The Jacket Snatcher

Chapter 14- No Worries

When I walk into the big office building, I have no idea where I'm supposed to go. Thankfully, there's a friendly-looking, motherly woman at the front desk that must notice my distressed look because she waves me over.

"Do you need help, sweetheart?" she asks with a genuine smile.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm looking for Tracks magazine?"

She glances down at what must be a directory of the building before looking back up at me. "Third floor. Suite 312."

"Thank you so much!" I wave to her as I make my way to the elevators, my newly purchased heels clicking across the marble tiles of the lobby. There are a few other people in the elevator when I get on, so I discretely tug on my black pencil skirt, smoothing out the wrinkles and making sure everything is in place on the ride up.

Suite 312 faces me when I get off the lift, a pair of tall glass doors with an empty receptionist desk behind them. I walk in and peer around, looking for someone to help me. I glance at the clock. It's still a little before 9:00 a.m. Maybe I'm too early?

Just when I am about to double check my email to make sure I am here at the right time, a girl who appears to be in her mid-twenties comes stumbling into the room carrying a couple of cardboard boxes. I rush over to help her just as she is about to drop one. She shimmies it into my arms and together we place them onto a worktable off to the side.

"Thanks for that!" She turns to face me and brushes her hands across her dark denim jeans. She extends one to me. "I'm Lindsay."

"Stephanie," I reply, shaking her hand.

Her eyes light up. "Oh! You're my new intern! That explains the accent." She grins and motions for me to follow her.

We enter a modestly sized office down the hall, and she takes a seat behind the desk after pulling out a facing chair for me. I take a seat gingerly, trying to look equally professional and at ease. I must be doing a pretty terrible job at it because she chuckles when she sits across from me.

"Look, I know you must be nervous, but you really shouldn't be. Us Aussies are pretty laid back. In fact," she says, glancing at my outfit, "your outfit is awesome, but you won't see CEO's in Australia dressed half that fancy. You can just come in jeans and a nice blouse if you're in the office. If you're out on assignment, wear whatever makes you feel comfortable."

I smile at her words, thinking of all of the expensive, uncomfortable clothing I'm going to get to return.

"Which brings me to what you'll actually be doing for us. Like I said, I'm Lindsay, but to better introduce myself, I am one of the photography editors here. You will be working directly under me." She gives me a big grin. "And you already made a good first impression by helping me with those boxes out there." She pauses here to rub the soreness out of her arms.

"It was no problem," I say, smiling back at her.

"No worries. That's what we say here."

I nod.

"So do you have any questions for me? You must."

"Well," I think for a moment, but the truth is, I already have multiple questions at hand. "What exactly is my first assignment? How does it all work?"

She smacks her head with the palm of her hand. "Duh. I should've started with that. Okay, here's the deal: in a few hours, the preliminary registration and a couple of qualifying rounds will take place down at Bondi. We'll head down there together, and I want you to get some shots of the qualifiers and newcomers who are registering. None of the big names will be surfing today, so it's kind of like a test run. Letting you get your feet wet, so to speak." She chuckles at her own pun and I find myself laughing as well. "Until then, let me show you your desk and get you logged into your computer. This is where you will upload your photos each morning. We'll go over the film together the first couple times so I can give you a few pointers if need be."