The Assignment - Marlowe Industries

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It had not even been 24 hours since my interview at Marlowe Industries, but at 9 am I got a call from an unknown number. I had never been the one to answer a call from an unrecognizable number, but the fact that it could be Mr. Marlowe made me answer the call. “This is Emery,” I said into the phone as politely as possible even though I had just woken up. “Hello, Ms. Oakes, my name is Stan, and I’m calling from Marlowe Industries on behalf of Mr. Quentin Marlowe”, Stan from Marlowe Industries announced on the phone. “I thought I would be talking to him myself?” I confusedly told Stan over the phone. “Oh, I’m gonna pass you through to Mr. Quentin in just a second, I just needed to announce who I was calling for”. His voice was shaking, which meant he was nervous and that was understandable when he was working for Quentin. “Well, thank you, Stan,” I told him, then I heard him press a button, and soon after, I was being passed through to Quentin.

“Hello, is this Ms. Oakes?” Quentin asked as he answered the call. “No, my name is not Ms. Oakes,” I said into the phone. I couldn’t help but mess with him just a little. I heard Quentin sigh, then Stan’s name was called. “Who am I talking to then?” he asked to which I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry, you are talking to Ms. Oakes, it just sounds so formal” I laughed. Apparently, I hadn’t grown up yet, this was a stupid move and could possibly cost me my career at Marlowe Industries. “That was a very dangerous move, Ms. Oakes, but I admire your ability to joke, so I will let it slide,” he said with a laugh. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?” I asked Quentin after a few seconds of silence. Quentin scrambled with a few things in the background of the call, then another sigh left his lips. “I would like to see you for lunch sometime this week to discuss a few things before you start working here,” he cheekily said. A tiny gasp left my lips as I realized the meaning of his words. “I got the job?” I asked him, thrilled. “You got the job, Ms. Oakes” he responded seconds later. I tried to keep calm, but it wasn’t easy! I almost felt like getting up from my bed to make a celebratory dance while still talking to Quentin, but I knew I had to keep calm and collected because we still had some things to clear up before hanging up. “But I thought you needed the rest of the week to make your decision,” I told him with furrowed eyebrows. “There was nothing to consider, you are the perfect candidate for the job, so it’s yours” he calmly said. 

“Thank you so much, Mr. Marlowe, I really appreciate it” I heartfeltly told him. I would have loved to thank him in person, but that needed to wait until our lunch. “You’re welcome, Ms. Oakes. Now, when are you free for lunch this week?” he asked me while scribbling something down. “I’m free whenever the only thing I’m doing is being at home,” I told him while getting out of bed to grab my calendar. I must’ve sounded like a bore by not having any plans for the rest of the week, but I had promised myself a week with no stress. “Perfect, then how about I pick you up for lunch tomorrow at twelve, then we’ll go over all the details about your new job and get to know each other” he suggested to which I agreed. “Great, where will I be picking you up?” he asked while typing something on his computer. I told Quentin my address, then we said our goodbyes and ended the call, and that’s when I started squealing so loudly that the entire building must have heard me! At least, Andrew heard me and came rushing into my room, only dressed in a pair of boxers and a baseball bat in one hand. “What’s going on?” he panickily asked me while looking around my room, ready to hit whatever had made me squeal.

“Put the bat down, nothing is wrong,” I told him with a laugh. Andrew put down the bat, but he still looked confused. “I got the job” I quietly told him while doing a small dance in my room. “You got the job?” he asked with a huge smile. When I nodded, he immediately dropped the bat and came over to me to embrace me in a hug. “You did it, Emery, you FREAKING did it!” he said, then he picked me up and twirled me around. After celebrating a little longer, Andrew and I made our way out to our kitchen to make ourselves some coffee after getting decently dressed. “So, when are you starting?” Andrew asked as he brewed the coffee while I found the milk. “I’m not sure yet, but Quentin is picking me up for lunch tomorrow to go over all the details about the job and such” I explained to him while putting the milk into our mugs. “Oh s**t, you’re already seeing him tomorrow?” he asked me while turning to look at me. I nodded and let out a breath as I realized how soon it was. Andrew handed me my mug filled with coffee, then we both moved into the living room, where we sat down on our new couch and drank our coffee. 

I had promised myself a complete makeover if I got the job, so instead of using the day on preparing myself for my lunch with Quentin, Andrew had been so kind as to call up one of his co-workers on a new shoot, who did hair for a living. Luckily, she was able to come by and fix my hair that had been neglected the past couple of months.  All due to stress over exams and moving to a new place. Tiya was the sweetest girl I have ever met, and she was excited to help me get ready for my lunch with Quentin tomorrow. I let Tiya do whatever she found fit with my hair; I just wanted something new to happen. All my life I’ve been a brunette, but with the help of Tiya, I was soon making my way towards blonde by adding some highlights. And if I liked it, then later on we would go in and bleach the entire hair, but for now, this was as much as I could deal with. 

I had promised myself that I would never change my appearance because of anything, but ever since graduation, I had not felt like myself, and by doing this, chances of Davy recognizing me would be slimmer. I had convinced myself that I was doing this for me, but part of it was also because of Davy, which went against my principals, but something needed to be done so I would not feel like a stranger anymore. Throughout the bleaching, Andrew came in to check up on us a few times while also bringing refreshments. The way he looked at Tiya while talking to me, made me question his interest in me; he was definitely more interested in Tiya. I made myself a reminder to talk with Andrew about Tiya when she left. Tiya definitely fit Andrew’s aesthetic; down to earth, gorgeous and there for others. It might have only been two months since Andrew broke up with Grace, but if he was ready to date again, then Tiya would be the perfect candidate. 

Hours later, Tiya was done with my hair and let me see it. I almost couldn’t recognize myself as I looked at myself in the mirror. The girl in the mirror looked like she had never been living in Florida. She looked like she had never been through all the s**t that I had been through. She looked like a successful lady with a new job and a life filled with possibilities. That is when I broke down and started crying hysterically. Tiya tried to comfort me by hugging me, but anyone that knew me knew they should not touch me while I cried because that would only make me panic. After all, Davy had a habit of grabbing me tight whenever I cried. Before I could Tiya off of me myself, Andrew came into the room and took her away. Andrew knew to leave me alone, so now I was left in the bathroom on my own, crying my eyes out. Being left on my own gave me the chance to recover on my own without any help from others. Andrew knew I would seek his help when I was ready; when I had recovered the shock of seeing myself with blonde hair. It’s not that I didn’t like the blonde hair. I loved it! I just couldn’t recognize myself, which meant Davy probably wouldn’t recognize me either. 

I think I sat on the ground in the bathroom for about 30 minutes before coming out. Andrew was sitting alone on the couch playing video games. He was quick to turn off the TV when he heard my steps, then he patted his lap, and I immediately crumbled together and fell into his arms. The fact that Andrew's love was a brotherly love made me calm almost instantly. “I’m sorry for putting you through this so often” I mumbled into his shoulder. Andrew shushed at me, then he started rubbing my back, which put me to sleep almost immediately.