The Interview

'Is this Jessy?'

'Yes I am,' she confirmed. 

'I am calling from Blue Line Company; you got selected for a further round of interviews.' The lady informed with a flat tone. 'Be there tomorrow by 10 am, the HR manager will take the final interview.'

'Yes sure.' The line got disconnected. 

Jessy couldn’t control her excitement and took the pillow on her face and suppressed her roar. It was already 7 pm, and she needed to find her formals and also prepare for the next day. Her hands were shaking but there is no one she can share her happiness with--Ma is preparing food in the kitchen, and father as usual is at work. 

An only child, Jessy always wanted to work with a marketing company. She worked hard to get a marketing degree. Her father never felt the need to tell her she could contribute to the family's expenses too. She realized that her parents never believed in her dreams as she was a girl.

With the rush of the evening, Jessy slept imagining the nervousness of the next day with fear.

She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. It was 2 am. She got up, drank water, and tried sleeping again.

She opened her eyes to see it was 8:30 am and for to reach on time she had to leave immediately.

She dashed to the washroom and got dressed by 9. Her mother followed her with a frown.

'I am getting late for an interview, Ma!'

'Which interview?' she interjected.

Jessy had already left before she could answer.

Nature was against her that morning. It was July, the town was getting drenched in the pouring rain, kids were playing in the midst of the road, dogs finding a refuge... 

Jessy waited for the bus to arrive, it was 9:15 am and there was no sign of the bus to come on time. Suddenly she recognized an old friend whom she knew from college but asking for a lift from him would be asking for a favor which she didn't want. So she looked elsewhere. The bus soon arrived. It was bursting out with passengers, Jessy boarded and somehow squeezed herself inside, 

Passengers cramped inside. Among them was a fisherman carrying a basket of fish. With the sudden jerk water from the basket spilled on Jessy's fresh clothes.

Our of irritation and finding herself guilty too, she kept quiet and the man asked for an apology. She ignored him completely. A man in his mid-60s saw her ordeal and offered her a seat beside him which had got empty just then. Jessy was feeling uneasy because of the stench, but the old man smiled.

'Don’t worry, it’s all right,' he smiled. 

'I am actually running late and it’s my fault. I didn’t expect this rain to become so heavy,' she mentioned to the old man in an irate tone clutching her bag. The old man saw her nervousness.

'Do you have an interview today?'

Jessy thought for a while and replied yes.

'If you take the same nervousness there, the chances are you won’t get through. We function best when we are calm,' he offered. 

Jessy couldn’t hold herself and snapped at him. The old man smiled and did not retaliate.
Her conscience did not accept this soon after the bus reached the destination. 
She felt this is her worst day and felt bad and apologized to him. He accepted and disappeared.

Looking at the tall building Jessy lost her confidence. gathering Somehow gathering her courage she reached the 7th floor and due to the air-conditioner the stench spread in the room. However, no one realized it was her until the office peon stared at her.
She reached by 10:30 am and it was her luck that the HR manager was late too.

Jessy rushed to the washroom and tried to get rid of the smell. A lady helped and gave her a pocket perfume, Jessy thanked her profusely.  

She got called inside the HR manager's cabin. She lost her confidence completely immediately; there were two interviewers sitting to take the round. 

It did not go well, and she left disappointed with a feeling of self-loathing. Three days passed and they didn’t revert. Thinking she got rejected Jessy began searching for more jobs.

Out of frustration, she lost her temper several times with her parents. One day she got so demotivated and decided she will stop searching and get married.

The same day she received a call. They wanted to have one final discussion with her.
Her morale boosted, and she decided not to repeat her earlier mistake.
Jessy was alert and reached 30 minutes before. As she entered she saw the same old man from the bus reading her resume and with the two interviewers.

'Sit Jessy,' he beckoned. 'Congratulations, you got selected for the post of marketing executive. I wish you all the luck,' he added.

Jessy couldn’t control her tears.

The old man left the cabin.

The interviewer asked, 'Did you know him from before?'

She narrated her story of meeting him on the bus.

They couldn’t believe it.

She received a handout and saw his photo as the vice-chair of the company.

Jessy got puzzled as to why a man of his stature would commute in a bus and how did he know that she went for an interview in his firn.

Was it was a stroke of luck or did the man see something in her, no one knows why he selected her, and how did he know she got interviewed?