Sally's Secret

Chapter 4

Maria Anderson sat on Lady Penelope's couch, petrified. Sally Tracy, who was grandmother to all the famous Tracys who piloted the Thunderbirds, was the one hiring the home health aide. Her email had said cleaning and cooking would also be integral to the job, but Maria never dreamed she would be going up against a chef from some elite cooking school in Paris. Furthermore, it appeared at first that Maria had chosen her clothes badly for the interview. The chef wore a fancy embroidered uniform and the beautiful fashionista wore a designer dress and shoes that probably cost more than six months' rent. And here sat Maria, the uncultured American, wearing ciel blue scrubs and somewhat scuffed trainers. She had been calculating a way to escape the embarrassment of going through with the interview until Mrs. Tracy showed up wearing a purple tracksuit. The scrubs didn't feel quite so out of place against that tracksuit.

Now, the other two candidates had been told they were no longer under consideration and could take their things and go. Both of them had brought piles and piles of luggage for in case they were hired. Maria didn't even own that much luggage, much less anything to put inside it. If those two refined and proper English girls didn't impress Mrs.Tracy, what hope did Maria have? She wanted nothing more than to disappear right now. But Lady Penelope was so nice and Maria couldn't think of a polite way to make a break for it.

Her turn in the interview room came despite trying to wish it away. She was so numb with anxiety that she initially forgot her tablet and the insulated lunch bag that held her cooking sample and had to run back to grab them while the elegant Lady Penelope stood in the hall, probably rolling her eyes. Maria's biggest comfort was that the humiliation would probably be brief. The other two interviews had been very short, so her getaway was sure to be soon.

As she sat down, she considered apologising for the scrubs, but every way she could think of to mention it also sounded insulting to Mrs. Tracy's tracksuit. Besides, was it really that unreasonable for a home health aide to wear scrubs? She probably wasn't going to get this job, but that was no call to give them anymore criticisms to use against her. Maria could do quite a thorough job of tearing down her own self-esteem, thank you very much.

"You look like I'm about to eat you alive," Mrs. Tracy said jokingly. Her warm smile gave Maria the courage to plough on.

"I'm very nervous. I really want this job," she said aloud, but I feel so inadequate, she finished in her head. Had she known when she first applied that it was for the famous Tracy family, she would never have bothered. The Tracys were pilots and astronauts and super-mega-altruistic heroes that saved the world more regularly than Maria took out the garbage. Maria was a nobody, from a fairly long line of nobodies.

"Well, right now, you're the top applicant!"

Surely it was a mistake that she had even been third. However, she recognised Mrs. Tracy was trying to put her at ease, and that was considerate enough that Maria tried very hard to relax.

"Why don't we start with your menus?" Mrs. Tracy held out her hand.

It was then that Maria saw the menus the other two applicants had brought, now sitting on the desk. Actual paper. One of them bound in a fancy folder with gold lettering too. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise you wanted hard copies. Mine are just on this." Maria held up her tablet.

"Oh, that's fine," Mrs. Tracy said reassuringly. "All this paper is just going to get shredded anyway. Such a waste! Can you holo-project from that thingy?"

"Of course," Maria said. She would never have expected someone of Mrs. Tracy's age to read on the small screen, even with those thick glasses. Besides, how would she navigate if it wasn't holo-pages? Maria hurriedly found the file, projected it to eye level, and set the tablet on the desk. "Uh, I didn't know what dietary restrictions you need to follow, so I made up menus for diabetic, coeliac, vegan, and lactose intolerance. Just wave through until you find the right one. I can also workaround most food allergies. I just need to know in advance what you're sensitive to."