Four

Morning came earlier than expected.

Gabriel had already gotten ready for the job interview, this was almost his last hope to having a bright future. He had browsed about SxE company when he saw the poster and he knew a month payment will definitely pay off his debt.

Hence, he will do whatever he has to do to get the job. He won't no say no matter how, he will try his best to get it.

"Are you going somewhere Gabe?" Claire asked rubbing her eyes.

He fixed his poor worn out cuff links. "I didn't want to tell you so soon but I guess I have to. I saw a job application and I applied for it, today is the interview day. I just pray I get the job because our lives will be changed when I get the job but I won't get my hopes high." He sighed draping his jacket.

The black suit jacket wasn't worn out too because he'd only wear it when he has to go for an interview and he gets it clean washed after. He won't risk getting them worn out like all the rest of his wears, almost all.

Claire walked towards him, she puts a hand on his shoulders and dust off the invisible dirt. "I know you can do it. I believe in you." She comforted. He dropped a chaste kiss on her forehead and tip toe to the door.

"Bye." He silently whispered, not wanting to wake the kids up.

He hailed a cab then gave him the address of the company. It was six thirty in the morning and the interview starts at exactly ten AM.

Reason why he has to leave home early was because he lives way across the town, hell he will be late before he comes to the city. The long drive finally came to an end, the car screeched to a halt and he existed the car, the gusty winds of the cold morning greeted his face.

He winced. He should have taken his cold coat and now he is regretting not bringing it. He walked towards the area where he saw a guard sitting, he'd ask him about the process and also the direction to the venue where the meeting will take place.

"You are the second person here. When you go to the third floor, turn to your left. You will see a huge board with 'SxE Corp.' embedded on it. You can wait outside there." He mumbled a thank you to the old man and made his way inside.

He met some of the employees in the company setting their work place already, the place doesn't open until seven thirty in the morning but here, some of them are.

"Good morning." He'd say to whosoever he meets on his way and he usually gets a nod back or a wave.

He reached the venue and just as the guard had told him, he was the second man to come for the interview, the first one was a lady. "I guess we both really need the job." He murmured to himself before taking a seat close to her.

"Hey, you came for the interview too." The young lady asked earthly and he gave her a simple nod with a faint smile. "I am Antonia but you can call me tonia, I am also here for the interview." She added.

"I am Gabriel." He informed her. He quoted that Antonia or tonia is a chatterbox, being friends with her will means him losing his sanity and peace. He loves being quiet and keeping things to himself.

"You are not into being friends with me, right? I get that a lot. They say I throw myself at people just because I want to make friends but you don't have to worry, I will keep my distance." She rambled on trying to pick her bag and move a little far from him.

He held her hand, thinking of what to tell her. "I..." he trailed off. "I don't have much friend hence why you took it as I don't want to be friends with you. I am just trying to register it in my brain that someone wants to be friends with an outcast." He ended looking up at her.

"Hey." She screamed. "Who said you are an outcast? You don't look like one and I don't care whether are one Gabe. So friends?" He chuckled hearing the eagerness in her voice.

"Yes, friends and it feels nice to hear you call me Gabe like my wife does." He gave her hand a friendly shake.

"Oh my God, the man is taken. I never noticed the ring on your finger." She exclaimed. He couldn't help the laugh that got him, he got that a lot.

There was a time he went back to his country after years of saving without his wife and a lady asked him out,she wants him straight forward, he had to show her his wedding pictures because she never believed him.

The lady kept throwing herself at him, at the end he pitied her. She was obsessed with him, he knew it was not an easy thing to be obsessed with someone and then he tells you he is not into you. She cried for days and then he hooked her up with his cousin brother Michael. They look too good together.

Antonia kept him busy by telling him about where she grew up and how things worked there. One day, he will definitely visit her hometown. Without realizing how fast time moved, the venue was filled with the job applicant.

Gabriel shiver in fear, what if they are more qualified than him? Will he even stand a chance in there? But only time will tell whether he will get the job.

They were given numbers according to their applications and he happened to be no. 235 while Antonia was no.091. That means she applied the moment she saw the flyer.

"I hacked into their system without them knowing, that's how I get all their information." Antonia whispered in his ears. He gasped, he won't bring himself to do that. He will be guilty for doing that forever.

He wasn't able to reply to her because the interview started and applicants were called batch by batch. Antonia was among the second batch, they didn't even spend more than twenty minutes before they ambled out of the room.

"The CEO was breathing fire. She kept on clutching her knuckles." Antonia shivers at the thought again. "Is it a she?" He questioned.

He never knew the CEO was a lady, oh right his network stopped while he was searching more about the company. "Duhh, yess. Do you live in a cave? Rebecca has been the CEO for two years now." She told him passing him a banana.

He eyed her bag warily, Antonia has been bringing out eatable stuff from her bag and he won't be surprised if she has a watermelon in there by the way the bag looks.

"Thank you?" He said but it came out as a question. Not even saying a thing , he finished his banana and excused himself for the restroom. "Be back soon." Antonia shouted after him earning glares from the rest.

He entered an empty stall and did his business, then he used the tap to wash his hands. He watched his reflection in the mirror, he used his hands to lay back his messy bed hair before going back.

He was called but he didn't get to meet the CEO, she had left before he was called.

He answered the question thrown at him slowly except for one and he will never answer a question like that because he doesn't know what to do in that situation.

"In an hour or less, you will receive an email if you have gotten the job and you didn't get the email, then I am sorry." With that, the announcer left.

He bid Antonia goodbye before getting on the bus. His fare won't be enough for him to hail a cab. He slept half the journey to his home, it was an hour journey without traffic but now with a heavy traffic, it will take the bus almost two hours before it reaches down town.

"Thank you." He said to the driver as he walked down the bus. His house was not that far from the bus station, he plugged in his headphones and his head bobbed to the beat of the song forgetting his worries.

Finally he got back and he could hear the voice of his wife on at the verge of losing itself. "Get down from there Dan." She screamed.

Oh Dan, he loves making Claire angry and at the end, he get Gabriel to stand in for him. His phone vibrated in his pocket, he had totally forgotten about getting an email from the SxE Corp.

"Thank you Lord, thank You." He chanted entering the house.

"What are you so happy about? When I am about to kill this boy here." She quirked her brows pointing at Dan.

"I got the job Honey. I did ."