Chapter 3 - The Interview

I am motioned to the chair in front of his desk. Mine is a leather-padded heavy wooden armchair, old-fashioned but still in good condition. His is a black leather swivel, probably more expensive than mine when they were first bought, but now flakes of worn leather are falling off in places. It is a windowless office and bare except for the table separating us and the chairs we are sitting on.

He becomes miffed when he notices me taking in the drab surroundings, from embarassment probably. He squashes his half-smoked Dunhill that was perched innocently on the ashtray, snuffing the life out of it prematurely. Looks at me with expressionless eyes as he does so. Collateral damage. Circle of life, reminding me once more how everything in life is interlinked and interdependent.

"So, you got any experience in this?" Obviously, he has not read my resume.
"No, but I am.."
He cut me off, "You got bike?"
"Not yet, but" and I fight to finish what I wanted to say.
So it ends up being "No bike then how" - "I have class 2B" - "Need to go out a lot" - "And I intend to buy" - "You know our line need to move around very fast" - "if I get this job"
And he says, "Ok ok, so you are going to buy is it?" before leaning back and picking up my resume for the first time. He flips through very quickly, not really reading.
"Yes," saying it purely so that I may have a chance to meet the mysterious lady again.
"Pay-wise, SGD1800 you ok?"
"Uhmm.." I was not expecting much, still...
"If you are good, I will increase accordingly". He smiles for the first time, in a lusty one-sided fashion and puts my resume back on the desk.
"Ok..lah I guess..what about-".
"Ok then let's start. Am a bit short-handed. Last guy went AWOL a week ago, so got quite a bit of stuff to do here". He profers me a cigarette.
I think about it: hey I could do the same, right, if I didn't like the job. Go AWOL.
"I don't smoke". Not asking for any favours here, you know what I mean.
He chuckles. "Didn't pick up in NS huh"
"No, didn't go through NS"