57- Hard times

I’m in one of the seats in their massive, glass encased conference room and I can’t stop shaking. Their damn headquarters is much, much bigger than I thought. Eighteen fully utilized floors encased in glass and steel and furnished with polished oak and marble.
I feel absolutely under-qualified to even be in the building, especially with the constant stroll of busy looking employees up and down the corridor beyond. I’m still not even aware of the position that I will be interviewing for.
My instinct is to pick my purse up and scram before the CFO gets here, but even my body seems to have stopped responding to me. I don’t understand why I am this nervous as I have been to quite a number of interviews. However, none have terrified me as much as this. Maybe it’s because the stakes are incredibly high? In fact, they’re the highest they have ever been.
An invitation to work for an industry renowned company, and I didn’t even have to send in an application?
I need to get this position even if an arm or a leg is sacrificed in the process. Opportunities like this I imagine don’t come along very often.
Suddenly, the door to the conference room springs open and I immediately rise to my feet. I’m dressed in Lee Rang’s satin, olive green pant suit, wearing rosy pink makeup on my lips, cheeks, and eyelids. My hair is held back in a simple chignon, and on my feet is a pair of black, suede, medium heeled pumps.
The comment that Grady at the bar from the weekend had made about me looking too young comes to mind, and it makes me even more nervous. Perhaps the CFO calling me is a mix up with one of the other candidates from the job fair? Perhaps he still doesn’t realize that apart from my internship, I don’t have any concrete experience in my chosen field of cyber security.
The polished, tall man in a tan suit and a buzz haircut walks in and offers his hand to me with a big smile on his face.

I am immediately drawn to that smile and his kind eyes, and for the first time since arriving here, I take my first real breath.
Soon, we are both seated opposite each other, and the interview begins. It however does not go the way that I expect.
“So,” he says. “Have you tried our green chili smothered burrito yet?” I blink... hard.
My expectation was that he would first of all ask for my resume, so my hand is poised on the folder inside the briefcase on my lap, ready to immediately retrieve it.
When I see this is not the path he intends to follow, I take my hand out of the briefcase, and straighten my back. A smile is tugging at the corners of my lips but I’m not certain yet if it is all right to relax. “No, sir. I can’t say I have.”
“Call me Allen.” He waves his hand. “Well, why haven't you? You haven't been in Denver long enough?”
“Uh, I just came in for the week to see my sister. She lives here with her husband.” “Ah, I think you did mention that you had a relative here when we spoke at the job fair.”
I can’t believe him. How and why does he remember all of this? There were at least a hundred people at the event, and I am certain that more than half of them came up to speak to him. A quick glance at his hand shows the simple gold wedding band on his finger so it cannot be that he is interested in me, right?
“Again, I’m glad that you were able to come in especially at such short notice. A position opened up that made me think of you and it just so happens that you are in town. It does seem like fate doesn't it?”
“It sure does.” I smile, beginning to relax. “Thank you sir, for the call. I’ve admired your company for a very long time.”
“You said as much during our first chat. You also said that you would get me the Tex-Mex and that I would be blown away. That was how our debate on the state with the best smothered burrito in the country was concluded. I never did get that burrito though.”
My laugh is nervous but at the same time my heart feels like it’s doing somersaults. I recall it all and don’t even know how to respond to his recollection of a conversation that had at the time seemed to solely be a momentarily thrill between two people absurdly connecting amongst a sea of other more

anxious and severe individuals. “Well, I did hand my card over so that you could contact me. I even offered to get it delivered to you before you left Texas if you couldn't find the time to get one yourself.”
He chuckles. “Yes, you did make that offer. Well it's not too late, and seeing as we might be working together, I am certain that we will have many opportunities to taste both burritos and make the final judgement.”
My heart lurches in excitement. “That is my hope too, sir.” “Allen,” he corrects yet again.
This time around, I take special note of it.
He then claps his hand together as he straightens from his slouch against the chair. “Alright then, let’s get down to business. Where do you see yourself professionally in five years?”

here’s a knock on my door, brief and assured.
I don’t need to respond to know it’s Allen. Therefore, when he knocks again and again and
then calls out to me for a response, I am a bit perplexed. “Come in,” I reply.
A few seconds later, he walks in to meet the confused look on my face.
I notice the massive smile on his face and wonder what he’s up to now, especially since it hasn’t been but forty minutes since he left my office. I’m about to ask him what’s his problem when I notice that someone else has come into the office with him. I recall then that he left to conduct the interview for my supposed new assistant.
“Blair, I want you to meet our CEO, and the co-founder of FireEye, Grady Abbott.” I turn towards the woman behind him… and my heart stops in my chest.
Allen continues speaking but I swear that I cannot hear a single word of what he is saying and I am sure that she is in the exact same state.
Her eyes are wide, her lips slightly parted and her complexion deathly pale. “Grady... Grady?”
It is a few seconds more before it registers that he is calling out to me. I drag my gaze away from hers and rest it on Allen.
“This is Blair Tatum,” he says. “We’ve just had a great interview and I’m sure that she’ll be the perfect replacement as your assistant.”
I set my pen down and take a deep breath. “Blair, would you excuse us?” I ask without even turning to her.

“Um, sure,” she nods and turns around to hurry away. She however moves too quickly and as a result her leg tangles with the other. This causes her to fall to the ground.
Seeing this, my heart lurches in concern.
“Oh God,” Allen says as her knees connect with the floor. He hurries over to help her.
I’m automatically out of my seat to do the same when I see that I am not needed. I settle back into my chair and try to remove the concern away from my face as he gently helps her back up.
“I’m alright,” she says. “Thank you. I’m so sorry.”