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Erika: Sure. What’s going on?
Me: I have a job interview tomorrow. A big one and I’d like you to help me practice.
Erika: Yay! I’m so proud of you. Of course, I’ll be there. See you at 6!
“Everything okay, Francesca?” my Nonna asked, coming from the family room. Wheel of Fortune played in the background.
I smiled. “Yes, Nonna. At least it’s going to be.”
She came up to me and patted my cheek. “You’re a smart girl, Francesca. Nonna loves you very much.”
She had said this to me before, but this time I fought back tears. For the first time in a long time, I believed her. “Thank you, Nonna.” My voice cracked and I hugged her before she could see the emotion in my eyes.
“Don’t cry,” she said, rubbing my back. “Everything will be okay.”
I nodded and held her tighter. She was shorter than my five-foot-four stature, barely reaching five feet, but she was the strongest person I knew.
Pulling away from her, I wiped the tears that had escaped. “Oh, Nonna. Can you set an extra plate for dinner? Erika will be joining us.”
“That’s good,” she said with a smile. “Marco will be very happy.”
“Don’t encourage him.” I laughed and hurried upstairs.
A few hours later, having finished dinner, Erika sprawled herself on my bed as I tried on outfits for tomorrow. “Not that one,” she said. “It makes you look old.”
“This is the third one I’ve tried on,” I complained. “I don’t have any designer clothes in here to work with.”
“You don’t need designer clothes to look fashionable, trust me.” She pushed herself up from the bed and stood in front of my closet with both hands on her hips. She pulled out a black blouse, a black pencil skirt, and a bright pink sweater. “Try these on.”
After buttoning the sweater, I checked myself in the mirror. “Not bad,” I said. “This could work.”
Erika removed her black feathered headband and placed it on my head. “Now it’s perfect.” Staring back at me in the mirror, she smiled. “You got this, Frannie.”
I nodded and pulled my shoulders back to stand up straighter. “I got this.”
The next day, I asked Marco to drive me to the interview. It had snowed last night and I didn’t want to bring an extra pair of shoes on the bus. However, when I sat in the car, my nerves got the best of me and I panicked.
What if I don’t get the job? What if I do?
“Relax,” Marco said when he spotted my knee bouncing in the passenger seat. “You’re going to knock their socks off.”
I looked out the window as we approached a large white building with a blue roof. “This is it.” My stomach clenched and I bit my lip to hold in a groan. “Maybe it’s not too late to cancel,” I said.
“You rehearsed with Erika last night. I heard you. You were great. You’ve got nothing to worry about,” he said. “Even if you don’t get this job, I’m proud of you. I know this is a big step for you.”
I turned to my little brother and smiled. “Thank you,” I said and patted his cheek. “You’re turning into Nonna, you know that?”
“Get out of my car before I take back what I said.”
I laughed and grabbed my portfolio before I closed the car door. With a honk, he pulled out onto the street. The building was smaller than Crawford Corp, with fewer windows, too, but I felt more intimidated than when I applied for a job there. Walking up to the front doors, I inhaled deeply.
“Here goes nothing,” I whispered, and stepped through the automated glass doors.
“I’m here to see Ms. Mahmoud. My name’s Frances Netto,” I told security at the front desk. After a brief phone conversation, he directed me to the fifth floor.
There was no reception desk when I stepped off the elevator, but a woman in a short bob waved me over from behind her glass-enclosed office. She sat with her arms crossed at her desk while she listened to a man on the other end. “I don’t care what you have to do, Gerald, just get it done.” She hit a button on the phone and rolled up the sleeves of her blazer. Leaning forward, she extended her hand toward me. “Frances? I’m Mariam Mahmoud, CEO of Sterling Realty.”
I gave her my firmest handshake and sat down in the white linen chair across from her desk. “Thank you for coming on short notice,” she said, her eyes trained on mine.
