The time that made a difference

Have you ever longed for something so dearly that you gave yourself and all that's in you for it, and just when you're sure that you've gotten what you wanted, in a twinkle of an eye, you see it falling out of your grasp? Well, I've been in such a situation, and I can tell you that it wasn't an easy thing to deal with. For the moment, I felt my life would actually end, but luck paved a way for me.

---

I was done typing my application letter, and I just added my last remarks; I went through it over and over again to make sure that no word was omitted. When I was done with that, I smiled satisfactorily and clicked on the send button. A few seconds later, a response popped up on my phone, and I was asked to check back in a few days to see if I had been accepted.

The SMILEY'S ushering services were the most talked about in town, and every young girl dreamed of being a part of it because it came with a lot of opportunities. One could even stand a chance to travel around the world once the clients were satisfied with the role the person had played in an event. I wanted to be a part of it, and I spent months preparing myself for it. I would dress like them and try to mimic their walking steps as well as their standing posture, and when I felt that I had become perfect in it, I decided to apply, and I was convinced that I'd be accepted into the organization.

Source

"Have you checked to see if you've been accepted?" My roommate asked me.

I sighed when she asked and turned away. Earlier that morning, I had checked the organization's online platform, and I wasn't enlisted as one of those who could come for an interview. It weighed heavily on me, and with my roommate asking about it, I felt more sad than I had been.

"Jane, are you okay?" She asked me, and her voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I'm fine." I responded, nodding repeatedly.

"Still no response?" She came to my side and crossed her hand over my shoulders.

"I don't know what to do anymore, and they'll stop recruiting in two days time." I replied.

It was obvious that I was bothered, and I worried that I might lose the job. My roommate got me a glass of water; I glanced at the glass and looked away.

"Take this first and calm your nerves. Have you checked your email?" She asked me, and I jolted and quickly picked up my phone. I went to my email and scrolled through it, and surprisingly, the acceptance of my application was there, and it had been sent for over two days.I showed the text to her and screamed in excitement.

"Why didn't you check this all this time?" She asked me.

"I had no idea that it would come through the mail." I replied.

Joyce went through the mail, and suddenly, I saw her countenance change. I became worried and stared at her.

"Did you see something that I didn't see?" I asked her.

She handed the phone back to me and pointed to a line that I had missed in the course of my excitement. My jaws dropped when I saw the information of my first interview, and I was just a day away from the deadline. Huge balls of sweat rolled down my face, and my palms became sweaty, which always occurred whenever I got a panic attack.It was a good thing that I was with my roommate, because at that moment, I felt lightheaded, and my leg gave way. The next few seconds were hazardous for me; I had a lot of thoughts going through my head, and I couldn't get myself in order.

"Jane, calm down. You can still meet up." My roommate tried to console me, but it was a futile attempt because I knew too well that it'd take a miracle for me to meet up. I still had to get my hair done, get my dress ironed and ready, and also revise and rehearse all that might be required of me, and I had less than 24 hours to do that.

"Jane! Jane!!" My roommate called out my name. My head was throbbing with pain because of the hurt I felt. I turned to face her, and she hugged me close till she felt I was better.

"Go and get your hair done; I'll get your dress ready. Do not panic. We can stay up all night and revise your proposals." She said to me, and I nodded.

I hurriedly had my bath, and I rushed off to the saloon to get my hair done. By the time I was back, Joyce had already ironed my dress and had my shoe cleaned and polished.
Since she was a manicure personnel, she did my nails too and helped me with the lashes, and that night, she showed me that indeed, she was my friend. We stayed up till it was past midnight, then she sent me to bed.I had trouble sleeping that night; my dreams were filled with a series of interview segments and so many other things that I was scared of.

Dawn broke, and I got ready. Joyce helped to fix my breakfast, and after a little bite of it, I rushed out of the house; now, all I prayed for was a smooth transit from my house to the interview.En route, the vehicle I had boarded had a breakdown, and it took about 30 minutes to fix it. I kept checking my wristwatch, and I was already 20 mins behind schedule. It took a lot to stop the tears that were surging to pour from my eyes. I called my roommate in a bid to distract myself a little.

"Hope you aren't crying?" She asked me after I told her of the vehicle breakdown.

"I'm trying not to." I replied.

"You better not do it; your makeup will spoil, and I don't know what would be worse than that." She advised me.

"I feel like I should return home. I'm already late, and lateness won't be tolerated. Isn't it better to stay at home than get there and be humiliated?" I whined like a child.

"You can't just give up like that. You're a strong lady, and you've worked so hard for this. You will get the job." Her words comforted me, and we kept the call going till I got to the company.

I checked my time again, and I was 45 mins late. I stood for a minute to catch my breath, then I walked into the building. I took a quick glance around and caught sight of people in similar dressing with me.

They must be here for the interview as well. I thought to myself, and I walked to the first lady at the far end of the long bench they had been sitting on.

"Is the interview done?" I asked her.

"No, we've not started. The boss decided to be present for the interviews, so they had to place it on hold for now. But they've told us to wait; he's on his way coming." The lady explained, and I found myself smiling.

I took a deep breath and sat beside her. We waited for another 20 minutes before the man finally came, and I was the first person on the list to be interviewed. I went in for the interview, and luckily for me, the boss was impressed, and I was recruited immediately.My joy knew no bounds. I danced around and called my roommate, who immediately picked up at the first ring.

"How did it go?" She asked me.

"I got in!!!" I screamed out in excitement.

"Whoa, I'm so happy for you. I told you, didn't I?" She was overjoyed.

"This is purely the work of luck. I almost didn't make it." I narrated the whole incident and how lucky I was that the boss decided to be present for the interview.

"I'm really glad you got in after all the troubles you've had. I'll be waiting at home. Maybe we could hang out for a celebration." She said, and I laughed.

After the call, I took a walk around the company and wondered what I would've done if I hadn't made it to the interview, seeing that my name was first on the list. For the first time, I was grateful for a delay, because my boss's delay was a gift of time that had gotten me my dream job.

Source

Thanks for reading.