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"Great. And please bring your current résumé and a list of references we can call."
"Okay. Thank you. I appreciate it."
"Don't thank us; you haven't had the interview yet," she says in a churlish voice, and I wonder what that means. She laughs quickly to cover up her tone. "Just a small joke that we like to play here in HR. Looking forward to seeing you, what was your name again?"
"Zara," I say. "Zara Hathaway."
"Great, Miss Hathaway. We'll see you in the morning."
"Yes, looking forward to it." I hang up the phone and look at Luke and Charlotte putting the puzzle pieces together, and I can feel a warm smile crossing my face. I haven't gotten the job yet, but I feel positive about it. I feel like the universe wants to reward me for being patient. I feel like maybe things are starting to look up. There cannot be any more lows in my life at this point in time. It just doesn’t seem possible.
I've lost my job, I had a one-night stand with a guy who talked to me like trash afterward, my landlord is trying to sleep with me or evict me, my sister's disappeared with some rando that she just met, Lila's hoping that she's going to get her big break from a play that quite frankly sucks, and my niece and nephew, while I loved them, are driving me absolutely crazy. I have to get this job. This is going to be the start of my new life.
I can feel it in my bones. It’s mine for the taking. I am going to have an executive assistant position at a Fortune 500 company, making six-figures. My boss is going to love me, and my life will finally be on track.
"I need to update my résumé," I say out loud. "And then I need to print it out. Do you guys want to go to Staples later?" I ask Charlotte and Luke.
"What's Staples?" Charlotte asks.
"Staples are in a stapler, stupid," Luke tells her.
"What's a stapler?" Charlotte asks.
Luke rolls his eyes and looks at me. "Little kids," he says, shaking his head, and I can't stop myself from laughing.
"You know I love you both so much, right?"
"We love you too, Aunty Zara," Charlotte says. "I love you more than I love ice cream," she continues, and I don't respond because there is no ice cream in her immediate future.
Luke jumps up and runs to the kitchen, grabs his glass of orange juice, and then runs back toward Charlotte. "I love you, Aunty Zara, but I don't know that I love you more than ice cream, especially chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and fudge pieces."
"Fudge pieces?"
"You know those fudgy brownie pieces? They're absolutely delicious. If only I could have an ice cream with fudgy brownie pieces right now." He rubs his stomach.
"Well, that would be nice," I say, shaking my head. "But that's not about to happen."
"Oh," he says, frowning. "That makes me sad."
"I know, but if I get this job tomorrow, we'll get ice cream, okay?"
"Yay," he says, grinning. "I can't wait."
I stare at my phone screen. I have my résumé in my hand and am ready to head out for my interview. It's eight o'clock in the morning, and I need to leave for my interview. Lila's not back from her late-night emergency meeting with the cast, and none of my neighbors are home. "Fuck it," I say as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I'm wearing my best navy suit (the one my parents got me for graduation). I look smart. And even though the heels are slightly too high, I want to impress with my best power look. "Hey, Luke, Charlotte," I say as I walk out of my bedroom, holding my blusher brush in my hand.
"Yes, Aunty Zara?" they say in unison, looking up at me from in front of the TV, where they are seated eating Frosted Flakes.
"I need you guys to get dressed really quickly. We're just going to pop out for a bit."
"Oh, are we going to get ice cream?" Charlotte asks excitedly, and I take a deep breath. Now is not the time to become annoyed and lose it.
"No. I have an interview, and you guys are going to come with me. You're going to sit in the lobby, and you're going to be really good. Okay? And then afterward?—"
"We'll get ice cream." She grins.
"If you're good," I say. “And if I get the job.” I beam at them both, but internally, I'm feeling nervous. I don't want to have to take the kids with me. "I shouldn't even be in this position," I mumble to myself. I grab my phone and call Elise, but of course, she doesn't pick up. Not that it would matter if she did. Other than me giving her a piece of my mind.
I can't ask Lila to come back right now. And there's no one else. For a split second, I wish I was still in Florida. My mom and dad would've taken care of the kids in a heartbeat, but I'm not in Florida, and they're not here. I apply the blusher to my cheeks, grab some mascara, and then look around for my fake Chanel handbag. It's not real, but I love it as much as if it were.
