THE DARKNESS ON MY HORIZON

Three Interviews, One Lazy Ass

The three job interviews were all scheduled for tomorrow, each with different time intervals.

Shit. s**t. s**t!

I kept pacing around my room, nervously nibbling on my nails. I hadn’t even written my resume. f**k. Only seven hours and thirty minutes until my first interview, and my lazy ass hadn’t typed a single f*****g word on it. I hadn’t even thought about what to say when I’d be sitting in front of the CEOs.

My nerves were crawling all over me, wrapping around my throat, squeezing tight. I forced myself to sit at my desk and start typing the damn resume. Surprisingly, it actually turned out pretty impressive. I guess my lazy ass isn’t dumb after all.

Just as I was about to collapse onto my bed and catch a few hours of sleep, it hit me…I hadn’t ironed my interview outfit.

Groaning, I dragged myself to my closet, yanked the doors open, and practically dove inside, throwing clothes left and right in search of something decent. After what felt like forever, I finally found an outfit that would work. I ironed it as quickly as I could, the heat making me sweat even though the air conditioner was blasting.

When I thought I could finally relax, another terrifying thought slapped me across the face…I hadn’t prepared for the actual interview questions.

“f**k,” I whispered, gripping my pen and jotting down every likely question I could think of. I scribbled down the answers, my mind racing to stay ahead of my own panic.

By the time I was finally done, my eyes burning from exhaustion, it was already 5:30 AM.

I didn’t even think about it…I collapsed onto my bed and passed out instantly.

————————————————————-

Four hours passed. I was still dead to the world. Another hour slipped by.

The hour my first interview was supposed to start.

Suddenly, my bedroom door burst open with a loud bang that shook me awake.

“CAMIL! Do you have any idea what time it is?!” My sister, Sansa, stormed into the room, her voice slicing through my ears like a siren.

I groggily sat up, blinking at her in confusion, until I caught sight of the clock.

11:07 AM.

My heart jumped out of my chest and slammed into my throat. I bolted out of bed like my life depended on it and sprinted into the bathroom.

My feet were numb. My body felt like jelly. But I powered through. I brushed my teeth in record time, threw on the white suit and V-neck I had ironed earlier, slapped on some makeup, grabbed my resume, and flew out the door.

By some miracle, I caught the bus just as it pulled up to the stop. I held my breath the whole ride, praying I wouldn’t miss everything.

When I finally reached the first office, I rushed inside, not even bothering to take in my surroundings.

The receptionist led me straight to the CEO’s office…Mr. Steven.

I took a deep breath and sat down as calmly as I could when he offered me a seat. We did the formal introductions. He picked up my resume and glanced at it briefly…barely giving it a second look.

“Ms. Camil, your resume is impressive. You seem to have many great qualities. I appreciate your boldness and the way you’ve presented yourself…neat and proper.” He paused, folding his hands on the table. “But I believe in punctuality. You walked in at exactly 11:30 AM. This interview was scheduled for 10:05 AM.”

My throat tightened. I wanted to defend myself, to plead, to explain. But the only words that tumbled out of my mouth were, “Please… please give me a chance.”

“First impressions are your last impressions,” he said coolly. His tone was final as he stood and walked to the door, silently telling me the interview was over.

I wanted to protest, but my lips wouldn’t move. I bowed slightly and left, dragging my feet.

I knew it wasn’t his fault. I was late. I f****d up. That was on me.

There was still time before my next interview…about 58 minutes. I spotted a coffee shop nearby and decided to sit there to stay awake and think.

I ordered two strong cups of coffee and sat at the table, watching the steam rise from the cup as I tried to rebuild the crumbling pieces of my confidence.

I still had hope for the second interview. I had read online that the company was desperate for staff…overloaded with work and short on people.

I sipped my coffee slowly, forcing myself to believe this next one would go better.

The second office wasn’t far, so I decided to walk. My heels felt like tiny torture devices, but I pushed through, one agonizing step at a time.

When I stepped into the building, I actually stopped and looked around this time.

The first thing I saw made my jaw drop.

Two staff members were standing right in the middle of the hallway, passionately kissing like they were in some over-the-top soap opera. My stomach flipped. I felt like puking.

I looked away, pretending not to notice, and approached the receptionist.

She quickly ushered me to the CEO’s office…Mr. Doland.

When I walked in, he greeted me with a warm smile and a firm handshake. For the first time that day, I felt like someone was actually interested in me.

He carefully read my resume, asked me thoughtful questions, and listened closely to my answers. I could feel his genuine interest, and for a brief moment, I thought, Maybe this is it.

But then he shattered me with a single sentence.

“I’m really sorry, Miss Camil,” he said gently. “You meet all the criteria. You’d be perfect here. But I’ve already filled all the available positions. I had several interviews before you.”

I stared at him in disbelief. It felt like the world had tipped sideways.

I didn’t wait for him to dismiss me. I just stood, bowed awkwardly, and stormed out.

When I reached the street, I finally exploded.

“Mother f*****g w***e! AHHHH!” I hissed under my breath, throwing a quiet tantrum as I walked.

Two interviews. Two brutal rejections. And all in the same morning.

I felt utterly defeated. My hope was fading fast, and the light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be getting smaller and smaller.

But I wasn’t done yet. My final interview was in thirty minutes. I couldn’t afford to mess this one up.

I caught the next bus. While riding, I reapplied my lip gloss, even though I knew I probably looked like hell after the morning’s emotional rollercoaster.

This was it.

If I blew this last chance, I’d probably end up working in a drive-thru or scrubbing toilets somewhere. I mentally prepared myself for that reality as the bus rolled closer to my destination.

When I arrived, I was immediately impressed. The company building was huge, modern, and looked way more professional than the previous two.

I approached the front desk, and the receptionist asked me to wait…apparently, the assistant CEO, Mr. Ricon, was still occupied.

Seriously? Why call me in if you weren’t ready? I grumbled internally.

I looked to my side and noticed a girl sitting a few seats away from me. She looked about my age, wearing glasses and braces, her hair tied in a braid. Her clothes were a bit worn, but her smile was warm and genuine.

We struck up a conversation. Her name was Aya, and she was here for the same position.

Unlike me, Aya seemed relaxed, like she knew things would work out for her. She shared that she’d been applying for months but never gave up.

When her name was called, she wished me luck and disappeared onto the elevator.

I was left sitting there alone, my nerves slowly unraveling. I kept glancing at the clock, bouncing my knee, wishing the minutes would fly by.

I couldn’t wait to finish the interview so I could finally go back to my cozy bed and sleep.