Anxiety

Walking into the building of Kingston Enterprises, Gabriella was greeted by the rush of air conditioning, blasting a cool breeze that enveloped her and sent a subtle shiver through her body.

Her eyes swept across the ground floor, marveled at the professional decor and attention to detail.

Everything screamed power.

The marble tiles made an occasional soft, squeaky sound as she proceeded to walk towards the front desk, to whom she assumed was the receptionist.

“Hi, I’m Gabriella Whyte.”

The receptionist, a blonde-haired lady in her late thirties, looked up from her computer.

“How can I help you?”

Her eyes looked tired, and there was a loose strand of hair that escaped from a perfectly put-together bun that sat at the top of her head, held tightly by a black scrunchie.

“Yes, I'm here for the interview for the secretary position.”

The receptionist bowed her head and typed a couple of words into her computer. After a few seconds, she read her name from the screen and looked up.

“Gabriella Whyte. Take the elevator on your left up to the 42nd floor. You’ll see the rest waiting.” She pointed towards the direction of the elevator and went back to typing on the computer.

“Alright. Thank you.”

Adjusting the strap of her purse, Gabriella walked to the elevator.

‘42 whole floors? This place is massive.’ She thought to herself.

As she waited for the elevator, tapping her feet softly and playing with the sleeve of her top, her eyes roamed the foyer once more before finally settling on another elevator that seemed almost hidden, off to the far end of the ground floor in such a way that one could almost miss it.

Almost like it wasn't meant to be noticed.

The “ping” of the elevator, signaling its arrival, drew her attention. Gabriella walked in and pushed the button that had the number “42” on it, then waited for the doors to close before she started practicing all her lines in her head again.

“I’m Gabriella Whyte, and I am the perfect fit for this position.”

She was thankful no one else was there to witness her talking to herself. Opening her purse, she checked to make sure she had all her files ready. Satisfied, she breathed and pulled out her small hand mirror to check her appearance.

“I’m Gabriella Whyte, and I am the perfect fit for this position.” She repeated to her reflection, smiling in the way she had practiced several times before.

The elevator doors finally opened, and Gabriella hurriedly tucked her mirror back into her purse and stepped out. She scanned the area and found a group of three young women seated off to the right side, directly opposite a huge, imposing pair of mahogany doors that looked like they were made of the finest wood.

Further down was a massive, C-shaped desk, with a middle-aged lady seated behind. Walking towards the desk, Gabriella took the opportunity to discreetly observe the other girls as she passed them. They all looked so professional, and their skirts and pants looked expensive. Meanwhile, she had worn the same pencil skirt she always wore when she worked as a hotel receptionist at her last job.

Reaching the desk, the lady stopped what she was doing and faced her. Though she was elderly, she had this youthful and charming aura about her that made Gabriella smile when she met her gaze.

“Hello miss, can I help you?” she said with a warm smile that made the creases under her eyes deepen.

“Yes ma’am, I’m Gabriella Whyte. I’m here for the interview.” Gabriella shot a smile back at the kind lady.

“Okay Gabriella, you can have a seat over there with the others, and the CEO will see you shortly.” The lady said after looking through her computer.

Gabriella thanked her and walked over to the waiting area, where the other girls were seated. She felt so out of place sitting there. Everyone else looked poised and put together while she was trying her best to calm her nerves.

Shortly after, the doors to the CEO’s office opened and a tall brunette girl in high heels and a grey pantsuit walked out. Tears were streaming down her beautiful face, and she hurried to grab a handkerchief from her purse, dabbing her eyes with it as she ran towards the elevator.

“Wait, was she crying?” Gabriella said a little too loudly.

The rest of the girls looked at each other, confused, wondering what could have possibly made the girl cry. Then the lady at the desk called the second candidate’s name.

“Andrea Dunlop, you can go in now,” the woman said.

A young lady who seemed to be not much older than Gabriella got up and walked towards the office, knocking softly, then stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

About twenty minutes later, Andrea came out with a distraught look on her face. Her eyebrows creased, and her lips pouty. Her cheeks were flushed red, and she didn’t seem as composed as she was earlier. She walked defeatedly towards the elevator, got in, and disappeared as the doors closed.

The whole floor was dead silent. It was like a graveyard. So quiet that one could even hear a pin drop. No one said a word.

Gabriella’s stomach twisted into a knot.

This wasn't normal.

“Cassandra Bynes.” The secretary’s voice finally broke the silence.

“Oh, God!” The lady who was called exclaimed, and just like the girl before her, she went into the office and disappeared, leaving just Gabriella and one last girl in the waiting area.

Gabriella’s hands began to shake, and she tapped her foot repeatedly on the floor. She suddenly felt hot despite the air conditioning and fidgeted in her seat. Her throat felt itchy and dry, so she reached into her purse for the plastic bottle of water she had thrown in earlier, downing almost half the bottle in one go. 

‘Just calm down Gabriella, you’ll be fine.’ She said to herself, trying to calm her anxiety.

Her mind drifted back to the day she gathered her life savings after months of endless job hunting and decided to leave Arkansas and move to New York to start over. That was three months ago, and she had now spent a pitiful seven months in unemployment.

She unlocked her phone and decided to tune everything out by texting her one and only friend, Khloe.

Khloe always knew how to calm her down. They met back at the group home in Arkansas and were quite close, but got separated when Khloe was adopted by a nice family and moved to New York. They kept in touch from time to time, and when Gabriella moved to New York, they reunited and have been best friends ever since.

“Hey, Khloe.” Gabriella typed and hit send. She waited impatiently for her friend’s reply, trying to stop herself from biting her fingernails anxiously.

“Hey girl, how’s it going? Did you get the job yet?”

“Not yet, it’s almost my turn. But Khloe, something feels off.”

“What do you mean?”

Gabriella hesitated.

Her eyes drifted to the office doors.

“Everyone who comes out...they don't look okay.”

“Don't let that scare you. I’ve told you a million times, you’ve got this. You've worked too hard to let fear stop you now.”

Khloe had assured her so many times that this time would get better, that she wouldn’t get rejected again. It gave her hope on the days when she just wanted to give up. Gabriella couldn’t explain it, but there was a certain contagious optimism about Khloe that always made her feel better.

She exhaled slowly.

“You’re right. The past seven months unemployed have been hell. I’ve got this.”

“That’s the spirit. You know I’ve got you no matter what. Let me know how it goes.”

Gabriella locked her phone and looked up just as the last girl who was seated with her walked into the elevator and left. She was the only one left waiting now. She didn’t even realise when the other girl went in.

“Gabriella Whyte,” she heard the lady call.

She stood slowly and smoothed down her skirt.

This was it.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“The CEO will see you now.”