One, Small, Inch-

A detailing of an interview I had earlier, and the epiphanies inspired. Please also see: http://brookefoxblog.com/2016/03/12/one-small-inch/ for these blog postings.

One,

      Small,

Inch -

 

I had an interview today. It was for another concierge position- I’ve seen enough of those in the past, but this one was a bit nicer than some of the others. The office was nice, clean, and cozy. The people were friendly. Okay, I won’t mince words: I pulled it up underneath the search engine, because I needed something to give me a one-way ticket to New York. I wasn’t looking to work there necessarily.   

This basically entailed answering the phone for traveling sport's teams. The manager of this company immediately struck me as distinct. After I was ushered inside the staff room, he looked over my resume, and said, “you have a good education, and you're a writer- writers have always intrigued me.” I glowingly beneath his praise, but, my heart stopped underneath the onslaught of his next phrase. “But I have a question for you: why would you, with your background, want to man the phone all day for Carlos?'

I’d been here before. And then I decided to throw out the caution. “'You are my ticket into getting to New York. I've been accepted to grad school there, and I’ve wanted to go there for years. This will be my ticket to get there. It’s practically impossible for a writer to get work anywhere, and this may be my only opportunity.” I watched his face carefully for any sign of shrinking, but could detect nothing.

After a minute, he said that, if I worked well for him, then he would help me to get there. “You have my vote,” he told me. Then, he proceeded to congratulate me on my recent acceptance into NYU, letting me know how hard it was to get in there. I smiled, “thank you!” I said brightly, my heart filling. Then, he leaned back in his chair, and, both of us now at ease, he started asking me questions about myself. We talked about my recent teaching trip to China, which proved enlightening, since- incidentally- he had actually been to China himself for an extended period- and we exchanged stories. I was soon enjoying myself, and bantering with him, roundly. My first instinct of him, I realized, was that he was a person of character, and it had only grown stronger as we talked.

At the end he shook my hand and said (reiterating what he had said earlier during our chat), “'you have my vote.”  My legs were crossed. I looked out into the distance, giving the impression of nonchalance as I quipped, “does that mean I have the job?' He started laughing, amused.

“I see you are aggressive!” He said, “I like that.” I raised my eyebrow and told him that I had a few more of those, if he wanted to see- ” My voice was drowned out by his laughing.

“I like you,” he said, smiling. He told me that he couldn’t speak for the other manager, but I’d won his confidence. We shook hands again before he left. As he stood up to leave, I asked him a couple of questions about his background. He sat back behind his chair for a minute, and patiently answered them. There was silence. Then he beckoned.

“Go ahead. Bring it on me. I’m enjoying this.” I giggled, slightly amused myself. “I don't have anything left to say,” I told him. He stood up to leave. I watched him as he opened the door, “You have my vote,” I shot in, quickly. He thanked me. After he had shut the door, I was left with the company of my thoughts for a minute. I’d wished, in the second or two after I’d left, that I’d talked to him some more, tell him what a unique experience it was for me to have met him.

For reference, that is really the way a manager is supposed to act; it shouldn’t be a surprising circumstance or an event. However, this was the first time that I had actually seen a manager call upon those existing sources. A relationship between an employee and management should be a symbiotic energy; and yet, more times than not it doesn’t. This was a major eye-opener for me. Why should one- and, at that, fairly nonchalant interview- have the semblance of a marked event about it? Have we deviated that far from the correct standpoint, of the business-employee relationship? I wonder . . .

 

Now that I’ve seen an actual representation of this, I wonder that my view of corporations have become distorted? That, my perspective- now ugly- and distorted as it has been, in the formation process of a manipulative people- is the problem? That I have a warped view of things?

 

Well what can I say . . . except to blame those who have single-handedly formed my opinions? Blame those who have created them in the past? My viewpoints are not mine anymore- they are borrowed, or maybe even belonged to other people- is there any way to move them back to center-point, but by them? Just perhaps, if they were to give me a shove in the right direction- a small push. They could be reaffixed. Just maybe . . .

 

It looks as though this man gave them-

one, small, inch.