VI

"But are you sure?" Fede asked. "You really want me to hire you as an administrative assistant?"

Jorge nodded. (I'd rather be a CEO, but it's best to start low to gain experience and climb the ladder little by little. Besides, as administrative assistant I'm going to learn how the company works and how I can improve it.)

(And we're friends. If anything happens I know you're going to be on my side.)

"Ok," Fede said. "Let me tell my dad to let you in. Come on."

Fede headed to his dad's office, and Jorge followed him.

The office door was closed.

Fede knocked twice.

"Come in," said a voice inside the office.

Fede opened the door and let Jorge in.

"Jorge, what a surprise!" said Fede's dad. "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, about that," Fede got in the office and approached his dad. "Jorge wants to know if we can hire him as an administrative assistant."

"Really?" Fede's dad asked. "Someone as Smart as you and with a degree. You should ask for a better job."

"Yeah, but the thing is he has no work experience, so he wants to start at the bottom and grow little by little."

"No experience, huh?" Fede's dad nodded. "Now I get it. Ok, we can hire him no problem. He can start working with you so you can explain him how everything works."

"Sure," Fede said.

Then, Fede's dad stood up and shook Jorge's hand.

"Welcome aboard."

Jorge smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, dad," said Fede. "Come on, Jorge," Fede headed to the exit, and Jorge followed him.

"Before you go," Fede's dad said when Fede and Jorge were about to leave, "tell Tere—the HR manager—to prepare Jorge's contract and tell him all the documents we need to hire him."

"Ok," Fede said, and he and Jorge did that. Then, they headed to the production area. They walked through a long hallway with a desk at the end of it.

"This will be your desk from now on," Fede said, and Jorge sat there (well, this is a good start; I mean, it's not an office, but at least this desk is not made of cardboard,) "you can start receiving calls. You just write everything in the agenda. I'll tell you everything about your job later. I'll be back soon," and Fede left.

Jorge then looked at his surroundings. The few employees that passed by seemed too concentrated on their work to notice him.

(It seems a pretty calm place, and because I'm only an assistant, no one will be annoying me.)

He then took put his phone and send his dad a text telling him everything about his new job.

The phone on his desk rang. Jorge answered it.

"Hey, you're not Fede, right?" A voice said. "Anyway, tell him Esparza called," Jorge started to look frenetically somewhere to write on, but the only things on that desk were probably important documents, "and tell him the price increased, so he needs to contact me ASAP. Bye," Esparza hanged up, and Jorge opened the drawers and inspected them.

The phone rang again. Jorge answered it and continued his search.

"Hey, it's accountant Peralta. I'm gonna need all the files for the last few months, "finally Jorge founded some posts-its. "I'm gonna send Pedrote to pick them up. Bye," accountant Peralta hanged up.

Jorge took one post it and wrote "Espinoza will send files. Send price estimate."

Then a really tall person showed up. It was Pedrote.

"I 'm here for the files."

Jorge looked at him puzzled.

"Don't you have them? They should be here already."

(Nobody has sent me anything.)

"Maybe they're back there," Pedrote pointed at some cabinets behind Jorge.

(Ah, I didn't notice them.)

Jorge opened one of them and then stopped.

(But no one has sent me anything. Why would they be here?)

"Let me look for them. Move," Pedrote opened some cabinets and started searching.

(Fine. You're just wasting your time, though.)

"What happened?" Fede arrived.

"I'm just looking for some files for accountant Peralta," said Pedrote.

"Which files?" Fede asked.

"Dunno," Pedrote shrugged. "I think that guy knows," he pointed at Jorge.

Jorge shrugged.

"Let's see," Fede opened another cabinet and took some documents. "They're probably these ones, and if they aren't, give me a call."

Pedrote took the documents and left.

"What's up?" Fede patted Jorge on his back. "How's it going?"

Jorge stared at him and sighed.

(Too much shit.)

Fede laughed.

"Yeah, it's stressing, but it's gonna be way easier when you get used to it. Well, so let me teach you everything about how to take care of the schedule, make reports, communicate with all the departments, process files and organize them—and that's urgent 'cause it's a fucking mess.

