JOB HUNTING

I am trembling as I wait for the unknown receiver on the other end. My eardrums are beginning to itch from all these hundreds of calls I have made.


Goodness!

"Good evening! This is Sonia from La Classic Hotels. How may I help you?" Finally, they picked?

I calm myself down and steady my breathing.


"Hello. My name is Ellie Marrie. I am calling about the marketing job vacancy at your hotel. Is the slot still open?" I ask anxiously.

"Yes, miss. The applications close tomorrow at six in the morning, so you still have time to email your resume." She replies.


"Okay. Miss. I will send it immediately." I mumbled joyously.

"Alright. Just submit it to the email on the website, and I will add you to the list of interviewees once I have received your submission. The interview is set for Wednesday. Please don't forget to attach a letter of recommendation from your previous employer. Good luck!"

I bang the phone furiously on the table. I mean, come on! Why the hell do they all keep demanding that freaking letter? That was the...nth call since I embarked on this job-hunting shit, and just like the previous calls, this one has ended with a disappointment too. Recommendation letter, my foot!

I walk to my small kitchenette and prepare a third cup of coffee. I need it to calm my nervous system. I'm burning with anxiety and anger.

You truly want to muck me up, Richard fucking Riccaford! I find it so astonishing that he had the nerve to freeze my cards. What kind of father does that, huh? He first twisted me into his puppet before working with my bitchy stepsister to wreck my love life in order to sell me, as was his intent from the start. I'm able to put all of that behind me and forgive him, but freezing my accounts? Every single penny that was on my debit card, I earned through my hard work. At the very least, he could have spared me that and taken everything on my credit card. Those were the freaking allowances I have been receiving since I was young.

Who the fuck gave him the guts to touch my savings, huh? My earnings? He made me work my ass out to the core day and night for that, and he just heartlessly robbed it all from me?

All for what?

So that I can go back to that sh*t I called life back there? To make me crawl back to him and beg for forgiveness like the prodigal daughter that I am? No, Papa! Ellie Marrie is not used to being bent. The more you dare me, the more I rebel and drift further away from you.

I grab my coffee and saunter to the living room once again, burying my head in the computer, and start scrolling down for more vacancies.

This old man will regret treating me like a mere object. I will show him what a stubborn, adamant, and rebellious independent bitch I am. I will show him that I can survive on my own. How just dare he?

I pick up the phone once again and key in yet another number for another opening at a small hotel.

The salary is merely a dime, but it's better than nothing anyway. I don't think I am in a position to be picky. Days run by so fast, especially at times like this, and after thirty days, the bills will have pilled on me. Anything that can get me by for now will be of great help.

A penniless Ellie Marrie is hunting for a job! The devil must be laughing his ass off at me!

"Yes, miss. My name is Ellie Marrie, and I am calling to inquire about the job opening in your hotel. Is it still on?" I implore, sipping on my coffee.

"Good evening, miss. Yes. The vacancy is still open. If I may ask, miss, are you around Mombasa and do you have any experience in the stated field?"

I grin, feeling like I am just lucky this time. The darkness before dawn, huh! "Yes. I am in Mombasa, and I have three years experience in marketing." I confidently state.

"That's great. Then please come in for an interview tomorrow. Please bring your resume with you."

Amen! Tomorrow? That's fantastic.

"Okay, ma'am. Thank you so much. Please, what time is the interview?"

"Ten in the morning," she replies.

"Okay. I'll be there in time, ma'am. Thank you," I respond with enthusiasm.

"See you tomorrow and good luck!"

I drop the call, and I can't curb the fervor with which I am groping as I gulp down my remaining coffee. I hope I get the job.

I didn't know job hunting was this draining and tiresome until today. Goodness! The anxiety is overwhelming, and I just did this in hours. What about people who struggle for months without any luck? Please, God, remember anybody out there looking for work. It's not easy. This sh*t can make you lose your sanity.

I was about to go watch a movie on the TV, but a slight knock on my door stopped me, making me change my direction. I hope it's not one of these idiots in the name of "I am your next-door neighbor, just saying hi.". I'm not in the mood, and I might bitchly slam the door on their ugly faces.

I open the door, and after the face of my guest smirks at me, my eyes plunge to my wristwatch. 9 p.m!

Shit!

The cooking lesson ought to have started an hour ago. Crap! Why didn't he call me? Ooh, yeah! I forgot that I had no phone, and I didn't give him my landline number. How clumsy of me!

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" He mumbles, and I step aside to usher him in.

I clear my voice. "Sorry. Please come in." I excuse my manners.

I wait for him to wander in, and after closing the door, I trail behind him to the couch. He halts in front of my computer, scanning it, and then his face shoots at me at once.

"Why are you scrolling through that website? Tell me you are not hunting for a job." He states, and I drop on the couch, closing the laptop and pushing it aside.