Day 3

I was at the gym again, and Kristine approached me.  I was using some weight machine thingy where the user pushes and pulls, and it is supposed to give the user good arm muscles.

“Hey,” greeted Kristine.  “How much are you lifting?”

“Twenty-five,” I grunted with a smile.  I was proud because I had already push/pulled fifteen times.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my bag.  I let the weights clang back to position and reached for my bag.  My heart thudded as I retrieved my phone from its depths, hoping that it was Chuck.  He hadn’t called or messaged me all day yesterday.  Maybe he woke up and realized how much he missed me.

I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered it anyway.  “Hello?”

“Ms. Green, please,” greeted a polite female voice.

“This is her,” I replied, suddenly conscious that I was in a noisy gym with clanking weights and people making inhuman groans.  I hoped my caller didn’t hear the noise and think the worst of me.

“This is Janelle from Alpha Translucent Marketing, and I was just handed your resume for a possible position with my company.”  Janelle sounded like a polite young woman.  I pictured brunette hair in a bun and thick horn-rimmed glasses.

“That sounds great, Janelle.  When would be a good time for an interview?”  I crossed my fingers in anticipation.

“We have some openings tomorrow, if that would be alright.”

I started hopping up and down in excitement.

“That would be wonderful.  My schedule is open tomorrow.”  I smiled broadly and pumped my fist.

“I can pencil you in for two.  Would that be alright?”

“That would be perfect,” I got address info and thanked her for her time.  When I disconnected the call, I continued my jumping.

“Good news?” Kristine asked, watching me jump in place.

“I have a job interview tomorrow.”  I finally stopped bouncing.  “My gosh!  I have nothing to wear.”

“What kind of job is it for?” Kristine asked.

“I’m not sure what the position is, but it is something with a marketing company.”

“Marketing?  I would make sure to wear a skirt and suit jacket,” Kristine suggested.

My face fell.  “A suit jacket?  I’ve never owned a suit jacket before.”

“Never?  It’s always good to have a suit jacket in case of an emergency like this.”

“I wouldn’t even know what to look for,” I shook my head in frustration.

“Would you like me to help you pick one out?” Kristine offered.

I thought about it for a moment.  “That would be awesome!  I wouldn’t want to take up too much of your time.”

Kristine shook her head.  “It’s no problem.  I have a client later, but that’s not until tonight.”

 

After finishing at the gym, Kristine and I met up outside the clothing store.

My hair was still damp from showering at the gym, and I hadn’t bothered to put on any makeup.

We walked into the store together, and I let Kristine lead me to a long rack crammed with jackets and blazers.

She looked from me to the rack and back.  “You’re young enough that you can do something trendy.  Although, I wouldn’t go too crazy since it is a job interview.  Do you have a couple of dress skirts to go with these?”

I looked at a pair of jackets she was holding up.  “I don’t think so.  I have a plain black skirt, but I think it might be too short.”

Kristine handed the me the jackets and led me to another rack filled with different variations of skirts, some short, some long, some black, some khaki.  She put her hands on my shoulders and turned me around.

“It looks like you could use a size ten.  Maybe something around knee length would work.”

She held up a black skirt with white pin stripes and a slight flair at the knee.

“That might work.”  She handed me a couple of skirts, and we headed to the dressing room.

I changed in the little stall while Kristine spoke to me through the slatted wood door.

“I just love shopping for other people.  I think that’s why I sell Camelot.”

I gave a non-committal “uh-huh” as I pulled on a jacket.  I opened the slatted door and stepped out.  “How long have you been selling Camelot?” I asked, giving a little twirl.

“Very nice,” she commented on the outfit.  “I started selling after my divorce.”

I stepped back into the stall and started to change into the next ensemble.

“You’re divorced?”  Kristine looked too young to be divorced, but nowadays everyone was doing it.

“Oh, yes.  We married shortly after high school.  He wanted to have plenty of babies, and I wanted to get some schooling and get my career on track first.  After six months of this argument, I found him making babies with another woman.”

“I am so sorry!” I exclaimed, stepping out in another skirt/blazer combination.

“That’s okay; we both got what we wanted.  He and Tammy are on their third child, and I get to lead a full life.  Win-win.

“Give another spin,” she ordered.  “I think I like the first one better.”

I retreated to try on one last outfit.

“I’m going through a bit of a life change, myself,” I said, fastening the third jacket.  “I was laid off and my boyfriend dumped me.  All in the same week.”

I stepped out and did a spin.

“Definitely the first one,” Kristine said, and I went back to change into my own clothes.

“You’ll get over it,” she said through the door.  “Sometimes, life is just screaming to change, and we are so deaf that we don’t hear it.  It takes a good kick in the butt, and you come out the other side a better person.”

“How did you get so wise?” I asked, stepping out of the dressing room with an armful of clothes.

“It comes with the license to sell Camelot Cosmetics; it is the step before the cream colored Corvette.  That and Oprah, plenty of Oprah.”

Reviews

[raindroplove]

good job:)