The Assignment - Marlowe Industries

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I think I’ve probably submitted 40 job applications over the past few weeks all while studying for my final exam to get my master’s degree in Communication and Media. It had been a stressful couple of weeks, but I knew that once I got through this last exam. I would be able to let go for a few weeks and start my adult life, with a job and my own apartment in the shadier part of New York City, but it was with Andrew, and it was all we could afford at the moment. 

While also studying for my final exam, I also needed to take a break and pack some of my belongings into boxes, not because I was getting kicked out of the dorm right away, but because the apartment was mere days away from being officially ours, and I was so excited to move there and finally have a place on my own to fully decorate however I saw fit; Andrew surely wouldn’t mind me taking control of that process. The only thing he wanted to be in control of was the pictures for our walls. 

Andrew and I have known each other for about five years now. We met in my second year of college, where I needed a photographer’s help to shoot some pictures of a few models for a website my project group and I were working on for a fictional company. Even though we wanted to go all out on the project, we also knew that we were all basically broke and had little to no money to pay a photographer, so when we found Andrew, who took literally nothing to take photos, we were all sold! Ever since the first time we met, we just clicked and knew we would be in each other’s lives forever. 

As I was packing yet another box with some of my belongings, an email popped up on my laptop. I quickly put down the shirts I had been folding and went over to it only to see an email from Marlowe Industries. I was already preparing myself for another rejection, but when I opened the email, I was met with the words "We are pleased to announce…". I was screaming on the inside as I continued to read the email: 

“Dear Ms. Oakes

We are pleased to announce that we would like to see you for an interview for a newly established position at our firm.

We look forward to seeing you on June 8th, 2020 at 9 am for a non-committed interview.

Best regards, Quentin Nathaniel Marlowe & Jasper Marlowe.”

June 8th was only a few weeks away! It was the perfect timing; I would have gotten my master’s degree and have moved into my new apartment with Andrew. I quickly did a celebration dance, and then I replied, letting them know I would be there, and also that I looked forward to meeting them. It was so surreal for me, and I still probably hadn’t realized one hundred percent that I actually had an interview with one of the biggest and innovational companies to exist in my time. So, I decided to call my mom and let her know the good news. Life hadn’t always been good to me, so finally being able to tell my mom some incredibly good news was amazing. My mom had been and would always be my biggest supporter.

The phone only rang a few times before getting picked up. “Hey, sweetie,” my mom said at the end of the line. “Hey, mom,” I replied with a huge grin. “You sound happy,” she playfully said, followed by a sigh; she was definitely sitting down now. “It’s because I am happy, I just got a job interview at Marlowe Industries for a newly established position” I happily told her. “Are you serious? Marlowe Industries, that’s amazing, Sweetie!” she squealed. “We need to celebrate, are you free tonight?” she asked me. Luckily for me, mom and dad decided to move with me to New York. I am an only child, and my parents didn’t feel like staying in Florida since we had no family-attachment left there ever since my grandmother died last year. My mom is a stay-at-home-mother, and it’s everything she could’ve ever dreamed of. At least that’s what she tells me every time we talk about her dreams. She loves to beacon my father with everything in her. I’ve never seen a couple so in love as those two.  

“I actually have plans with Andrew and Audrey, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind hanging out with you guys,” I replied. Audrey was a childhood friend, and we had been attached at the hip ever since first grade, where we started being friends. Audrey had also moved to New York after finishing high school; she was the total opposite of me, she loved science and human anatomy, so she was currently still in medical school studying to become a surgeon, which meant she didn’t have much free time to hang out anymore, but I still loved her very much and hung out with her as much as I could. 

“I’m sure they wouldn’t. See you at eight at our usual restaurant?” mom asked, to which I agreed, then we ended our call, but it wasn’t long until I had dad on the phone, telling him the good news. He was just as proud as my mom, but still a little disappointed that I wouldn’t come work for him. My dad is a lawyer with his own company that kept on growing. He had even established a communication-department for me to come work in after I finished college, but I wanted to achieve something like this on my own, so I had turned him down. “You’re so amazing, honey, I’m really happy for you,” he told me, then he hung up after letting me know that he was in the middle of a trial, and the judge had called them back into the courtroom. Seeing how my dad had just grabbed his firm and moved it to New York was really inspiring. It took a lot of effort and quite the amount of money, but he made it work and even brought some of his best lawyers with him. I aspired to be as persistent and brave as my father, even though I knew I could never reach his level, even when trying my best. 

I quickly texted Andrew and Audrey letting them know there was a change in our plans, but as I predicted they didn’t mind at all. My parents were pretty much Audrey’s parents as well, and Andrew just generally enjoyed hanging out with my parents. A little weird if you ask me, but it’s probably because he’s never really had a real pair of parents himself. Andrew had spent most of his life in the foster care system. I then went back to packing and while I did, I also listened to some music trying to keep my mood as happy as possible. 

It wasn’t long until both Andrew and Audrey found their way to my dorm room. My roommate Sophia had been my roommate for the past two years and had just moved out last week, so I had the entire place to myself, which was something I really enjoyed. She hadn’t been my best roommate, but she had been tolerable and quite the introvert, so she had mostly kept to herself. “Let me see the email,” Audrey said as soon as she came in through the door. I chuckled at her directness and turned the laptop around for her to look at it. Audrey was still dressed in her scrubs so she must have come directly from the hospital as soon as her shift ended. “When’s your next shift?” I asked her as she looked up from the laptop. “Tomorrow night, an all-nighter” she cheerfully said, well not exactly, but you get the point. She let out a sigh and plotted down on my bed, exhausted. “I’m so happy for you, Emery, and I know you’ll nail that interview, so you have nothing to worry about! The job is yours already, I’m sure of it,” she said as she grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. “Hey guys, I wanna get in on that, too,” Andrew complained, then he strutted down between us and pulled us both in for a hug. 

“Oh, by the way, can I borrow some clothes?” Audrey asked as we lied in bed, talking all three of us. “I might have, accidentally, left my weekend-bag at Jeremy’s house last night,” she giggled. I gasped at her remark and immediately sat up. “You spent the night at Jeremy’s house?” I asked her. Jeremy was a guy from my classes, who we’d hung out with numerous times, but every time Audrey refused to talk to him, even though she had a major crush on him. That’s apparently until last night, and I was stunned. “Yeah, it’s not a big deal! We started texting a few weeks ago after the last party, and now we’re kinda dating,” she softly told me. I smiled at my best friend, then I crawled over Andrew and hugged her tight. “I’m glad you finally decided to talk to him!” I told her, then I squeezed her and pulled away. “Okay, you can borrow some of my clothes, but you have to hurry, we need to be at the restaurant in 20 minutes,” I told her, to which she quickly got up from the bed and went searching through the remainder of my closet. 

Life was finally falling into place, and the past was now, hopefully, staying in the past. Moving to New York had been the best decision I’d ever made. Now I just needed to nail that job interview and get a career started at Marlowe Industries, I knew everything would settle into place.