Chapter 10: An Interview at a Premium Club
1019 Words
Andrew called Shirley and asked her if she had settled the matter, enlightening her.
She realized that Andrew had told Charlie the ins and outs.
Hence, Charlie was the problem-solver, not Andrew.
Envisioning how Charlie forced himself to socialize with the senior management in the academy with a gloomy look on his face, Shirley was amused.
Despite that, she became much more tepid and cautious. By not going back home and getting into trouble, she thought she could stay away from Charlie.
Charlie's parents regarded her as an apple of their eyes, caressing her in every aspect. Wherever they were, they would call her frequently, inquiring about her situation. While conversing with them, Shirley felt at ease and relaxed.
As usual, she chatted with Charlie's mother over the call. 10 minutes later, Mrs. Johnson seemed to have to deal with something. Before hanging up, she said naturally and casually, "Shirley, go ask Charlie for your pocket money next month. No transfer from us from now on."
Feeling astounded, Shirley didn't know what to say. For a long time, her tongue failed her.
"What's wrong? Shirley, did something happen?"
Shirley shook her head hurriedly, responding, "Nothing."
"Okay then, I will hang up. Take care of yourself."
"Okay." After hanging up the phone, Shirley sat in the chair in helplessness.
She had been going all out to avoid Charlie. Never did she imagine that her pocket money was in his hands.
There was only a 30 dollar balance in her bank account, leaving her helpless. She had never learned how to be thrifty. And Charlie's parents had been providing her with abundant pocket money. With 30 dollars, she wondered how much longer she could hang on.
Tina showed up by her side, asking, "Shirl, what's wrong? Why are you so gloomy?"
Turning around to look at Tina, Shirley was stricken with an idea.
She looked at Tina expectantly, "Tina, are you aware of any part-time job nearby?"
Tina turned to look at her sideways, asking, "You wanna work part-time?"
Having been Shirley's roommate for more than two years, Tina had always deemed her someone born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Now, Shirley's question puzzled her.
Shirley beamed, responding slowly, "Yes, I want to make some pocket money."
Tina replied straightforwardly, "Okay. I'll add you to a sss group where part-time job vacancies are updated daily. Filter them by yourself."
Hearing this, Shirley was overjoyed. If she could be financially independent, she wouldn't have to turn to Charlie and endure his arrogance.
Shirley considered herself a grown-up who could handle everything on her own. Living under the protection of Charlie's parents for dozens of years and being secluded from the outside world, she was naive.
After joining the sss group, she weighed in on all the info there overnight. In the end, she had her eyes on working part-time as a waitress, a job that could earn her a high salary without sacrificing her academic life.
The vacancy poster told her to attend an interview at a so-called Moonlight Club at 6pm tomorrow.
With this, Shirley went to bed merrily.
Shirley had attended an interview to join the Student Union as a freshman. Other than that, she never had formal interviews. Given this, she wore a dress whose height was up to her calves, rendering her elegant and temperamental.
Moreover, she put on a coat to withstand the somewhat cold weather.
The club was not far from the academy. She could get there by bus after 3 stops.
After calculating the time, she headed for the club 15 minutes in advance.
Standing at the entrance of the club, she felt dizzy and nervous.
The night befell. Against the illuminated street lights, the hustle and bustle went live. Even so, she felt palpitated.
Standing at the door hesitantly for a while, she took deep breaths several times in a row, encouraging herself to be relaxed.
Trailing behind a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, she lowered her head and barged in.
The flashy internal furnishing design and bright color inside made her feel oppressive.
Shirley got lost among rooms on the third floor. She then took out her cell phone and called the poster.
"Hello, I scheduled an interview with you yesterday. I'm now on the third floor. Where should we meet?"
"Get to the end of the corner of the third floor. There is a room with a sign on it."
"Got it." After hanging up the call, Shirley walked forward uneasily.
At the end of the corner, she saw a room with its door open and a raw sign hanging outside with a few big-sized characters below, which read "Human Resources Office."
Shirley walked in cautiously. She saw three people in the office, one of whom was a woman in her thirties in a tight suit and two girls the same age as her with heavy make-up and revealing clothes.
The woman glanced at Shirley. Subtle joy flashed across her eyes. She then waved her hand, saying to the two girls, "That's it. Go back to work."
With slight contempt and disdain in their eyes, the two girls swept a glance at Shirley before leaving.
Ignoring them, Shirley smiled, saying, "Hello, I'm here for an interview."
"Have a seat," the woman pointed to a chair in front of the desk and said lightly.
Shirley sat down. The office was shabby, with only one cabinet, a desk, and two chairs. Yet, the layout was in disarray.
Smiling, Shirley tried to conceal her nervousness.
"I'm the manager here. Call me Wendy."
Shirley was quick-witted, "Nice to meet you."
Wendy wore heavy makeup. Despite that, the revealing wrinkles at the corners of her eyes betrayed her age whenever she spoke. The undersized suit rendered the buttons on her chest bulging tight.
"Okay, are you Shirley Smith?"
"Yes."
"We all work the night shift here. The schedule is from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Are you okay with that?"
Shirley usually went to bed at 11 p.m. Cash-strapped, she nodded heavily, given that this was the only job that wouldn't affect her class schedule.
- Writer
