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That Sunday, Blain and I drove Sam to the train-station where we said our goodbyes when she had to go home. With a journey of six hours by train, she had a long ride ahead of her. After everything that happened throughout the week, I didn't like seeing her leave again and I got a little emotional when she stood there on the platform with her packed suitcase and all. Hugging her tight, I told her how much I loved her and that I was going to miss her. Even though Sam didn't want to leave as well, she knew she had to, which made it all the more difficult. Just before she boarded, she wiped her tears from her eyes and just smiled which hit me pretty hard... Seeing her cry for whatever reason always caused me to choke up as well... Perhaps that's because she's such a sweet and upbeat kind of girl who hardly ever had a reason to cry so whenever she did, it was heart wrenching... But this time, it was different... Samantha became so much more then just a friend during her stay and not just with me... Even though the three of us never made it official, we all knew deep down inside what we were to each other but not knowing when we would see each other again was so strange to realize... Even though Blain tried not to show it, he still had a pretty hard time saying goodbye to her... But the look in his eyes and the smile he had on his face when Sam hugged him said enough... I knew we'd see her again and that we'll stay in touch in the mean time... And I knew that one day, she would return to us and stay for good which was a comforting thought... But when she boarded the train and Blain and I watched it depart from the station, I couldn't help to feel empty on the inside... Once the train was nothing more but a dot in the horizon, I looked at Blain and realized it was just the two of us now... But all he did was putting an arm around me and smiled, assuring me that she'll be back one day... And we would be there too, waiting for her...

Spring break was coming to an end and I still had three weeks left before the new semester started. The year that followed would require me to follow a thirty two hour a week internship and spend one day at college but so far, I haven't had much success of landing one. I applied for several internships before spring break started and I got turned down by most of those, seeing as the positions were already "taken"... The ones who did invite were either not to my liking or I kept them as a backup while I was in search of something else that would better suit my qualifications and where I could put my knowledge into practice. But they weren't going to wait for me forever so I kept looking. While I was browsing the internet one day, I came across something interesting. The Callahan Nordyne Young Professional Recruitment Program. Looking around on the website, I found out that they offered several positions at various departments including IT, which was exactly what I was looking for. I didn't think I could land an internship there but I could at least try. Several branches and professions were listed including Finacial Data Analyst, System Engineer, SAP Engineer and so on but I applied for Junior System Administrator. So I filled in a contact form and answered a bunch of questions, ranging from simple name and age to which college I attended and how many hours a week was required. But a simple form wasn't enough; they also needed my résumé and motivational letter which I uploaded as well. And once everything was filled out, I hit send and pretty much forgot I applied when I was looking for the next firm to find an internship. Several days passed by without hearing anything so I wasn't getting my hopes up. Until one day, I received a rather surprising phone-call...

'Ceylan.'

'Hi Ceylan, good afternoon, this is Charlotte Rohrchester from the Callahan Nordyne Young Professional Recruitment Program. How are you doing today?'

'Oh, hello! Yes, I'm fine, thank you! How are you?'

'I'm doing good! I'm calling you today because we received your application for an internship as a Junior System Administrator.'

'That's correct.'

'After reviewing your application and qualifications, we would like to invite you over for an interview and I was wondering if you are still interested in the position.'

'O-Oh yes! Yes! Absolutely! That'd be great!'

'Excellent! I'd like to schedule an appointment this Friday, the twenty fourth at ten AM, if you're available?'

'No problem, I'll be there!'

'Alright then, I'll send you a confirmation email with the time and date, as well as the address of the head office and all the information you need. If you have any questions in the mean time, please feel free to contact me by calling or emailing me.'

'Okay, that's great! Thank you so much!'

'My pleasure! We'll see you then!'

'Thank you!'

'You're welcome! Have a great day!'

'Thank you, you too! Bye!'

I was so excited about being invited to an interview that I totally forgot to ask for her email address and phone number... Luckily, when the confirmation email arrived, it had all the information, like she said it would. I never actually knew what kind of firm Callahan Nordyne was even though I've drove past an office of theirs whenever I went to Stanford. I looked up the address on Google Maps and noticed it was located in the Shelford financial district in downtown Ravello. It would take me around forty minutes to get there by car. I saw the name of the persons I had an interview with and I actually couldn't believe there were four people who'd sit across me for the interview... I got a bit intimidated by that, especially when I read their titles...

