Missed Connections

Missed Connections: Chapters 1 & 2

CHAPTER 1

I blot my sweaty palms on my black A-line skirt, feel­ing horrifically overdressed. The scent of sage and sandalwood hits the back of my throat as I inhale deeply and sneak a glance at the clock on the wall. Fifteen minutes down.

Fern crosses her jegging-clad legs and leans back in the seat. Her dark-chocolate eyes narrow thoughtfully. "Where do you see yourself in five years, Sarah?"

Damn. This is my least favorite question, second only to "What are your weaknesses?" Like anyone truthfully answers either of them. My typical answers would send me shooting up the corporate ladder, but I'm in unfa­miliar territory dealing with New Age hippies and the patchouli highway.

I have to answer carefully. "I don't like planning that far in advance because it's too rigid. I think it's better to take things as they come and to stay as flexible in regard to the future as I can. There really isn't a future; there's only now. You know?" Please buy my babbling.

She smiles. "Great answer."

Ziggy nods. "Great answer."

Nailed it! I duck my head and try to look modest but maintain eye contact. New Age hippies are all

about meaningful gazes. Should I add a namaste? No, that would be too much. God, I need this job. Even if I didn't have tens of thousands of dollars of student debt to repay, New York's cost of living would cripple me.

Ziggy holds his paper out to Fern and points at something. She nods. He swivels back and forth in his chair, and I try not to stare at his bony knees peek­ing out from his jean shorts. I also try not to stare at his hair. His salt-and-pepper ponytail wings out above his ears, giving him a sort of wild vibe, like Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick. "What made you want to work here at Inner Space?"

The fact that I got laid off from the law firm six weeks ago and my standards are rapidly plummeting in the city's employer-friendly job market? "There was just something about the ad. I couldn't not reply, if that makes sense."

Fern and Ziggy share a smile, and Fern leans for­ward. "I'm going to say something, and I want you to tell us the first words that come into your mind."

"Word association?"

"Yes! You're sharp." Fern's voice has grown steadily warmer through the interview. She brings her long, blond braid over her shoulder. "Okay. The law of attraction." She spreads her fingers like a slow-motion explosion.

Not this Secret "Law of Attraction" crap again. This is the third interview that's mentioned it. "You attract what you expect."

Ziggy squints. "And what does that mean to you?"

Nothing, because I put so much good out there and life keeps crapping on me but rewarding assholes left, right, and center! "Well." Can I answer this being mostly truthful? "If you go around treating people badly and putting bad energy out there, chances are that's what you're going to draw to yourself."

"Great answer."

Ziggy claps once. "Great answer. Do you have any questions for us?"

How much would you be paying me? "Why did the last receptionist leave?"

"Ah. We're sort of about looking forward, not back­ward." Fern frowns.

Damn it, I'm losing them. "I totally get that. I just sort of got a weird vibe around the desk when we walked in." In the dark, on a Sunday, in an empty spa.