I own nothing! (sorry it's a little late)
Chapter Two
Rose sat in the lobby of an impressive office building, ready for her first job interview. She was lucky there were a few (well, more than a few) offices in her area looking to hire secretaries; it had taken her less than a week to line up four interviews, and it would be nice to do something she was already familiar with.
"Ms. Alvarez?" The woman sitting at the desk in the corner waved Rose in the direction of the manager's door. "Mr. Thurston will see you now." Rose nodded her thanks to the receptionist and entered the man's office.
Mr. Thurston was a big man sitting at a big desk, leaning back comfortably in his chair as he glanced over Rose's résumé. He sat up when she walked in and gestured for her to sit at the chair in front of his desk.
"Hello," he said.
"Hello," Rose responded politely. "I'm Rose Alvarez; I'm here for the secretary position."
"Ah, yes. I was just looking over your résumé," he said, placing it on the desk. Rose looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to start the interview, to say something at least...
"Alvarez..." he muttered at last. "Hispanic, isn't it?"
Rose frowned slightly. "It is," she said, "but I don't see what that has to do with-"
"The thing is, Ms. Alvarez," Mr. Thurston said, leaning forward and resting his clasped hands on his desk, "as a secretary you'd spend a lot of time on the phones. You'd have to have very good English."
Rose narrowed her eyes and straightened her shoulders. "My English is just as good as yours," she said curtly. Mr. Thurston gave her a tight smile.
"I'm sure it is, Ms. Alvarez. But-"
"If you would just look at my résumé-" Rose interrupted.
"I have."
"Then surely you know that I spent eight years working as a secretary at Almaelou Music Co!"
He gave her that same, cold smile. "I'm sorry, Ms. Alvarez. I just don't think you're qualified for this position."
"Not qualified?" Rose repeated incredulously. "Eight years working a steady job without a single complaint, the same position you're looking to fill, and I'm not qualified?"
"Thank you for your time," Mr. Thurston said.
Rose got to her feet in a huff. I'm not going to waste any more of my time arguing with this idiot, Rose thought. Good thing I have three other interviews today.
"Goodbye." With that, Rose turned on her heel and stalked out of the office.
Unfortunately, Rose did not have any luck with her other three interviews. The second and third went much like the first: dismissed in under five minutes on account of her Spanish heritage (though no one said it out loud; she knew that was the reason). It's not like I'm an immigrant, Rose fumed as she left the third unsuccessful interview. I'm as American as the rest of them! She finally thought she had caught a break with her last interview. The whole meeting went very smoothly, and the man she was speaking with was saying he would be happy to hire her; it was then that his associate sheepishly informed the first man that he had already hired a secretary earlier that morning.
Rose felt like she was running out of options. As far as she knew, no other offices or businesses of any kind were looking to hire secretaries. She was walking home from her last interview when she abruptly came to a decision. Instead of heading for her apartment, she turned left onto a street that she knew would lead to a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood. All people ever see when they look at me is 'Hispanic'. Well if that's what they want, that's what I'll give them. I'll show them Spanish...
It was clear that this neighborhood was very different from the one Rose called home. There were no towering office buildings here. Instead, the streets were lined with apartment buildings, small family-owned shops, and the occasional drug store or laundromat. A small sign across the street reading 'NOW HIRING/ESTAMOS EMPLEANDO' caught Rose's eye. She hurried to the other side of the road to see what sort of shop was hiring, and felt a little less enthusiastic when she recognized the frilly dresses in the front window. The lettering on the glass read 'MADAM LUCIA'S BRIDAL SHOP.' It seemed they were looking for seamstresses. Was this really the sort of job she was willing to take? Yes she could sew pretty well, but...
Rose pushed her feelings of hesitation aside. She had already been turned down four times for a position she knew she was very well qualified for. If she couldn't find work there... She knew she couldn't afford to pass up opportunities for employment, even ones like this. Just long enough to save up some money, Rose thought. There's nothing stopping me from looking for other work later. With that thought in mind, Rose pushed the door open.
A small bell tinkled to announce her arrival, and a heavy-set Hispanic woman hurried out from the back room.
"Can I help you?"
Here we go, Rose thought, putting on a bright smile. "I saw your sign saying you were hiring," she said, gesturing to the window behind her. "Are you Madam Lucia?"
The woman laughed. "No, Madam Lucia was my mother. I'm Antonella. Are you interested in the position?"
Rose nodded eagerly, relieved that she had found a chance to work.
"¿Hablas Español?" Antonella inquired.
"Sí," Rose answered in a heartbeat.
Antonella smiled. "I'll show you around back. Assuming you know your way around a sewing machine, you can start tomorrow."
Thanks for reading, remember to review!