Alan McCampbell - Global Director of Operations

Tristan Reynolds - System Specialist

Charlotte Rohrchester - Young Professional Recruitment Counselor

George Branden - Senior Network Engineer

And that's when I realized that the internship I applied for wasn't just any internship... I looked up some information on the company to see what it was all about. The name Callahan Nordyne seemed to be a pretty big name in the financial world. Being a private investment bank, they had offices around the world, including Vaunaveys, Osiria, Narezka, Kycina and a lot more. With around eight thousand employees globally, I started to realize the magnitude of their business. I hardly thought about it while I was applying and didn't really bother to look into it because I had the feeling I would be turned down. Realizing that I could be following an internship there was quite exciting... But I can imagine these guys have high standards so I wasn't going to get my hopes up... Nevertheless, I wanted to show them that I could be an asset to them if they'd choose me and I wanted to make the very best of it. So I did my research on them to gain as much information as possible that could give an me an edge. Looking into the Young Professional Recruitment Program, it basically said that IF you'd be accepted to enroll in the recruitment program, you'll learn on the job and receive coaching from an experienced employee from that particular field you applied for. They would invest in you by having you study as well to prepare yourself for a career at Callahan Nordyne and if you'd pass all the requirements, you'd be eligible to receive a full time employment contract. That is, if you also graduated college and received the necessary certificates and diploma's. Needless to say, to be accepted in the Recruitment Program was a golden opportunity for anyone who'd wish to make a career and even if you didn't land a career there at Callahan Nordyne, it still would look pretty good on your résumé to have had an internship with them. But I could also imagine that this wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park... Anyone who'd apply for this program would be at their best and the competition would be very tough... So I prayed that I wouldn't fuck up this opportunity...

When the day finally arrived, I got up extra early and took a long shower while I had this funny feeling in my gut. Needless to say, I was very nervous about it... The night before, I picked out some clothes to wear for the interview and of course, I couldn't show up in something casual... It had to be something formal... It's something I rarely wore but I had this gray blue blazer with matching skirt and a white blouse. And as for shoes, I had to look very hard to find some decent ones that went along with my outfit. Just like the blazer and the skirt, the shoes I picked out were high heeled black pumps with a round tip and were hardly ever worn by me. Using a shoe shine brush, I polished them up to make them shine and once I put them on, I took a good look at myself in the mirror and I remember thinking that this was the start of my adult life... It felt weird realizing that, as if this interview would change the rest of my life... But that was just probably me being over-dramatic about it; I was nervous enough already and I didn't need to make that feeling worse by thinking about things that were inevitable... So I quickly went downstairs for some breakfast and once I was done, I saw it was only half passed nine and still had plenty of time. In order to set my mind on other things, I tried distracting myself by watching the news but time seemed to be going so slow... I kept watching the clock and the seconds were ticking by... And after what felt like an eternity, I left at nine o'clock, just so that I could be there on time...

Even though I had a navigation system to help me reach my destination, it turned out those things weren't always reliable... I studied the journey on Google Maps and had it figured out so imagine the panic I felt when I saw that the A34 was closed for roadworks... A detour was set so I followed that instead but my navigation system kept redirecting me to the A34... Luckily, at some point, my navigation system picked up the new route and got me to my destination. It took me twenty minutes extra but I arrived at ten to ten so I was still on time. Parking my car on the huge parking lot in front of the building, I had to let it all sink in. I couldn't miss it; the Callahan Nordyne logo towered above on the thirty story office complex and it's architecture was quite modern. Making my way inside, I got through a revolving door which led me to the reception. It was a huge hall and reminded me of some fancy hotel lobby with all the artwork hanging on the walls and different kinds of sculptures scattered around. Not to mention the big comfortable leather seats in the waiting area... One thing I noticed is that security seems very tight here with all the access gates and cameras... That nervous tingle seemed to get worse the longer I stood there so I took a deep breath... "Come on, let's go for it..."