-------------------------------------------------

"Jorge, is that you? Come to the living room; we want to talk to you," said Jorge's father.

(We?)

Jorge, who just got back from work, left his belonging in the hall, put his hands over his face and breathed deeply. (I hope is quick, 'cause I'm tired as hell.)

He then headed to the living room. There he found his father alongside his mother and his aunt Esther.

(What happened? Granpa died?)

"Sit down," his father said.

Jorge sat down in one of the couches.

"I just spoke with Fede's dad," said Jorge's father. "I askedhim why he wanted to take advantage of you. You deserve at least an executive job. What the fuck is that assistant joke? We, the Dávalos, are no fucking assistants. What would people think about us?!"

(Wait. You talked with Fede's dad? Why? And I was the one who asked for that job.)

"Yeah, sweetie, you have to value yourself a little," aunt Esther said. "You're a good kid, and really good at math and all that."

(So? What does that have to do with anything? And what good is math to me if I have no job experience?)

"And the part that pissed me off the most is that he hired you as his fucking son's assistant. You used to help him study! HE should be YOUR assistant."

(No; he worked since we were in high school. He knows way more than me. Why should he be my assistant?!)

"I told him to give you an executive job or fuck off! I'm not letting anyone take advantage of you!"

(But no one is taking advantage of me! And how the fuck am I supposed to be an executive if I have zero experience and don't know how to do anything!)

"And why did you accept, though? I swear, for some things you're really smart, but for some others…"

"Yeah," aunt Esther said, "it's just that you're too noble and don't value yourself. You're better than anyone."

(If that's true, why no one wants to hire me?!)

"You're really capable," said Jorge's mom.

(No, I'm not! I can barely do that assistant job! I'm actually really uncapable and useless, and I hate I didn't realize it until now!)

"Everything's tha guy Fede's fault. I think he was having a hard time at work and hired Jorge to solve him everything.

(OF COURSE NOT! WHY YOU TALK LIKE THAT?! YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT! AND HE ONE STRUGGLING AND HAVING A BAD TIME IS ME 'CAUSE I CAN'T, I CAN'T EVEN WITH A FUCKING ASSISTANT JOB! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO ANYTHING, AND I'M FUCKING WORTHLESS! WHY THE FUCK YOU SAY I'M SMART?! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU LYING TO ME?!)

Tears began to run down Jorge's cheeks.

But they didn't notice.

"That fucking cocksucker Fede!" Jorge's father yelled. "But, tell me… why did you have the brilliant idea to become that fucker's assistant?!"

"Because I'm not as Smart as you think!" Jorge yelled. "Do you know how does it feel to be told that you can do everything, when you can't?! Do you know how does it feel to believe you're special, just to discover you aren't?! You believe I can change the world, and want me to do so, but I can't! I can't!"

"Don't you talk to me like that, asshole!" Jorge's father yelled. "I'm your father, and you have to respect me!"

"And you can respect me too! What right did you have to mind my own business?!"

Jorge's father punched his son in the face. Jorge fell on the ground and put his hands on his face.

His nose was bleeding.

Both Jorge's mother and aunt Esther freaked out.

But no one even thought of helping him out.

"I'm your father!" He yelled. "I just want that is best for you, so tell that cocksucker Fede that you quit your fucking job, and go get a real one! Or do you think you haven't humiliated us enough, you unemployed fuck?!"

Jorge said nothing.

"Fuck off! I don't wanna see you anymore!" Jorge father left the living room, entered the kitchen and slammed the door.

(FUCK YOU, FUCKING OLD MAN! I HOPE YOU FUCKING DIE! YOU DIE ALREADY! I FUCKING HATE YOU! WHEN I GET A JOB I'M GONNA LEAVE TO NEVER GONNA SEE YOU AGAIN! FUCK YOU!!!!!!!)

Jorge sighed and stood up.

Aunt Esther approached him slightly and hesitantly.

(You just come to tell me why that asshole's right. Fuck you too!)

Jorge turned his back on Aunt Esther, returned to the main door to grab his belongings, and went to her room.

Then he took out his cell phone and began to dial Fede and send him messages to try to clarify the situation.

But Fede never answered.