˗ˏˋOur Differences Sequelˊˎ˗

-18-

"You got a job??" Dad gasped, clearly shocked to hear this. I was equally as surprised as he was.

"Yes." I replied.
"And it's a good job, too. I'm a videography intern at this really cool company. Their office building is huge- and super modern too."

Dad chuckled into the phone.
"That's awesome, honey. I'm proud of you for going out and looking for work. That's not always an easy thing to do."

I felt excited about Dad being proud of me. It's very honorary and accomplishing to be able to please him. He has high expectations and standards- especially for his kids.

"I'm about to go in for my training in a few minutes and I'm feeling really nervous and excited all at once. My boss is pretty nice, though. He really liked my portfolio in the interview." I explained.

"That's great." Dad said in a happy tone.
"Make sure to refer to him as a person of authority, and use good manners. Be professional, and respect his opinions and critiques if he gives you any."

"I will, don't worry." I laughed, noticing that Dad was more concerned over this than I was. Typical.

"Have you figured out a flight date yet?" he asked.

I hadn't, but he had already been bugging me about it for weeks in advance.

"I did, but I have the information on my computer." I lied. "I'll look at it later and let you know."

"Okay, perfect. I need you to send me the payments as soon as possible so we can fly you home for Christmas. That's only in a week, Madison. Time's ticking fast." He warned me.

I really regretted not figuring out a flight earlier. Dad always worries about this stuff and then bugs me about it months in advance. He misses me a lot and wants me to come home really badly.

"I just got to the office, Dad, so I'll have to let you go." I said while quickly gathering my things in my tote bag.

"Alright. I love you- be safe and have fun." He said.

"Love you too. I'll call you later." I said and hung up, before entering the building quickly.

I needed to look reliable by showing up on time and not being late. The lady at the front desk smiled at me.

"Good Morning! Sterling's upstairs waiting for you."

I smiled back and thanked her before managing to find my way to the elevator. The upstairs floor was bustling with people. I glanced at the large, modern food court that had a large array of different popular food establishments. Panda Express caught my eye, and I swore to myself that I'd reward myself with that as soon as possible.

I remembered where Sterling's office was, and I entered the room with a confident smile.

"Morning." He said when I came in.
He had a coffee cup in his hand, and his feet propped up on his desk casually. Something about him was very admirable and inspiring.

"Good morning." I replied.
"It looks like you're really enjoying that coffee."

He chuckled at my small joke and then dug a five dollar bill out of his pocket.
"Go get yourself one. It's too early to be running around with no coffee in your system."

That was really generous of him, but I'd feel like a greedy monster taking money from him like that.

"Oh, don't worry about it." I said kindly.
"I'll use my money. You keep yours."

He quirked his eyebrow in an amused way.
"Yes, but you applying for a job insinuates that you don't have money. Or, perhaps, you're trying to be cautious with the money that you do have."