The ticking sounds of my heels echoed through the hall on the marble floor and didn't exactly go unnoticed by other people who were going around their business. It wasn't that crowded but it was enough to make me feel anxious... Nevertheless, I kept a steady pace as I confidently walked my way to the reception. People were looking at me for a moment but I smiled at them with as much confidence I could possibly muster and and just said good morning to anyone I made eye contact with while passing by. Some were just giving a quiet nod and a smile while others were saying good morning to me as well. Perhaps they thought I was some kind of manager with the way I was dressed and I was so relieved when I finally reached the reception to check in. This young serval woman looked up and smiled right back at me, asking how she could help me. I told her I had an interview with mister McCampbell and once she announced my arrival by making a short phone-call, she buzzed me through the security gates and told me to take a seat in the welcome area. Several guards were onsite and kept a watchful eye as I made my way past them and once I took my seat in a comfortable leather chair, I felt like I could finally relax. But I wasn't the only one waiting there; there were several others who presumably waited for an interview to get called out. I wasn't intending on getting friendly with them so I minded my own business and constantly checked the clock... And then finally, at five past ten, I heard an elevator ding and this guy in a fancy blue suit with a tie stepped out. He was a lynx and his huge ears had a gray streak of fur but he didn't really seem that old. He checked his smart-phone and looked around for a moment until he called someone out...

'Seylen Jaisyaram?'

No one was responding at first and it stayed silent for a couple of moments when everyone looked up but no one stood up... So he called out that name again, a bit louder this time... "Seylen...?? Wait, that's you, you idiot! Get your ass up!" What a way to make a first impression... You'd think I'd be used to people mispronouncing my name by now but you'd be surprised of how often that slips by me... Anyway, I quickly got up and made my way towards him. He seemed surprised when he saw me standing up, probably because he wasn't expecting me to be that tall... Nevertheless, despite that awkward moment, he smiled when he saw me approaching him and stuck out his hand to give me a firm handshake and smiled right back at me...

'Good morning, I'm Jay-lon.'

'Hi Ceylan, good morning. I'm sorry I didn't get your name right.'

'That's quite alright.'

'Can I get you anything before we start? Coffee, tea?'

'No thank you, I'm fine.'

'Alright, please, follow me.'

The two of us got in the elevator and it took a moment before the doors closed once he pressed the button to get to the twentieth floor. That elevator ride seemed to take forever when there was an awkward silence except for the cheerful elevator music that was quietly playing in the background. "Should I say anything...? And if so, what the hell am I supposed to say??"** That elevator ride made me more anxious than I already was... All of a sudden, I heard a "ding" and seconds later, the doors opened. I followed Alan out of the elevator, walking through the hallway and seeing transparent offices left and right with people working vigorously behind their computers doing God knows what. At some point, we got through a door once Alan used his keypass on it to gain access to a huge room with cubicle workspaces. Every workstation had at least three monitors and everyone behind a computer were either on the phone or talking to a co-worker and it was quite noisy in there. There were gigantic TV screens hanging from the ceiling, scattered around and it seemed as if everyone who were around these screens were actively monitoring the stock market and every once in a while, someone went ape shit on the phone... Nevertheless, I kept following Alan to another door that lead to a board-room. And once I got through that door, I noticed three other people sitting at a large table across, staring at me with piercing eyes as if they already had an opinion ready about me... ***But nevertheless, I smiled at them once they stood up to introduce themselves to shake their hands...*

Charlotte seemed the nicest of the bunch. Being an Aegean feline around her mid forties, her fur pattern was white with brown and black markings on her cheeks. She had a warm friendly smile on her face when I introduced myself and she had this calm, soothing voice. George on the other hand, seemed to be a little more grumpy yet tried his best to pull off a friendly smile but wasn't very successful at it... He too was a feline but wasn't quite sure what species he was... Not that I was going to ask anyway... George also seemed to be the oldest and his handshake pretty much felt as if every bone in my hand got shattered... Tristan on the other hand, was the only canine in the room and also seemed to be very friendly, having a bit of a derpy smile. I'd reckon he was a Rhodesian in his late thirties and seeing everyone smile at me made me ease up a little. And once I sat down across them, Alan started the interview...

'Alright Ceylan, welcome! Charlotte saw your application and proposed to invite you over to get to know you a little better.'

'I'm happy to have been invited.'

'Good! Tristan and George will conduct the interview with you later on. So before we start to get to know you, do you know what we're about and what our business and operations are?'

