“Oh…don’t you just want to choose the person?”
She reaches up and straightens my collar. She’s scowling. “Have you been drinking?”
“No!” I’m marginally offended.
“Alex, you have to pick someone from that lot out there today. They’re all qualified, I’ve vetted them, it’s just up to you now. Get a feel for their personalities. Before you do anything, though, grab a breath mint from my desk. Also, you have a smudge on the back of your pants.” She looks dumbfounded as she says this. Dani did not take care of me that way. I’m meticulous about grooming and looking professional, but I’ve been way off lately. It’s obviously because of the divorce. For the record, though, aside from washing my clothes, Dani didn’t iron or pick out my clothes and she certainly didn’t groom me, for god’s sake. Still, I know what Jenna is thinking. “What is going on with you?” she says. “I’ve never even seen a day’s worth of growth on your face like this before.”
“My divorce was final yesterday. I’m not implying Dani did these things for me, just that I’ve been going through a lot. Missing a day of shaving does not make me a bum.”
“I’m sorry, Alex,” she says, but she doesn’t seem truly apologetic or compassionate. “Maybe you don’t realize this, butsometimes marriage is like two fruit trees. It might appear they’re doing their own thing, but take one away and the other won’t produce.”
Oh no, no marriage analogies, please.
“I’m going to produce, Jenna!” I say a little too loud.
She starts laughing. “Oh my god, Alex. Be quiet. Go get in there before Ms. Olstein files a complaint.”
I throw my backpack in my office and scurry down the hall to room 2. When I’m finished looking at Ms. Olstein’s foot for the thousandth time, I head back toward my office. Jenna has spotted me and is now following me down the hall. “Okay, should I send the first temp in?” she says.
“Sure.”
Taking a look in the mirror on the wall, I try to pull myself together. I’m not exactly the picture of an upstanding boss at the moment. I know I only have about thirty minutes with all of these people before my next patient appointment.
In walks a young woman, attractive, wearing glasses, her dark hair up in a loose bun. There’s a hint of Dani from her twenties in there somewhere.
“This is Kate Littlefield,” Jenna says.
She reaches out and shakes my hand. I’m not sure what to say, I’m a little out of it. I haven’t interviewed anyone in years.
“Nice to meet you,” I say. “You can have a seat.”
“Thank you,” she says, and sits.
Jenna hands me a folder with some handwritten notes on it.
Graduated from Berkeley. Business degree. Wants to start a free clinic. Nice. Not a criminal. References all checked out.
“Hmm,” I say and look up at her. She’s poised, eyebrows arched, waiting for me to say something. “So why do you wantto start a free clinic? You a masochist or something?” I smile. It was a terrible joke.
She just blinks at me and then starts nervously laughing. “Um…um—” she says before I cut her off.
“You’re hired, okay? Let’s not torture the rest of the people out in the waiting room. I mean, this is just a temp job.”
“Okay. Thank you,” she says. She’s very nice.
“You’re welcome. When can you start training with Jenna?”
“Now?” She shrugs her shoulders.
“Perfect. Jenna!” I yell as I see her walking by the door.
She pops her head and giant belly into the room. “How’s it going?”
“Jenna, I hired Kate. Can you start training her now?”
“Wow, okay. You don’t want to see the others?”
“No sense in putting them through the ringer.”
