I Got the Job

On September 11, 2001 I drove 90 miles to go to a job interview at Wyeth Ayerst up in White Plains New York.  I had been out of work for a while and I was desperate to get another job, because I only had 6 weeks left of unemployment benefits.  I did not want to work that far away from where I lived, but a man has to do what a man has to do.  The interview was going well in my opinion, but as the interview was wrapping up, the guy who later became my boss told me that there was one more person that he wanted me to speak with and this person was currently in a meeting.  He asked me if I could go out to a coffee shop and come back in 45 minutes, which I agreed to do.

I saw a coffee shop right down the street so I parked my car, went inside and I ordered a coffee and a Danish.  They had a TV and the news was on so I started watching it.  I was completely shocked to see the first plane hit the world Trade Center, as was everyone else in the coffee shop.  They showed it over and over again and then they showed the second plane crash into the other tower.  That was it for me, I was blowing off the interview and I just wanted to be home where I could feel safe.  My cell phone had no signal, so I couldn’t get through to my wife and I could not pick up a radio station for my long ride back home.  I finally reached my place, called my wife on the land line and watched the news intently for the rest of the day, not being able to take my eyes off of it.

Two months later the guy that got me the interview called me back and told me that I got the job.  I was coming in as a contractor and I worked out a deal with the agency where I could work four ten-hour days and they paid for a motel room for me to stay in on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.  I had a long commute on Monday morning and Thursday evening, but I had a three-day weekend, every weekend.  It was a crappy motel, dingy furniture, highway noise, but beggars can’t be choosers and I was happy to finally be back at work.

Written as my second attempt for Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday where the prompt is to use the word where anyway you like.