives you energy to stay up all night talking to your new found love; however, beware of overdose - scientific reports show this chemical is also found in schizophrenic patients - thus the term 'crazy kind of love' ..... hmmmm.