'I've looked up some information on your website.'

'What can you tell?'

'Callahan Nordyne is a private investment bank and subsidiary of Grenfell & Co. Their focus lies with providing Merchant Services, Mobility & e-Transactional Services, and Financial Services, including Aegis Holding. There are twenty main offices around the globe with around eight thousand employees, with an estimated pro forma annual revenue of more than two and a half billion dinar.'

'Yeah, that's about right. Grenfell & Co provide financial and payment services through various platforms and Callahan Nordyne is a subsidiary to provide additional support and services. We are mostly focused on the financial services of mass market clients such as Saratoga Industries, McConnell Ltd and Mercer Quinn.'

'Big names indeed.'

'Absolutely and its our job to provide services to our clients such as acquisitions, divestitures and financings that has a focus in the lower and middle market.'

'Does that mean Grenfell & Co handles the higher markets?'

'In a way, yes. Both Callahan Nordyne and Grenfell & Co are corporate banks. Being a subsidiary means we can solely focus on the lower and middle market, which is why Callahan Nordyne is one of the largest investment banks in the world. So needless to say, it is crucial we keep our business operational for our clients and our IT department plays a crucial role in maintaining and operating our global infrastructure.'

'I see.'

'Which brings us to the reason why we invited you over today. Perhaps Charlotte can tell you more about the Young Professional Recruitment Program?'

Charlotte scraped her throat and once she took a sip from her glass of water, she looked at me with a friendly smile. For some reason, she reminded me of a kindergarten teacher who'd talk to a little kid... It stayed quiet for a moment when I looked her straight in the eyes. She seemed like such a gentle kind soul and when she started talking, she had this very calm soothing voice...

'Yes, as Alan said; maintaining and operating our global infrastructure is essential in providing our clients the services they require. In order to achieve this, our employees follow a comprehensive personal development and learning program needed to understand and contribute to our business cores. This means that Callahan Nordyne wants to invest in their employees by providing trainings in their relevant fields. Even though we invest in our employees, it is not always easy to find the right person for the job. The Young Professional Recruitment Program is a means to make someone become** the right person for the job.'**

'I see.'

'We strive to provide learning on the job as you go through your day to day tasks. Each young professional will be mentored by an experienced employee, who will actively guide you throughout the program. Every month, you'll have an evaluation on several points to determine your progress. Any training or course you'd like to follow will be discussed so that you'll have every room to grow.'

'So if I understand correctly, if you're a network engineer for example, you'd be eligible to follow a MCSA SQL course?'

'Indeed! Counselors like myself will help you with your personal development during your career here at Callahan Nordyne.'

'What if someone's progress isn't to your expectation? Like, for example, failing several courses or if the assigned tasks aren't completed to the company's standards?'

'There's a three month probationary period for young recruits. If you fail to show any progress in those three months, the program will unfortunately end for the participant.'

'Okay and how does a typical workday look like for a young professional?'

'Good question! The first week is all about orientation. You'll familiarize yourself with procedures and various processes and your mentor will take you along with them during their daily tasks to help you settle in. George and Tristan here are senior employees who act as mentors to young professionals. In the IT department, its difficult to say because every day is different. Regardless, either Tristan or George will show you around and lets you solve various hardware, software and network issues. We'll help you find your way in your profession and have you assessed every month to determine your progress.'

'I see...'

'Do you have any other questions at this point?'

'No, so far, it's all clear.'

'Alright, if there are no further questions, I'd like to start off the interview. Perhaps you could tell us more about yourself?'

Christ, I really wish I had that glass of water that was in front of everyone except for me... Everything I was going to say during this interview about myself was all figured out but when it was time for me to talk, it was all gone... My mind went blank when everyone was staring at me and that anxious feeling started to crawl up my throat... It took a moment for me to pull myself together, causing this awkward silence at first... "Come on, say something... Anything!!" How hard is it to talk about something you enjoy...?

'Well, uhm... I'm twenty four years old aaaand currently studying IT MBO three at Antonelli College. It's my fourth year there and so far, I'm doing well.'

'What motivated you to choose this profession?'

