The Day I Went Mad
After university, I was confident I’d flourish in a career of travel and excitement. Now, at the young age of 23, I feel like I’m not where I should be in life. Call it a lack of faith in my career or fearing there’s no chance of advancement for me. I chalked up my first rejection to being inexperienced. It was my first official job interview after being a lowly intern for over a year. I didn’t have that much knowledge of the industry. My understanding was basic at best. However, I still expected to get the job, just as I expect to get everything I want. I didn’t feel too defeated though, being a Priority Service Agent meant working shifts at the airport, including weekends and holidays. I’d just wait for the next best thing to come along.
I stayed with my company for three more years, rapidly gaining experience that qualified me to be a Customer Service Agent. The paycheck would be significantly higher, I would be able to comfortably pay off my student loans and buy a new car! The possibilities were endless.
The position finally became vacant, and I was sure it was going to be mine. As luck would have it, I still didn’t get the job. Disappointment flooded me. I would never forget the day my manager sat me down in her office for an hour, and basically explained to me why I wasn’t good enough for the position. ‘Hey you’re doing a good enough job as a Clerical Assistant. You should keep at it for a few more years while the company continues to feed you false hope and doesn’t make you permanent.’ I cried before her that day. I tried to be strong, but the more she spoke, the more upset I became. I deserved that promotion.
Do you know what hurt the most? What really destroyed me and essentially sent me off my rockers is the lazy, incompetent, lackadaisical boy they chose over me. I work hard, put in extra hours, perform assignments outside of my job description yet they still didn’t choose me?
“What are you doing, Josephine?” Marva croaked, as she tried to speak amidst the smoke filled office.
“If I can’t have the job I want, nobody can,” I replied coldly. “You’re all going to sit here and burn alive, and I’m going home to write a book about it.”
“You’ll,” Marva coughed and wheezed and struggled to speak, and escape from the chair she was tied to, as I stared back aloofly. “You’ll never get away with this.”
“But I already have Marva. Nobody ever expects the quiet ones.”
I turned and locked the door as I walked away from Marva’s anguished screams. The others had already fainted from smoke inhalation. Pity they had to die because of one too many rejections.