Halley somehow by the grace of the universe tied his tie, made his bed, grabbed the folder with his resume, and left for the bus stop. It was a rainy day, and he'd forgotten to bring his umbrella, but at least the bus stop was covered. Every cloud has a silver lining, he supposed.
He didn't want to go. This entire thing was dumb. What was an interview but pretending to like each other for fifteen minutes? It wasn't like you'd be under the same conditions ever again if you got the job. Why was there so much song and dance just to work the opening shift at the local electronics store? None of it ever made sense.
The bus arrived and he climbed on, showed the driver his bus pass, and found a seat near the back. He leaned his head on the window and watched the rainy world pass by. Maybe he'd stay on the bus and make it to several towns away and just...start over. Maybe he'd fake his death, too. Disappear off the map and wind up in Nebraska or something. Then he'd change his name again, but he didn't know what to pick. He'd be without a good name in Nebraska.
After zoning out for a while, he finally made it to his stop in town and got off the bus, starting the several block walk to the...where was he even interviewing again? All of the jobs he applied to were starting to blend together and he couldn't remember who called him back and who didn't. Oh well. He'd probably remember if he saw it.
Right. The electronics store. RadioShack, specifically. Or whatever was left of it. He didn't suspect he'd be working there very long if he landed the job.
He finally reached the front door and walked inside, his folder tucked under his arm. That rubbery scent of new electronics hit his nose as soon as he passed the threshold. There were only a few other people there, and only one of them was an employee.
Halley stepped up to the counter, nervously fidgeting with the end of his tie.
"Uh...I-I'm here for an interview. With your boss. I think." he said. "Unless you are the boss. In which case it's with you."
The employee sighed.
"He's in his office. Come on."
Halley followed the employee past the door to the back rooms, which smelled less of new electronics and more of dirt and old metal. Eventually they both came up to an open door and the employee walked away a bit too quickly for Halley's taste.
What he assumed to be the manager looked up from his computer and stood up.
"Come on in. You're the 9:30, right?"
Halley looked at the clock. It was 9:25.
"Uh...yeah."
The manager shook his hand and they both sat down.
"My name's Clint, I'm the manager here." he said, then picked up a couple of papers and looked them over. "And your name is...Hailey?"
"It-it's actually, um, Halley. With a short a."
Clint looked up at him and narrowed his eyes.
"...Right." he said, then set the papers down. "Doesn't look like you've got a whole lot of work experience."
"I worked at Subway in high school and went to college for three years afterward."
"What happened to college?"
"I-I dropped out." Halley answered. "Couldn't afford it anymore."
"What was your major?"
"Astrophysics."
Clint looked surprised.
"Really? You don't seem the type."
Halley didn't want to admit that he dropped out because he couldn't keep up. Finances were the perfect white lie.
"Well...you know how it goes."
"I suppose I do." Clint said, sitting back in his chair. "So...what are some of your strengths?"
Nothing, Halley thought, but he had a lot of time to think about his pre-formed answer.
"I show up to work." he replied. "And-and I like to think I'm good with people."
Clint raised an eyebrow.
"And weaknesses?"
Halley shifted in his place. He could go on and on for hours about that, but he decided to hold his tongue on most of it.
"I'm, uh, kind of accident prone. But I always try to fix it. I don't leave my messes for someone else to clean up."
"Interesting. Never heard that one before."
Halley didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
"So...why this company?" Clint asked. "Why choose to apply here?"
Because it was one of few places he could actually land an interview. But he didn't say that.
"I would come here with my dad when I was a kid." Halley answered. "And it's kind of got a nostalgic feel to it. He'd come in trying to find parts for whatever project he was working on and I'd go look at the computers."
Clint sighed.
"Things just aren't how they used to be anymore, huh?" he said wistfully. He looked at Halley and thought for a moment. "I like you, kid. Really. I can tell you're smart, and that you're willing to work, but...you just don't have the right energy. Not the right gusto we're looking for, you know?"
Halley didn't know. His heart dropped to his stomach.
"So you're..."
"I'm sorry, Hailey. Halley. Hope you find a job you're looking for soon."
Halley gritted his teeth and stood up.
"Thank you for your time." he said, almost straining against having a complete freakout in the middle of the manager's office.
He turned and walked out, back out into the rain. It wasn't worth waiting for the bus. The long walk home was enough to think about everything he did wrong.
Christ, he was useless!
As soon as he was out of sight of the store, he turned and kicked one of the metal city trash cans as hard as he could, then threw his folder into the empty street.
He'd be catching Hell as soon as he got home.
Halley pushed his hands into his pockets and started walking home.
He wasn't good for anything.
