2 Three Applicants
04:55 A.M.
Margo Monteverde's residence.
June 4th, the year 2018. Monday.
Margo opened her eyes. She saw the moonlit aura of her bedroom. Awoken by the loud knock coming from the door.
Her lambent eyes couldn't contain the drowsiness from her disturbed sleep. She wanted to return to slumber again, but her maid, Nanny Margarette, destroyed it. She sighed, then glanced at the clock on her bedside table.
05:00 A.M.
It's too early in the morning for Margo. Disturbance was the most annoying thing on earth.
She hustled her head underneath the thick comforter and tried to sleep again. Margo reminded Nanny Margarette earlier at dawn that she wanted to sleep for 8 hours today. She's exhausted from the taping. It ended at exactly 01:00 A.M.!
Though Margo wanted to doze off again, the momentum was all gone. Later on, the knocking halted. Silence overpowered the whole surroundings. Her bedroom's filled with nothing but mosquito sounds. Margo breathed a sigh of relief.
She closed her eyes again, happy to hear the silence.
She's surprised when the door opened.
She bolted up from the bed and tugged on the comforter. She glared at the person right beside her queen's bed.
"Madame, I'm sorry if I woke you up early," Nanny Margarette mumbled, ashamed of the loud knock she did. She glared at Nanny for a moment. She quickly recovered from that.
"What is it, Nanny?" Margo asked, emotionless while narrowing her eyes. She wanted to lie back down, for god's sake!
"Madame, your applicants are waiting outside," Nanny said. Margo sat upright as she remembered what she did in the last few days. She had posted a note that she would hire her assistant.
She felt the numbness in her body because of exhaustion from recording for dramas and movies. Her countless photography for some magazine covers and fashion runways. She's always the top model. Besides that tight schedule, the countless mall shows that her management held.
She needed someone who would assist with her make-up and hair. She needed a personal assistant who would retouch her hair and her face every minute. Margo wanted to look fresh as she was.
Margo was new in showbiz, but she accepted many lead roles. Her praised acting skills were way beyond the word 'veteran'. Different publishing companies posted an article about her skills. One of them was Philippine Daily Inquirer.
She wanted this. She dreamt of being in this industry.
"I remember it now, Nanny," Margo muttered. She sulked her shoulders down.
"Yes," Nanny answered.
"I'll be down in a moment," Margo breathed, then yawned. Nanny nodded and walked towards the bedroom door.
When she was currently holding the doorknob, she spun around and faced Margo again. It seemed like Nanny remembered something to say to her. Margo was still sitting down on her bed. She was massaging her head and pinching her nose.
"Should I prepare some breakfast for you, Madame?" Nanny faltered while holding the doorknob.
"Sure, Nanny. Prepare a snack for the applicants too," Margo uttered. She swung her feet down on the bed while wearing some fluffy slippers.
"Yeah, sure, Madame," Nanny muttered as she left Margo's bedroom. Margo stood up and bounced to the comfort room to wash her body.
She rummaged for comfortable clothes in her walk-in closet. Margo wore a blue floral dress. She dabbed a bit of make-up to look fresh and examined herself, once again, at the full body mirror. She went down in a haste and saw that Nanny placed the tray on the coffee table.
The tray's filled with slices of chocolate cake and a pitcher with orange juice.
"Madame, are you going to start the interview now?" Nanny supposed.
"How many are there?" Margo hesitated. She sat down comfortably on the couch.
"They are only three," Nanny continued. She placed her hands on her abdomen and waited for the command.
"Sure. One applicant can go in," Margo breathed.
Nanny walked towards the entrance door and opened it.
A man in his early 20s walked in. He was tall, had broad shoulders, and his stance was good. He also had the looks, with a lot of freckles on his cheeks. His hair was dark brown, and his round eyes were in context with his square and wide face.
His sense of fashion was on a date. Margo thought it was unusual for a good-looking guy like him. He was wearing tight jeans paired with a white shirt and a checkered vest.
He swept his hips from side to side when he was walking towards the sofa.
Margo felt he was gay. The way he moved, the way he walked. It's so different from a straight guy. He sat down and placed his resume on the coffee table. He cleared his throat first as he introduced himself.
"Hello, I'm Dominador Gomez, and I'm 23 years old," he introduced. He was nervous with his words, as Margo thought. He placed his hands on his lap and sat down like a princess on the sofa with his chin lifted at an average level.
