Chapter five: The interview 1

The drive home seemed to last an eternity. Anna drove mindlessly, oblivious to the speed limit and traffic lights. She even got pulled over by a cop at one point. When she finally pulled into the parking lot, her hands were shaking so badly she could barely turn off the ignition.

Slowly, she got out of the car. Kate was probably waiting for her inside, hungry for all the details of what had happened. But Anna didn't know if she could face her. Her heart was pounding, and she felt sick to her stomach.

Get it together, Anna. Her subconsciousness implored.

When Anna walked into the apartment, Kate was just stepping out of the kitchen. She was wearing an apron, her hair was in disarray, and beads of sweat were dripping down her face. "Just in time, Anna!" she called out with a welcoming smile.

"In time for what?" Anna asked, puzzled.

"Lunch," Kate replied, wiping her brow with her sleeve. "I've been slaving away in the kitchen all morning.

Anna flashed a smile and turned to lock the door. She knew that Kate would have used up all the groceries she had purchased two days ago. That is how she is whenever she is worried about something.

And Anna knows just why Kate was worried.

Anna's stomach rumbled at the thought of food, but she knew that Kate's culinary skills were questionable, to say the least. Still, she put on a polite smile and replied, "Sounds great! What are we having?"

"A special treat. It's a surprise!" Kate grinned mischievously, her eyes twinkling. "Now, sit down. Lunch will be ready in a jiffy."

"Oh, I'm not sure I can wait," Anna joked. In truth, she was famished, and the thought of a hot meal was more appealing than ever.

"Why do you have that weird smile on?" Kate asked as she paced around, fixing the table.

"What weird smile?"

"The kind you have when are trying to hide the fact that something is bugging you. What happened? Is it about Allen?"

Anna sighed. Wondering how Kate was able to know her so well.

She walked over to the couch and sank into it.

"I'm okay Kate."

"You say you are okay but your eyes scream the opposite. You've been crying."

Oh, Kate. She has this superpower for stating the obvious.

"Are you hiding something?" she questioned and walked over to where Anna sat.

"What did that bastard do to you? I swear to God, I will kill him if I see so much as a scratch on you." She growls, and her face is red and scary. she holds Anna at arm's length and does a visual check-up.

"I talked to my mum today." Anna finally lets out.

"You did?" Kate gasped. Her eyes clouded with worry.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing. At first, she didn't know it was me. But when she realized it, I didn't allow her to lie to me again."

"Anna," Kate called softly.

"I'm okay," Anna sniffled in softly. "I've got this,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just need to get a job first. Get my life together. I'll be fine" I rose and headed to the kitchen so she wouldn't see my face and notice the emotional battle that I was struggling to keep at bay.

"Oh?"

"When and where is the next job interview?"

"Erm…" she muttered and picked up a bunch of paper right there on the table.

"Snow Corp," she replied.

"Snow Corp?" I whirl around and face her. "How was I able to get an interview there? Isn't that one of the largest companies in the country?

"Well, that's still a mystery to me. I just saw that they placed a notice on their website that they were hiring and I sent your CV."

"My CV?" Anna finally recalled. She had not even had the slightest inkling that she no longer had it in her hand.

"Where is it?" she folds her arm.

Just then she recalled how she bumped into someone when she ran down the stairs and then helped him pick up his document.

"I think it must have mixed up with the documents I handed to the guy I bumped into."

"You bumped into a guy? Was he cute?"

"C'mon Kate. I didn't even have the guts to look up to him after my encounter with Allen."

"Allen! That son of a…" she's off on this tirade again.

I rolled my eyes and waltzed upstairs.

"Freshen up and come down for lunch before it gets cold, okay?" she yells from downstairs.

As she climbed the stairs, Anna made a vow to herself: No thinking about Allen or her mother. Not tonight. Not now. All she wanted was to forget the events of the day and sleep until her brain was empty of everything except dreams.

Once she was in her room, she changed into her pajamas and curled up with her beloved teddy bear, the last gift her father had given her before he died. She buried her face in its soft fur, trying to let her mind go blank.

But as she lay there, the memory of her mother's words kept playing in her head, over and over again. "My baby girl..." her mother had said. What would she have said next? Should she have given her a chance to finish the sentence? Or was it better to cut her off and walk away?

Anna couldn't help but wonder if her mother's words would have changed anything. Or if they would have just left her feeling more hollow and empty.

As she lay there, she felt the weight of all the questions pressing down on her, suffocating her. Sleep seemed impossible.

Should she be angry at herself for not being patient?

Ah! Her subconscious screams and she rolls on the bed. And there she was in her car worried. It would have been much easier if the call had not connected. Or better still she had stopped using that contact.

But she was still using her old number and she never made any attempt to reach her.

She wondered if she was truly happy where ever, she was. If she was married or working.

She didn't sound like she was on drugs, had she stopped? She questioned.

As she drifted off to sleep, she dreamt of the man outside the company. He wore lavender cologne, and his face was as blank and impassive as a statue's. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes, not after he'd caught her crying.

But as she dreamt, she realized something: those eyes hadn't been cold at all. They'd been full of sympathy and understanding. And they had watched her run off in tears, wishing they could do something to help.

In her dream, the man walked up to her and gently touched her shoulder. "It's okay," he said, his voice low and soothing. "You don't have to be strong all the time. It's okay to fall apart sometimes."

She looked up at him, and his eyes were no longer cold. They were warm and full of kindness. She felt herself relax, just a little.

"It's okay to be human," he said. "It's okay to have feelings.

The fact that it was nothing but just a dream saddened her.