Chapter 114 HARD DECISIONS
ARYA’S POV
Three days after Marco gave me the black card, I found myself staring at it on my nightstand, untouched.
I had used it once, to pay Mrs. Marta for the month's rent.
The landlady had looked at the sleek black card with narrowed eyes but ran it through her ancient machine without comment.
When the transaction went through, I felt both relieved and trapped.
Since then, the card had sat there, a constant reminder that I was living off someone else's generosity.
Cherry had noticed, of course.
"You know you can use it for food, right?" She said yesterday, watching me count out the spare money he had given me for the cheapest pasta at the market. "That's literally what he gave it to you for."
I nodded. "I know."
"But you're not going to." She retorted.
I looked at her and smiled tightly. "Not unless I have to."
She sighed but hadn't pushed. She understood, in her way. The need to maintain some shred of independence, even when accepting help.
But independence required income. Real income that was mine.
So I was back to scanning the newspaper, circling job openings with a pen that was running out of ink.
I saw a position for an office clerk with experience necessary and the interview was today from 2-5 PM.
It was just 8am. The address was across town but it was a chance.
I stood, ignoring my protesting feet, and rushed out to get some clothes from the store. I had less than five dollars left from the money Marco gave me and I was determined to not use the card yet.
After showering and dressing up, I rushed out, making sure my door was locked before leaving.
When I arrived, the office building was nicer than I expected.
The lobby was clean with working elevator, and the place glass doors instead of the dingy spaces I had been visiting all day.
The receptionist at the front desk guided me to where the interview was going to be held and inside, the waiting area was packed.
There were least a dozen people, all clutching resumes and looking more qualified than me.
I took a seat in the back, suddenly very aware of my worn clothes, my lack of everything these people probably had.
"I heard the boss is brutal," a woman next to me whispered to her friend. "My cousin interviewed here last month and she said he made her cry."
"Why are you here then?" her friend asked.
"Bills don't pay themselves." She shrugged. "Besides, how bad can it be?"
The door to the inner office opened, and a young woman walked out, her eyes were red and she rushed away.
"Next!" A voice called from inside.
One by one, people went in. Some came out quickly, looking dejected. Others took longer but had the same disappointed expression.
No one seemed to be getting hired.
My name was dead last on the sign-in sheet. By the time they called "Miss Russo," it was almost five.
I stood on shaking legs and walked into the office.
The man behind the desk was younger than I expected. He was maybe thirty, with tan skin and dark hair that fell across his forehead.
He didn't look up from the resume in front of him.
"Sit."
I sat. He finally looked up, his dark eyes assessing me in a way that made me want to shrink back.
"Arya Russo," he read from my hastily written application. "No listed work experience. No references. No education beyond high school."
He set down the paper. "Why are you wasting my time?"
I nervously licked my lips. "I… I'm not trying to waste your time. I just need-“
Dammit! I couldn’t even get a word out without stammering uselessly.
"Everyone needs something." He leaned back in his chair. "What makes you think you can do this job when you have literally zero qualifications?"
I cleared my throat and sat up straighter. "I'm a fast learner. And I'm reliable."
"Reliable?" He glanced at my application again. "You have gaps in your employment history. Six months here, nothing there. What were you doing?"
I couldn't say I was locked in a dungeon, accused of treason, running for my life.
"Personal matters," I said quietly.
"Personal matters." His tone was mocking. "And I'm supposed to hire you based on... what? Your winning personality?"
My fingers curled into a tight fist and finally, the frustration from the day burst out from me.
"You know what?" I stood up abruptly. "I came here because your ad said 'no experience necessary.'” I snapped before I could help it. “Not 'no experience necessary but we'll humiliate you anyway.'"
His eyebrows rose but he didn’t say anything.
My entire body was trembling as I continued. "I may not have a fancy degree or ten years of office experience, but I'm smart and I'm willing to work hard. And I'm tired of people like you looking at me like I'm nothing just because I don't fit into your perfect little boxes."
The words kept coming, fueled by two months of rejection and struggling just to survive.
"So thank you for your time, but I would rather find a job where they see people as people, not just résumés."
Silence filled the office.
Oh God. What had I just done?
I just yelled at a potential employer, worse… I had a complete breakdown in front of a stranger and probably last chance at-
"Leave," he said quietly.
Before I could help it, tears sprung to my eyes. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said… I mean. I shouldn't have-“
"I said leave." His expression was unreadable.
I bobbed my head, my chin trembling and walked away. I barely noticed anyone, keeping my head down as I kept walking until I got to the hallway where I finally stopped and pressed my back against the wall.
My hands were shaking and eyes were burning with unshed tears.
I just destroyed my last chance because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor, my arms wrapped around my knees.