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“Okay, cool. I’ll text you.”
We hang up and I scurry off to the bathroom to get dressed. Fifteen minutes later, I’m on the red line, on my way to the mall. Later, I’ll need to revamp my resume. I need this job and can’t screw this up. As I enter the mall, I smile at the possibilities—if all goes well, my life will change in more ways than one. A new job, new outfit, and hopefully a better future.
Anxiously waiting for Layla to finish getting ready, I tap my feet on the floor and look at my watch. Nine o’clock. I groan and rush into Layla’s bedroom and find her applying mascara.
“Layla, hurry up! We need to leave now. I don’t want to be late.”
She shrugs off my impatience, “Relax, I’m almost ready.”
She exits the bathroom, slips on her black pumps, walks to the floor-length mirror, and twirls around several times. She repositions her black skirt and dabs at her loose blonde curls.
She spins to face me, “How do I look?”
“You look hirable. Now come on, we have to leave now.”
We grab our briefcases, courtesy of T.J. Maxx, and head out to the train station. During the ride, my nerves are a complete mess. My legs begin to shake, I feel nauseous, and my palms are sweaty.
Layla notices, “Geez. You need to calm down. It’s just an interview.”
I let out a deep breath, “Sorry, I don’t want to blow it.”
Ten minutes later, we exit the train and walk the few blocks to the office. As we enter the building, we are immediately greeted by two male personnel holding clipboards and wearing Bluetooth earpieces.
“Welcome, we have refreshments and donuts in the lobby. Unfortunately, our A.C. unit has broken down so it may get a little warm in here. We do apologize for the inconvenience. The fair will start in a few minutes. Feel free to look around. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
One of the greeters leads us to the lobby and a few interviewees have already started digging in. Layla walks right up to the muffin table and grabs a blueberry muffin. I grab a croissant, spread butter on it, and quickly consume it in a matter of minutes. Layla grabs a cup of coffee and offers me one, but I decline. I take a quick look around and notice that all of the applicants are women, which is understandable, especially for administrative jobs, but I thought at least a few men would apply.
A few minutes later, the fair begins and a few of the supervisors sit at their assigned booths and begin the interviews. Thirty minutes later, I’ve spoken to a couple supervisors and feel confident. The interviews went pretty well. Nothing was too difficult, just the usual questions—what is your work ethic, weaknesses/strengths, work history, future goals. I look over to Layla who is fanning herself from the unbearable heat. A few of the staff come by to offer everyone bottles of water. Layla drinks from the bottle and practically finishes it in three gulps.
Layla walks over to me, “So, how’d it go for you?”
“Pretty good. You?”
She hesitates, “It was alright. I don’t know, something’s off about this place.”
I look at her confused, “What do you mean?”
She leans closer and whispers, “Have you noticed that all of the staff are men? And all of the applicants are women? Don’t you think that’s odd? Besides, I’ve never heard of a job fair with only one company hosting it; that’s just weird.”
I sip the last bit of my water, “Do you want to leave?”
Her body sways slightly and I reach out to steady her, “Are you alright?”
She shakes her head, “I don’t know, I feel a little dizzy. I think the heat is getting to me. I feel really hot all of a sudden.”
I grab hold of her wrist and head for the restroom, “Come on, let’s go wet a paper towel and cool you down.”
We enter the bathroom and I lead Layla to the bench on the wall. I head to the sink, wet a paper towel, and walk back toward her to dab her forehead.
Her body sways back and forth, “Raya, I don’t fee—”
Before she can finish her sentence, her face turns pale, her eyes glaze over, and her body goes limp, falling forward. I immediately catch her in my arms.
“Shit, Layla! Wake up!”
I pat her face with the wet towel but she’s out cold. Fuck!
I yell out for help, “Somebody hel
