Something Tangible

Pride and Pretension

Katarina plopped herself in the leather car seat with a dramatic huff, the hopeful expression on Steven's face falling once he saw her scowl.

"I take it the interview did not go well," he asked cautiously.

"I bombed," she simply said, her lips pursed.

"How can you be so sure Katarina? Maybe it wasn't as bad as you think," he said encouragingly. Can I put my hand on her knee? No that would be weird.

"Trust me I know. It was a bunch of old white guys around a table looking at me like I was some exotic creature and patronizing me with softball questions because they assumed I didn't understand money matters — which I don't, but that's irrelevant. And you know who they'll wind up giving the job to? Another old white guy," she complained, her voice dripping with disdain, arms crossed against her chest. She's cute when she's pouting.

"Be fair Katarina. A man will probably get it but he might not be that old," Steven joked, trying to lift her spirits — not entirely out of the goodness of his heart. This is really going to kill her mood for other things if I don't turn it around quickly.

A ghost of a smile tugged the corner of her mouth, though Katarina stubbornly refused to give into it.

"I saw that," he ribbed her. "Try and look on the bright side. You had a firm grasp of the basics at lunch. I'm sure you blew them away. You're just being hard on yourself."

"Your sunny disposition is really putting a damper on my pessimism, so could you kindly stop it? I didn't get the job OK," she said emphatically, refusing to look him in the eye in case he tried to make her laugh again.

"Has anyone ever told you have a very negative perception of yourself?"

"Yes, practically everyone."

And she was annoyed that of all people, Steven — who prided himself on being cutthroat to conquer the business world — was adding his name to the list. How many times has he been that patronizing interviewer?

"I worry about your self-esteem issues Katarina. Self-deprecation will only take you so far in life," he chided her.

"Are you calling me out on being negative? Hello pot, meet kettle," she snapped, squinting her eyes at him. "You once told me that you assume a 'no-nonsense' persona to get ahead in life — 'no-nonsense' being a euphemism for 'rude.' Well, negativity is my defense mechanism to get through life. No one can cut you down if you've already done it all on your own," she informed him coldly.

Fidgeting in his seat, Steven struggled to respond to her unprovoked attack, a pang of hurt flashing across his face. Katarina pinched the bridge of her nose as her foot-in-mouth disease reared its ugly head again.

"Oh Jesus I'm so sorry Steven. I just called the person who paid for my train ticket and spent his busy afternoon trying to help me nail a job interview rude. That doesn't just take gall. That takes fucking Chutzpah!"

She slumped in the plush leather seat. "This damn job search has just battered my confidence. I feel like I'm sending resumes into an empty void and missing out on the secret to acing interviews that everyone else seems to know about but me. Still, that's no excuse for taking it out on you. I'm really sorry. Please forgive me Steven."

She looked at him with those powder blue eyes, unaware of the power they wielded. He was already putty in her hands.

"Don't be sorry Katarina. I know how stressful searching for a job can be. Well, I don't actually, but that doesn't mean I can't empathize," Steven said, astounded by the uncharacteristic amount of patience he had for this woman. If anyone else had spoken to me in such a manner, I would've fired them, reamed them, sued them or tossed them out of the car. Instead, I'm wracking my brain for ways to help this girl out of her predicament. I hope I get credit for this at some point tonight.