A short story offering from Laura Austin - The Applicant
When the door opened, every face in the room lifted from his or her various distractions: cell phones, magazines, and nervously twisting hands. Yet another pair of hopeful eyes swept the small waiting area. Jobs were hard to find in this busy business district, and jobs that paid what this one was offering were nearly non-existent. The newly arrived young woman spotted the only remaining chair and sat stiffly, clutching her purse in her lap. Her skirt rode up over her knees and she worried that she should have worn different shoes. Her appearance today shouldn’t matter beyond looking clean and professional, but she knew that it did. Across from the woman was a middle-aged man from West Africa. His suit and tie were respectable enough, but they did nothing to hide his age; the gray at his temples made sure of that. He was confident in his credentials, but worried that his strong accent would be a disadvantage. The extreme competition made nearly everything a disadvantage. A ne