'My dad, he uh... He fixes computers as a hobby for relatives and friends. Being an only child, it was inevitable for me to get caught up in his hobby and I've spend countless of hours tinkering on computers with him together. It always fascinated me to build something and watch it work. Ever since then, I started to learn more about it until I knew I wanted this to be my profession.'

'Could you give us an example of something you did?'

'I've build my own NAS server at home.'

'Really? That's great!'

'Could you explain what a NAS server is?'

'It's a Network Attached Storage. It's like a USB drive, except data transfer happens over TCP/IP. A friend of mine has a NAS too and had some problems with it at first but I manage to solve it pretty easily.'

'What kind of problems did you ran into?'

'Well, basically, he had a router between his NAS server. And his router distributed internal IP addresses while his NAS was configured with a static IP address from his router that didn't correspond to his modem. So it worked upstairs but downstairs, the media-player wasn't able to detect his NAS. A simple switch was the solution.'

'Why was that the solution?'

'A router forwards packets to a destination IP address, which is dynamically generated when your network is DHCP enabled. But seeing as his NAS server had a static IP address from its router, it didn't correspond with his network downstairs. The media-player downstairs searched for a device that wasn't within range, which is why it didn't work.'

'I see...'

'A network switch simply forwards the data packets to the designated device, in this case his NAS server.'

Alan and Charlotte seemed a little puzzled while both George and Tristan were nodding. Of course I didn't had to explain the solution to them, they already knew why. They were just testing my knowledge and to see if I could explain why it was the solution. Tristan looked at a sheet of paper in front of him and smiled while he was reading. And after a moment of silence, he looked back at me again...

'You know, the first thing I noticed when I saw your résumé was that you passed CCNE.'

'Yes.'

'That's quite a tough one. What was your final score?'

'I passed with a eighty nine percent.'

'Haha, wow! I had a eighty two percent on that one.'

'Yeah, it was quite stressful...'

'I bet! Also, you passed ITIL Foundation?'

'I did, yes. I passed with a ninety two percent and after I received my certificate, my examiner** handed me a pin badge.'**

'Yeah, it's sort of a tradition, I suppose. Not that anyone is actually wearing those. I received a pack of breath mints as well. Was probably a hint or something.'

'Hihi...'

'I gotta tell you though, CCNE is a big plus around here. We've got some fun projects coming up in the near future, including a server refurbishment where that would come in handy.'

'That sounds interesting.'

'It's gonna take some careful planning and being in the IT department, it's important that you don't have a nine to five mentality. We have strict SLA terms that must be met at all times, twenty four hours a day. I assume that having passed ITIL, you're familiar with SLA's?'

'Service Level Agreements? Yes, I'm familiar with that.'

'Could you tell us what it means?'

'Every call is assigned a priority. Depending on the priority and the impact of it, the issue has to be solved within a certain time frame.'

'Yup. A defective keyboard has no priority over a server failure and only impacts one person. A server failure on the other hand has an impact on at least two hundred people or more.'

'Could you tell me more about the SLA's the IT department has?'

'There are four priority levels. Condition Four is the lowest, which needs to be solved within eight hours. These are the kind of problems like a defective keyboard or replace a printer toner. Then there's Condition Three, which needs to be solved within six hours. Condition Two requires the issue to be solved within four hours. And then there's Severity One, with a maximum downtime of two hours.'

'So that server failure would've been a Severity One?'

'Exactly. Which is why it's so crucial in having the call assigned the right priority, especially when it impacts the business.'

'I see.'

All this time, George stayed quiet and kept staring at me while Tristan and I were talking. And every time I looked at him, he had this look in his eyes as if he already made up his mind about me. As if he didn't want me on the team or something... During the interview, I wasn't able to read anyone but I could still fairly guess what they thought of me. George on the other hand, was a complete mystery... It stayed silent for a moment until George took over from Tristan... And for some reason, I felt that he was going to ask the tough questions, hoping that I'd fuck up to give them an excuse not to hire me... And I was right, he did ask some tough questions... In a cold and emotionless voice, he started to ask me couple of things after scraping his throat...

'CCNE, huh?'

'Yes.'

'It's interesting because we never had a new recruit coming in here with a CCNE certification.'

'I've passed CCNE about five months ago. It's a course I enrolled in through college.'

'A Cisco Certified Network Engineer... Hm. So what can you tell me about the OSI model?'

