“I understand everything!” Sarah shouted. “I understand I made a mistake by trusting him. I understand I’m left with nothing. But your nagging doesn’t help. It doesn’t help at all.”
Elizabeth pursed her lips and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Sarah buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
For the past few weeks, she had sent out dozens of resumes. She received few responses, and the ones she did get ended in rejection after the interview. She had retail experience, but eight years running her own small store didn’t impress employers. They were looking for people with experience in large corporations, with references, with degrees from prestigious universities.
Sarah went back to the job listings. She scrolled through them one after another: sales associate, administrator, sales manager. They all required experience she didn’t have in the right format. Her phone rang just as she was about to close her laptop and give up for the day. An unfamiliar number.
“Hello?” she answered wearily.
“Hello, is this Sarah Lawson?” a woman’s voice asked, professional yet friendly.
“Yes, this is she.”
“My name is Irene. I’m from Alliance Group. You applied for our executive assistant position. We’d like to invite you for an interview.”
Sarah’s heart leaped. Alliance Group was one of the largest wholesale suppliers in the city. She remembered sending her resume there a week ago but had given up hope of hearing back.
“Of course!” she said quickly. “When would be a good time?”
“Would tomorrow at two PM work for you?”
“Yes, that’s perfect!”
Sarah grabbed a pen and wrote down the address Irene gave her. After the call ended, she sat for a few moments, just staring into space. Finally! A chance to get back on her feet.
The next day, Sarah woke up early, even though the interview wasn’t until two. She spent a long time choosing an outfit, settling on a professional black pantsuit. She applied light makeup and put her hair up. Staring in the mirror, she tried to project confidence. “You can do this,” she whispered to her reflection. “You have to do this.”
Her mother was in the kitchen drinking coffee when Sarah came out.
“Where are you off to?” Elizabeth gave her a once-over.
“An interview,” Sarah replied shortly, pouring herself some tea.
“Well, well,” her mother sniffed. “Try not to mess this one up.”
Sarah gritted her teeth and said nothing. She couldn’t afford to get into a fight before an important meeting.
She arrived at the Alliance Group office twenty minutes early. The glass and concrete building loomed over the city’s business district. Inside, a bright lobby with marble floors, a reception desk, and several couches for visitors.
“Hello, I’m Sarah Lawson,” she said to the young woman at the desk. “I have an interview for the executive assistant position.”
“Let me check,” the receptionist typed on her keyboard. “Yes, they’re expecting you. Seventh floor, office 705.”
Sarah took the elevator up. The seventh-floor hallway was quiet and spacious, with office doors set far apart. She found the right number and knocked.
“Come in.”
She opened the door and entered. A man in his fifties, wearing a sharp suit, sat behind a massive desk—Victor Collins, the company director, as she later learned. Standing next to him was Irene, the woman who had called her, holding a tablet.
“Sarah Lawson? Please, come in, have a seat,” Victor Collins gestured to the chair across from him.
The interview lasted nearly an hour. They asked about her experience, why she wanted to work there, her strengths and weaknesses. Sarah answered honestly but carefully, avoiding any mention of the divorce or the lawsuit. She talked about her store, customer relations, and managing paperwork.
“You have a strong resume,” Victor finally said, setting her papers aside. “Retail experience, an understanding of business processes. That’s exactly what we need.”
Sarah felt a surge of hope.
“We’re prepared to offer you the job,” he continued. “Three-month probationary period. The salary is as stated in the listing. You can start tomorrow. Does that work for you?”
“Yes,” Sarah barely stopped herself from shouting with joy. “Yes, of course. Thank you.”
She left the office feeling like she was walking on air. Finally, her life was starting to turn around. Finally, she had a chance to stand on her own two feet.
It was almost four in the afternoon. Sarah walked down the sidewalk, lost in thought, barely noticing the people around her. She needed to buy a new blouse for work, update her wardrobe. Maybe I’ll stop by a store right now, she thought.
Just then, a quiet voice caught her attention.
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