8 His Question

Is he…my interviewer?

I blinked rapidly as I tried to clear away my shock. Sitting in the middle between the other two interviewer was the stranger I had met yesterday at the park. If he’s here, then he must be one of my interviewers. What a funny coincidence…

This is great, I can return the money to him. It might not be the total amount, but I must return the bulk of it that I had not spent for sure and then for the rest, I’ll pay him back as soon as possible. When I met him, he wore casual clothes; now, he was wearing a formal business suit, and his hair was styled differently. Although he looked different, I recognized him almost immediately. I thought he looked very handsome in his casual clothes, but he looked just as stunning or even more so in his pristine and expensive-looking grey suit.

“Have a seat,” he said, for me to sit down.

His formal tone somehow disappointed me. Did he not recognize me? Was it because I was dressed in my new suit and my hair was? Based on his passive attitude and lack of reaction, it was quite clear that he did not recognize me at all.

After recovering from my shock, I could somehow force my body to walk forward. I sat down in the designated chair and greeted my three interviewers politely. The middle-aged woman on the right was dressed in a very stylish suit and her hair was put up in a chic bun. Her lips were a dark maroon that matched with her earrings and necklace. She eluded a sense of superiority and experience.

The man on the left was slightly older than the woman and just as well dressed. He wore golden rimmed glasses and had a compassionate look in his eyes. From the vibe I was getting from the panelists, it was clear that this company took screening new recruits extremely seriously.

“Please start by introducing yourself…” the woman said before offering me a pleasant smile.

I introduced myself and walked them through my resume. Although I was a new graduate with real work experience, I had experience working part-time, which could show that I am a responsible person who took my job seriously. My grades from university were beyond decent, even if I say so myself. However, I was sure that every other candidate who passed the pre-screening round was the same. So…if I’m not able to somehow distinguish myself here, then…

After introducing myself, the woman and the older man took turns asking questions about my skills, such as leadership, teamwork, and my plans for the future. The questions were standard, and I had responses prepared, so everything went smoothly as planned. I answered their questions honestly with examples from my experiences to support my point.

“Why have you chosen to apply to this company when there are so many others?”

I sat up a little straighter when the man sitting in the center of the panel asked his first question since the whole session had started. The question wasn’t unexpected, and I knew my answer without the need to prepare.

“The reason why I’ve chosen to apply to this company is because a certain commercial that this company produced helped save my life…” I said passionately.

Unlike the anxiety that I was feeling inside, my voice came out bright and clear. I started telling the interviewers the story behind my motivation to join this company.

…

You know how sometimes, when everything seems to be going well, you start to think it’s too good to be true. Then you start thinking that something terrible is waiting to happen to you just around the corner. That was precisely how I felt that day, and I was right.

“I know this is sudden, but I guess it’s better to inform you beforehand. We just received news that there isn’t enough budget for scholarships next year,” my homeroom teacher said solemnly before sighing loudly.

Oh…I see. There won’t be scholarship for students next year because there isn’t enough money. I guess the budget got cut. If there’s no scholarship, how am I supposed to continue attending school?

“I see…” was all that I managed to say.

“Umm…I know this is tough, so…I’ll try to see if there’s something that I can do. I’ll let you know if anything changes…” my teacher said as she tried encouragingly smiling at me.

I knew she was trying to be kind and do her job. However, deep down, I knew there wasn’t much she could do. If there was no budget, then that was that. There was no budget.

“Thank you…for letting me know,” I said as I tried to smile back at her.

The conversation ended awkwardly. I waited until I left the room and closed the door before letting out the sigh I had been suppressing. I stood in the school’s hallway with my back pressed against the wall as I let the words sink in. At this rate, it will be nearly impossible for me to continue studying next year. Luckily, there was still some time left; perhaps I could get multiple part-time jobs and save money before the next payment was due.

I grabbed my backpack from the locker and started walking back home with my head hung low. I didn’t know how to tell my mum about this. She would be stressed and devastated, but worst of all, she would start blaming herself again when none of this was her fault…or anyone’s fault. Perhaps I shouldn’t even tell her about it. I found myself sighing once again as I continued to walk along the sidewalk towards home.

--To be continued…