I was a bit surprised by that... Not because he asked me that question but because he seemed unconvinced that I passed CCNE... Perhaps it was because I'm a girl and anything but in some way, I could understand. Any idiot can put anything on their résumé to make them look good so I could understand that he wanted to test my knowledge... But he seemed to be kind of patronizing and condescending the moment he started talking and especially when he asked me that question... And for some reason, George seemed to be the only one I had to convince the most and that everything depended on his approval... So I tried my best to ace everything he could throw at me... And so, the pop-quiz started...

'U-Uhm... The OSI model is a standardized reference model for data communication standards, explaining the underlying internal structure and technology.'

'And which PDU's does it contain?'

'Data, segment, uh... Packet, frame and symbol.'

'So if a receiving host performs a checksum on a frame that is damaged and then discarded, you were able to tell me on which OSI layer this happens?'

'That would be... uhm... That would happen on the Data Link layer.'

'Huh. And which characteristics does a Layer Two switch have?'

'Increase in the number of collision domains and it can implement VLAN.'

'Okay and what's the difference between TCP and UDP?'

'TCP provides synchronized communication and sequence numbering of packets. UDP doesn't.'

'Can you tell me two TCP applications?'

'SMTP and FTP.'

It stayed silent for a moment when George stopped asking questions. Tristan was seemingly enthusiastic and when George faced him, he simply shrugged... I couldn't help myself to have a bit of a smug grin when he couldn't prove me wrong... And while George still didn't seemed convinced for whatever reason, it was enough for now... He still had that grumpy expression on his face as he kept staring at me... After which, Tristan took over again to my relief. He was so much more pleasant to talk to...

'Why do you want to work here?'

'I have a couple of certificates but I can't put that in practice. And I believe that a company like Callahan Nordyne is a perfect place for me to put my knowledge to the test and learn anything that comes along my path. This program would be perfect for me accomplish that goal.'

'What would you say about your strengths?'

'I'm very eager to learn and highly motivated to do so. I love to work in a team but I can also manage to work independently if needed. Whenever there's a team assignment in college, I usually take charge.'

'And what would you consider a weakness of yours?'

'I think my eagerness to learn is also a weakness.'

'How so?'

'I love to learn new things but sometimes, I get a little too carried away. It causes me to become disorganized. But I believe that putting my knowledge in practice would become a structure for me to follow. Learning on the job means that there's a time to learn and a time to work, which would greatly help me in finding a structure.'

'I see. And what are some of your hobbies?'

'I love writing poems and reading. Taking a walk through Blackbriar Forest or go for a stroll on Gainsborough Boulevard. I love movies and playing an occasional game. But what I love the most is spending time with my family and friends.'

'They're the most important people in your life.'

'Absolutely...'

'Well, I guess I know enough for now unless George has anything to ask?'

'I don't have any others questions.'

'Ceylan, do you have any other questions for us at this stage?'

'No, I think everything is crystal clear. If I do have any questions later on, is it okay if I'd contact any of you?'

'Of course, I'll hand you my card later on.'

'That'd be great.'

'Anyone else have a question for Ceylan?'

George and Alan both shook their heads until Charlotte all of sudden looked up. She quickly flipped through her notepad and straightened her glasses when she looked at me.

'We haven't mentioned salary yet.'

'Salary?? I was under the impression that this was an internship?'

'Yes and no. While this is a learning program, it still means you'll be working for the company and we don't want to distinguish interns from full time employees. During the course of the program, you'll be treated as a full time employee, which means that you'll also receive monthly payment based on your weekly hours. Think of it as an incentive for your hard work and efforts at the end of the month. Salary will be discussed if we decide to have you on board.'

'Oh wow... I wasn't expecting that.'

'Needless to say, it takes careful consideration on our side to choose our recruits wisely if we were to invest in them in many ways.'

'Absolutely, I understand.'

'Alright so if there are no further questions, I'd like to propose to end the interview for now and the four of us will continue to review your application. We'll stay in touch and let you know whether or not we'd like to continue with you. We may conduct a second interview if needed to which you'll receive an invite once more.'

'Okay. Thank for your time.'

'No problem, it was nice to meet you.'

'Likewise.'

'I'll walk you out.'