"But you can call me Mina," he added, and Margo realized that her instinct was right. Margo smiled a little, but in her mind, she was damn laughing.
"I want to be your assistant because I idolize you so much for being an outstanding actress." Mina expressed with a grin.
He wanted to laugh, but Margo only beamed. The awkwardness circled around them. Mina turned on the side as he bit both of his lips.
He should have controlled his funny bone.
Margo picked up Mina's resume that he placed on the coffee table earlier. She was uncomfortable. She squirted in her seat. Margo wanted to admit she was afraid of their touch. Mina was of another gender, and she didn't want to unravel in front of him. She's terrified of them.
Homophobia, as they said, it's different from hating them.
Margo scanned his resume. She saw Mina finish a degree course in Business Management. She was curious about why Mina wants to work with her, he can be in a large company's office.
"I don't want to talk about my personal life, but I am a homophobic patient," Margo stammered. She doesn't even think about what Mina would feel.
"Oh. What does that mean?" Mina asked. Sadness overtook his entire face.
"I'm not hiring you, for now," Margo said as she gave Mina his resume. She saw that Mina's shoulders slunk down as he accepted rejection. Margo felt guilty about what she saw.
"I'm sorry," Margo apologized, then smiled sadly.
"It's okay, Miss Margo. Thank you for lending your time. You're so gorgeous!" Mina said while smiling. He stood up and nodded towards her. She nodded back, and Mina left through the entrance door. She sighed and thought about how disappointing her first applicant had gone.
"Maam, you're next," Nanny said outside as she guided a beautiful and tall woman in her twenties.
The woman had dark brown, subtle and soft, wavy hair. She had bold lips, making it so pouty for Margo. The lady was wearing a white, collared, and long-sleeved shirt paired with a short tennis skirt. She got this bitchy attitude written all over her face, and she looked like a queen bee.
She would go nasty and arrogant when you first approached her, in Margo's perceptions. Margo thought about what would happen if they talked to each other.
The second applicant sat down but didn't look at Margo. She placed the resume on the table, then leaned back.
"I'm Zoey Cortez, 22 years old," the woman introduced herself while looking at her nails! Margo raised her eyebrows at her actions. The silence ensued, and the two got no intention to talk for a moment.
'Doesn't this woman have nothing to say? A reason that can answer why she applied as my assistant?' Margo said in her mind. While Zoey was still observing her nails, Margo picked up the resume from the coffee table and scanned it. She saw Zoey finish a degree course in fine arts.
"Would you mind if I ask why you are here? I mean, you finished a degree course in fine arts, am I right?" Margo hypothesized.
"Mina insisted I apply. I hesitated, but I tried it. That's why I'm here," Zoey stammered, and for the first time since she sat down, she looked through Margo's eyes.
Margo's surprised when she rolled her eyes. She raised her eyebrows at Zoey, who resumed nitpicking through her beautified fingernails.
'Did she roll her eyes at me?' Margo said her thoughts and didn't expect it.
"I have a job at the company office. I want some sort of sideline," Zoey explained, then she shifted her eyes again at her nails.
"Pardon me?" Margo can't contain her frustration at that rash action.
"Say if I'm hired or not," Zoey bossed. Margo controlled herself from doing any argument with her. She can hitch her hair if Zoey continued being harsh.
"No, you're not hired. I'm sorry," Margo glowered and placed the resume back on the coffee table. Margo's sarcastic smile made Zoey pick up the resume in a haste and left. She didn't even say thank you or what. She walked out the door without some decency.
"What's her problem?" Margo quavered.
"Maam, you're the last," Nanny called outside. She observed the last applicant entering her front door.
"Thank you," the woman said. And from that slight moment, she recognized her voice.
She's astonished by what she saw.
A woman with dark skin, those round and angelic eyes. A prominent nose and thick lips were heading her way towards the sofa. Margo observed her face, and she looked like an Indian. Her short and shorn locks hang from her shoulder. She was wearing a blue jacket, ripped jeans, and a violet collared shirt.
The woman sat down with a smile. Margo was so startled that the applicant in front of her got puzzled right away by her surprised face. Margo felt that her tongue got tied through her mouth as she couldn't speak any words.
"Carmela?" Margo finally spoke. She recovered from her shock after a full minute of recognizing Carmela's face.
