The Long Way Home

Part 1: Elevator

Note: Wrote this a while back but never uploaded. Should I continue? Feedback is appreciated!

Anupama looked at the time on her phone. It was almost three and she had to pick up her daughter from school in an hour, which was exactly the amount of time she had been waiting. Her interview was supposed to begin at two but a secretary had apologetically informed her that the interviewer would be late, leaving her stuck in the office. It was the third and final round of interviews, and she desperately needed this job.

"I apologize for making you wait." Anupama was startled by the voice and turned to see a young woman approaching her. She immediately stood up and shook her head. "It's no problem at all," she lied.

"Please sit," the woman said, taking a seat herself. She observed Anupama and looked down at the file she had brought with her. "Anupama Joshi?" Anupama nodded.

"I know you were expecting Mr. Mehta, but an emergency came up so I'm filling in for him. I'm Malvika Kapadia." She extended her hand and Anupama clasped it tightly. Anupama became visibly nervous–she was not prepared for the CFO of KayE to be interviewing her.

"Don't be nervous," Malvika said, as if reading her thoughts. Her eyes scanned Anupama's resume, nodding here and there. "Your recommendations are pretty impressive," Malvika said. "But you don't have a lot of experience. Why is that?"

Anupama straightened her back. "I was a homemaker for many years before starting my career. I recently completed my degree."

"That's really commendable," Malvika said. "It's not easy to start a career later in life." They continued their back and forth, with Anupama answering all of Malvika's questions to the best of her ability.

At last, Malvika closed the file and folded her hand on top of it. "Ms. Joshi, if I'm being completely honest, you are not qualified for this position."

Anupama felt heat rising in her cheeks. She knew that Malvika was right; it was nothing short of a miracle to be called in for this position, let alone make it to the final rounds of interviews. But still, Anupama felt disappointed.

"There is another position open, which I think you would be a better fit for." Malvika scribbled on the notepad and handed it to Anupama. It had the name of the position along with Malvika's email. "Look for the position on the company website. If it interests you then you can apply directly and send me an email."

Anupama was flustered. It would be a pain to go through this process all over again at the same company, especially knowing that her chances are low. She folded the small sheet of paper in half and slipped it in her bag. "Thank you," she said half-heartedly. They said their goodbyes and Anupama caught an auto to pick up her daughter. Tears began to flow unexpectedly and she quickly wiped them away.

Anupama sprinted toward her daughter as soon as she laid eyes on her. "Hello my bebli," she said and embraced the girl tightly. "Sorry I'm late. How was your first day of school?" Her smiles were met with frowns. "Kya hua?" Anupama knelt to Choti Anu's level. "I don't like it here," Choti complained.

"It's only your first day beta. It will take some time to adjust, right?" Anupama said. She gave the despairing child a brilliant smile. "Ice cream khane chale?"

Later that night, Anupama scrolled through the company website until she saw the job Malvika had recommended for her. It was a lower position and the salary was less, but she could make it work. She applied for the position and closed the laptop shut. After all, beggars couldn't be choosers.

Despite having nothing to do on a Friday morning, she could not sleep in the way she wanted to. Anupama stared into her coffee. Old habits die hard, she thought. She clenched her teeth thinking about the way she woke up at the crack of dawn to cook and clean for people who wouldn't even spit on her if she was on fire.