Once Alan stood up, I got up from my seat and gave everyone a handshake. Tristan gave me his card, like he said he would but George seemed a little reluctant to give me his... While Alan, Tristan and Charlotte seemed positive, George on the other hand forced a smile on his face once more and his handshake was quite painful... Nevertheless, I stayed friendly and smiled right back at him. After which, Alan and I made our way outside the board-room and took the long elevator ride down. When we got back in the welcome area, Alan and I said our goodbyes. When I went through the security gates, the receptionist looked at me with a friendly smile and said goodbye as well. I told her to have a good day and so, I walked out of the building. And once I stood outside, I felt a whole load coming off my shoulders... But then an awful thought came to mind... How long did that conversation took?? I checked the clock on my phone and it was only half passed eleven. The interview didn't even last for fifteen minutes! "I fucked up bad, didn't I?? I knew it, I fucking knew it...'

I went to my car as quickly as I could and once I opened the door, I sat inside and anxiously looked for my pack of cigarettes. With shaky hands, I lit a one up and took several deep puffs while rolling down the window. It wasn't until then I realized just how anxious I was after realizing how short that interview was... And while I was smoking inside my car, all sorts of questions went through my mind... Did I do it right? Did I come off as a complete idiot or have I made an ass out of myself in any way...? What if I really did fuck up a once in a life time opportunity...? These questions didn't seem to help... And I realized the only thing I could do is to wait it out but I wasn't getting my hopes up... So once I stubbed out my cigarette, I put the key in the ignition and started my car... And so, I made the long way back home...

It was around a quarter past eleven when I got home. Simon was out working and Catherine was out doing groceries so I had the home to myself. I went to my room to change into something more comfortable and took my heels and dress off. Putting on jogging-trousers and a spaghetti top, I sat behind my computer and watched some YouTube videos to distract myself but I just couldn't keep my eyes from my phone, eagerly waiting to hear something from them. It's not uncommon for a company to reply after a few days ... But as the hours were ticking by, I became more impatient and tried all sorts of things to keep my mind occupied. And then finally, at around four o'clock, my phone went off and I picked up as fast as I could...

'Hello?!'

'Hey, it's me, Blain.'

'Oh hey...'

'How'd the interview go this morning?'

'Meh, I'm not sure... I couldn't tell if they saw any potential in me...'

'Well, it's their loss if they decide not to have you.'

'Yeah, well... This is such a great opportunity, you know? I don't wanna fuck it up by having a bad interview...'

'Did you mention your certificates?'

'Yeah, I did... One guy probably thought I just wrote some bullshit on my résumé to get in so he fired question after question on me like it was a pop-quiz or something... He already seemed to have an opinion on me before he even got to talk to me...'

'Hehehe...'

'Also, he seemed surprised that I was a girl so maybe that had something to do about it...'

'You think?'

'It's not uncommon for women to get into the IT business but still... He's probably old fashioned...'

'So now what?'

'I'll just have to wait. I may or may not get invited to the second round so until then, all I can do is to wait...'

'Yup... Hey listen, how about we go somewhere tonight? Have some dinner somewhere, go for stroll?'

'Yeah, sure, I'd love that. What time will you be home?'

'Around six, I think. I still have to finish up a couple of things here and I'll stop by after work to pick you up.'

'How's your new job working out for you, by the way?'

'Yeah, it's alright. Did some projects my reintegration counselor set me up with and well, so far she hasn't let me down. Even though it's been almost a year, I still feel like I need to get used to a civilian life.'

'Hm-mm... So where'd they assign you?'

'I work at the administration department at Stainthorpe Consultancy.'

'You?? A desk jockey??'

'Haha, I know, right? Never thought I'd end up doing that as a job. But hey, I'm good with numbers, the pay is good and the people are friendly. Still finding my way seeing as I've only been here a week but so far, it's going well. And it's actually kind of fun.'

'That's good to hear, Blain. I'm glad it's going so well. I think that - ... Oh, wait, could you hold on? I'm getting another call.'

'Sure thing.'

I looked at the display of my phone and noticed an unfamiliar number calling me. And when I picked it up, I heard an all too familiar voice...

'Hello?'

'Good afternoon Ceylan, it's Charlotte from Callahan Nordyne. I hope I'm not calling you at a bad time?'

