Beauty and the Beast

A Harsh Wake-up Call

 This better be a good interview. Calling me out all the way to Austerlitz, a good three hours from New York! I thought, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I drove through the small, quiet town.

 

I glanced around the quaint neighborhood. Austerlitz was a peaceful place with traces of Victorian and Edwardian styles in their homes and shops, a small vacation spot or retirement town for the rich and the elderly. The town was painted in calm and soothing colors, warm and rich like the nature of the place. Beautiful oak trees sprouted on every street and corner, and there was something about the ambiance of the town that brought a pleasant smile to one's face (even with the simple drift of a falling leaf). If I wasn't struggling to pay my bills, I'd probably live here.

 

I stopped at a traffic light, nodding at an elderly couple with a polite smile and tapping my fingers to the beat of Michael Jackson. I spared a glance at the pile of books and papers strewn all over my car. My medical books were stacked in the back seat with my book bag and a box of CDs on the floor. In the passenger seat, a bunch of documents sat like a giant weight in my car, specifically the empty college application to Cornell. I sighed and tossed my neon pink folder from my lap above it.

 

 One day, Hailey, one day. You'll get there, one step at a time, I thought. For now though, you have an interview to get to. The light turned green, and I switched the gear to drive. I pulled out of the shopping district and entered the residential area. This was where I needed directions. Using the small Google map I got in the mail, I tried to navigate my way through the unfamiliar area. Note the emphasis on tried.

 

It took me about thirty minutes to finally reach my destination. It was a huge Victorian mansion with ornamented window frames and faded marble bricks. I pulled my old Volkswagen beetle into the circular, cobblestone driveway, noticing with a dry look the four-car garage. Rich people... I thought.

 

I stepped out of the car with my pink folder in hand. Heaving a nervous sigh, I walked toward the mahogany front door while adjusting my only suit I had available to me. I didn't think I would get this shaken up for an interview. After all, it was just an interview with the world's most mysterious and richest CEO. No pressure. None at all.

 

Standing in front of the mahogany door, a marathon of doubts and curiosities raced through my mind all of a sudden. The world had never seen this man ever before. Ever since the last CEO died of a heart attack, the media had turned its attention to the new heir, a young and enigmatic male of uncertain age, appearance, and demeanor. To say that I wasn't intimidated would be a lie. I was terrified.

 

When I sent in my application three weeks ago, I had sent it without a second thought, believing that I wouldn't be picked anyway. Why would they want a community college graduate? I sent that application on a whim, on an impulse (one that I should have never acted on). And then, I get a call, telling me to check my mail, and voila! Sitting in my mailbox were sheets of information about the location of the interview and the dress code for the event. And the next day, I was driving to Austerlitz with a mild curiosity about this CEO and fear about the unknown.

 

However, who knows what happened between the carrier and the office? My application could have been intercepted by some serial killer, who has led me here to this quiet and isolated spot to murder me! I felt the terror shoot up my spine, as I deeply inhaled and straightened up. Closing my eyes, I tried to calm myself. I should really stop watching those crime dramas for the time being. They're putting thoughts into my head. Uncomfortable ones, I thought.