Job Interview

Richard Chancellor flung wide the door withthe neat printing, "Personel Dept. Manager" which ws his own. The heated "discussion" with his boss, Reginold Warkstow, Pres. of the "Murry Shopping Plaza" had ended abruptly with the quick and not altogether unexpected, "Out!" In an outrageous furyg he slammed the door and himself in the seat behind the huge oaken desk. When the glass in the door stopped its rattling at voice ventured from the intervom, "Mr. Chancellor, the two girls for the opening in the cashier placement are here for the interview...Mr. Chancellor?"

Richard downed the last of his medication. He reminded himself to cool down, epileptic attacks such as he was subject to sparked from his outrageous temper. In an effort to calm himself he SET the paper cup on his highly polished desk. "Mr. Chancellor, sir? Are you all right?"

"Yes, Miss Wilkes, I'm all right, now send them in, one at a time."

"Yes, Mr. Chancellor. Which shall I send in first? Miss Rodriguz or Miss--"

"I don't CARE, Miss Wilkes! Send them in alphabetically or string them up by their toenails and tell them the jokes you tell all the secretaries 'round the water cooler, whichever one of them laughs (if they laugh) the hardest, send HER in first, I DON'T CARE!"

"Yes, Mr. Chancellor," managed the obviously hurt voice on the other intercom, "Miss Smythe is coming in."

Richard said nothing as he watched a pair of combat boots stride into the thickly carpeted office. The girl ws tall, slender, and had stringy hair that hung down to her waist. Her dark eyes shifted quickly, scanning Mr. Chancellor in a matter of seconds.

He shuffled through the papers on his desk, finding the correct folder he studied its contents. "Miss Gwendolyn Smythe," he frowned at the question mark following her name.

"Yeah."

"Huh? Oh, yes, Miss Smyth, have you ever had any experience as a cashier?"

"I'll be frank, Rikky," she said, noticing his nameplate, "I just got off the trail, selling sunflower seeds along route 66 with Alan."

"Alan?"

"My fiance."

"Oh, I see." He paused, "Any experience?"

"Well...no."

Richard knew it, it ws written out before him. It wasn't likely that she'd get the job, and she knew it. "Very well, Miss 'Smythe,' I'll call you if you get the job, to put it quite simply."

"Say-ah, Ricky--if you're not busy ton--"

"I'm married."

"Oh, yeah, well--ah, bye, man."

So he had lied, he shook the thought, for he could bear the thought of going home to the dog and the otherwise empty apartment.

Her hair and checkered flannel shirt clung lightly to the richly apolstered chair. She turned and shut the lettered door behind her.

"Shall I--"'

"Yes Miss Wilkes you shall," his fingers left the intercom as the knob turned. His indicisive nature was momentarily relieved, anyone could fit the job better than Miss "Smythe" or so he thought:

In strode Miss Margery Rodriguz, her folder showed him that she had just obtained her citizenship.

"Miss Rodriquz?"

"Si."

"How long have you been here?"

"Sincos years, Senor Chacellor," she said also noticing the nameplate on his desk. His eyes drew over her quickly, the dark hair, the beautiful gown, and the face that appeared as if it's elastic band would snap and the heavy wax face would fall onto the soft carpet, cracking on contact, leaving a simpler, plainer and surprisingly more attractive woman behind, this did, unfortunately, not happen; the wax clung. Her handbag was stock full of chopped herring, a can of which she now opened and began munching on.

"Have you had any experience?"

Her face showed puzzlement.

Experience?" he tried again.

"No comprendo."

"Have you worked as a cashier before?"

"Si, in Spain. I had to work to support the family. Pappa was ill."

"I see," sighted Richard for the first time today amused at the girl's nerve.

But his smile soon faded at the final page of her folder. She had a problem heart, a pacemaker had been her heart's only hope, this was bad, very bad. "No wonder she tried so hard, no one else had even considered giving her the job."

She became nervous at the sight of his faded smile; he had found out. Tears came to her eyes. She shook, crying like a child, now on her knees. "Please, oh PLEASE, Senor Chancellor, I'm starving. I got no home, waghhhhh--"

He was now angry. He thought the decision should be simple, this made it complicated once again, his anger triggerede the disease, the caged lion tearing at the locks which holds it in, now escaped. His heart hurt terribly, he shook in pain from head to toe, he sprawled out on the desk, then dropping to the floor began the spectator's nightmare, convultions, his hands writhed, he controlled not any part of his being. He was unconscious of any actions or surroundings.

As was said, the spectator's nightmare at the sight of his margery clutched at the arms of her chair, the pain raced through her chest, her heart jumped, fought to regain normal rate, tried again, and failed...

Miss Wilkes, hearing the noise, rushed in to find Richard Chancellor foaming at the mouth and Margery Rodriguz dead.

At two o'clock of the next day Miss Gwendolyn Smythe received a telegram of acceptacnce from "Murry's Shopping Plaza."