'No, no absolutely not!'

'Good! So in regard to your interview earlier today, we were quite positive about you and normally we'd have you invited over for a second interview. However, both Tristan and George were convinced you are the right person for the job considering your qualifications. They see great potential in you so it was a unanimous decision to accept you as a recruit at Callahan Nordyne if you're still interested.'

'Really?? Wow! Of course, I'd love to! That's awesome, thank you so much! '

'You're welcome! And I understand its a thirty two hour week, is that correct?'

'Yes, it is!'

'As I mentioned during the interview, your salary will be based on the hours you make so for a thirty two hour week, I'd like to offer you twelve hundred dinar a month gross in total.'

'W-Wow, that's just... Wow! Yeah, absolutely!'

'Then that's settled! All that's left now is to sign your contract which will be send to your home address. Read through it carefully and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. The program starts in September but before it starts off, there will be an introduction day of which you'll be invited to attend.'

'Sound great! Thank you!'

'You're welcome, Ceylan. Do you have any questions for me at this moment?'

'No, it's all good!'

'Okay then I'd like to be the first to welcome you to Callahan Nordyne! Have a great weekend and we'll see you then!'

'Thanks, you too!'

'Bye, Ceylan!'

'Bye!'

I was so overwhelmed and filled with joy after that phone call... I kept staring at the display of my phone with a huge grin and I almost forgot I still had Blain on the line... So I quickly switched back to him.

'Hey! I'm back!'

'Oh hey, I gotta go soon though. Smoke break's almost over.'

'Guess what?!'

'What?'

'I'm in!!'

'What?! They've accepted you?!'

'Yes!! I'm gonna have my own salary and everything!'

'Haha! Wow, that's great! Good job, I knew you could do it! Congratulations!'

'Thanks! We'll definitely have something to celebrate tonight!'

'We'll stop by at O'Malley's for a drink.'

'Yeah!! Whoooo!!'

Blain stopped by at around six o'clock to pick me up and we went to Gainsborough Boulevard to have a stroll and dinner together... Everything was great and everything just seemed so perfect... I kept walking around with a huge smile on my face, something that Blain hasn't seen in quite a long time... I knew he was happy for me and when he told me it was so great to see me like this, I looked at him and realized that's all he ever wanted for me... Just for me to be happy... We went to O'Malley's pub like he said we would to grab a drink... Needless to say, I just had one Daiquiri... And at around midnight, the two of drove home with me at the wheel... I looked at him every once in a while and realized that this night shouldn't end like this... So instead of going home, I drove to Blackbriar forest... Along the way, he kept asking where we were going but I wasn't answering him... When we finally got there, the place was deserted at midnight like I thought it would... So I parked my car on the parking lot and got out while Blain stayed seated and was a bit confused at first... He got out of the car and followed me when I walked the path leading into the forest... It stayed quiet while the two of us were just walking until at some point, I pulled him into the bushes and started to make out with him... He seemed surprised at first but it didn't take long before his hand went down my panties... And after a good rub, I stood up and unbuttoned my jeans, slowly pulling them down... I turned around so that my back was facing him while I was bending over to lower my panties... Leaning against a tree, I stuck my ass out for him and it didn't take long for him to get the hint... I've never done it outside and I suppose neither did he... And well, you can guess what happened next... A perfect ending to a perfect night... I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to celebrate... Except my interpretation of a celebration was a little different then he thought...

That phone call turned out to be a changing point and the start of my adult life. And while I had no idea what the future would hold in store for me, I wasn't thinking of it that day. All I could think of was the opportunity that was given me and that I would do everything to succeed. I knew it was going to be tough. And even though women aren't uncommon in the IT world, I knew most people would be biased on my position. Perhaps some would think that I have been hired for my looks or for the sake of diversity and emancipation. Some guys would probably think I had sucked a couple of dicks and spread my legs to get hired in an IT job function. Some would thwart me, others would side with me. Either way, it certainly wasn't going to be easy... But I'd make damn sure to stand my ground and show them what I was capable was. No one was going to fuck this opportunity up for me and anyone who'd try to do so was going to have a hard time with me. It all depended on mutual respect which can only be earned through hard work. And even though I knew I could do this, I also realized I had a long way to go...