Whispers that Scream

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jane

Jane texted Adam regularly over the next couple of days but never saw him. She was beside herself with worry but had promised to give him the space and time to get over this depressed state he had entered. She had boundless energy that she wasn't sure what to do with. She decided to put that energy towards something productive and began to apply to every interior design position within New Orleans and the surrounding areas.

Every time a new email would come from a company that she had applied to, she would hold her breath, hoping against hope that this email would finally be the one to deliver some good news. It never was. Email after email would thank her for applying and state that they were going in a different direction for the position. 

The constant rejection took its toll on her, and she began to see the whole thing as pointless. As she was picking up around the house, bored out of her mind, her phone chimed with yet another email from a company she had applied to. Having lost hope in the process, she routinely opened it, expecting another rejection. This email was different, however.

Thank you for your application, Jane. We believe you may be a good candidate for the Entry Level Interior Designer position. Please send some dates and times you will be available for an interview.

Jane let out a yell of victory. The adage was true. It only takes one. She was available all day every day, but they didn't need to know that fact. She sent over some times that she thought may be good for a hiring manager and waited. The response came quickly. Tomorrow at three. She ran to her closet to start deciding what she should wear while simultaneously looking up interview tips and tricks on her phone.

The next day, Jane was ready. She looked professional. She knew all the likely questions she would be asked and felt that she had great answers prepared for them. The interview came and went and she was ecstatic with how well she did. She nailed it! She was trying to keep her hopes down, but it seemed inevitable she was going to get this job. The next morning, she received an email from the company, wondering if she was being offered the job so quickly. She frantically opened the email only to see a rejection. They were choosing to go with someone else for the position. Devastated, she didn't apply to any jobs the rest of the day.

Throughout the week, Jane was invited to interview two more times, and each time, she felt like she did great before receiving an email that the company was going with someone else. It was a brutal process. Constant rejection would get to anyone eventually.

As a break from the job search, she had even gone to Sarah's house so that Marie could meet her namesake. Jane held Marie in her arms for hours and refused to give her up until Marie started to pull her hair and throw a tantrum. She smiled as she watched Marie, just beginning to learn to walk, waddle away from her. She loved that little girl, and now, Marie would know that she had another adult in her life to depend on.

She had decided to pause her job hunt the following week, becoming more and more worried that she hadn't seen Adam yet. She would give him one more day before going over to his house and busting the door down if she had to.

Then, on Monday morning, she received an email from one of the first companies she had applied to. Expecting another rejection email, she went through the motion of opening it and was surprised to see another interview request. She didn't get the same thrill at the request that she might have a week ago. She had come to realize an interview request brought her no closer to a job offer than a rejection email. Eh. I'll do this last interview before taking a break from the job search next week.

She wasn't sure what she had been doing wrong in her failed interviews, so she could do nothing but continue as she had been. Once again, she thought she did well in the interview. The position was an entry-level role where she would be assisting an experienced interior designer with the possibility of moving up into a solo role once she became certified. It was perfect for what she was looking for. Thinking nothing of the interview, she moped around the house that night, occasionally walking out onto the porch to try to get a glimpse of Adam inside his home, but to no avail.