New job! Maybe?

Beginning of August 212

As usual, I went to the library, first thing in the morning. Just before I left, N asked me how job hunting was going. She told me to hang on while she made a few calls. She called about 3 agencies, gave them my numbers and asked them to hook me up. I thought that was nice of her but couldn’t help wishing I would find a job soon but not from any connection of hers. She then went on to tell me that if T and I had been nice to people and didn’t think that we were better than most, I would have been working by then. There are lots of vacancies looking for someone like me out there, thing is T doesn’t communicate, blah blah. Also, Some people, she wasn’t going to name names, but someone had a strong lead with an agency that pays very well, but someone didn’t want me to work for that agency from the get go. They want me to suffer a bit because they did too when they first arrived in the country.

T called, her friend had got two job offers, one by her agent and another one was a referral. She wanted me to have the second one. T was so excited! Call me a glass half full kind of gal but I have had too many false alarms to still be that naive. I was supposed to call a man and talk to him about the job but not tell him where I got his number from. Which was tricky considering they gave me his cell number. I stepped out for a second to call him, he wanted to know where I got his number from because, apparently, he never have away that number. He told me to call his office on a number he quickly mumbled and then hung up before I could grasp it. Fortunately, I by some miracle had managed to cram the number. They were on voicemail. I think they were closed that day or something. I got back to T, she got me the right number to call, which turned out to be that man’s number again. When I told her that, she said to call the man again, surely he was willing to help. Uhm, I just talked to the man, he blatantly hung up on me!  “call him back, Brook, I’m sure he will help you!”

When someone who is helping you with just about everything from roof over your head to job to everything tells you to call someone back who just hung up on you and told you never to call his number again, YOU CALL THE NUMBER BACK! No ifs ands or buts! I called the man back, feeling like a complete fool. He didn’t pick up. I was almost relieved he didn’t.

I went back to the library. I got another call from T. She told me her other friend had a job lead for me. It was in New Jersey. Someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone was going to call me sometime that afternoon, I have to tell them that I know somebody who knows somebody who knows this girl, they will then arranged with the person who knows the person that knows the person who knows the friend to call me and interview me. Confused yet?

I had a good feeling about that job. Unlike the previous glass half empty,this time it was half full. Not too long thereafter, I got a call from T again. She sounded down. I freaked out. It was N. She had called again. And asked T when I was going to move out seeing as it had been weeks since she told T that she didn’t want me there and I was still there.  I needed that job more than I thought I did, and I knew I needed that job! T told N that she was looking for a place for me to stay, apparently N wanted to know when she could expect me out of the apartment. She said, as soon as we find something. Good heavens, what am I going to do!

There was a middle aged African-American man behind me, who was constantly on the phone. He was as loud as can be. And very polite. At least to the  people on the other side of the phone, a double standard for someone on the phone in the library. ‘Good Day, am I through to Shoprite? May  I pleas speak to so and so? ...’ Over and over and OVER again. Nobody cared. That library is obviously not as strict as the ones in South Africa. I waited and prayed and prepared for the call from the person all day. Around 5pm, I got up just as Jack did (Hello, is this Shoprite? Guy). On our way out, I asked if he finally came right. He seemed shocked that (a) I can talk (b) I speak English (c) I talked to him, either or all the above. He looked me deep in the eye; “Hi, I’m Jack” (we’ll call him that). ‘I’m Brook, very nice to meet you’. I see you all the time at the library. You usually said over there, right at the back and you’ll be busy on your laptop and I’ve always wanted to talk to you. You’re beautiful. Whoa! You’re pretty!

AW thank you very much, Jack, you’re too kind. Seriously! I think you’re gorgeous! I talked to T on the phone, she gave me a number and told me to call it anytime after 9pm. It was about the job. You know I called that number at 9pm on the dot, right? I walked slowly towards hell aka the apartment. How do you feel walking toward a place you’ve been kicked out of twice by someone who is so nice to you  in person, but turns around and tells your friend and the only person you know in the entire US of A that they want you out? On my way out of the apartment, I bumped into Jack, he happened to be lingering about the parking lot. He smiled and approached me. He asked where I lived. I told him where I stayed. He asked if we could grab  A SLICE OF PIZZA next door. He meant it!

We went next door to the library and had a slice of pizza each. We talked and laughed, he laughed at just about everything REALLY LOUD, I laughed at him! He proposed marriage. I said NO. He asked me to at least move in with me. Tempting as that was, especially at that point in time, I had to turn him down. I really didn’t want him to see where I stayed but it was on his way to his place. WE exchanged numbers. I did so just to add to my social circle. I wanted to have someone I knew out of the circle of T. Someone not from South Africa.

I arrived at the apartment to find N with an online friend. They were sitting in the living room; talking very softly to each other. It started raining, I couldn’t excuse myself and give them privacy which they would’ve had if they had just gone to her bedroom. But it wasn’t my apartment, I had no rights. I read some old magazines. T had given me all her old magazines, about 20 of them. They were about a month, two months old. 90 percent of them Had Kim Kardashian on the cover. South Africans, count yourself lucky, it could be worse! The Kardashians are everywhere here. It’s insane!

Around 8pm, T called me, I couldn’t talk and it had stopped raining. I went for a long walk and talked on the phone. See, I can multitask? I can walk and talk. How many of you can do that? Haha. Just before 9, I told her to hang up. Nine o’clock on the dot, I called Kat. She asked me one or two questions and told me she was going to talk to someone else then either she or that person was going to call me the next day. The next day was Thursday. My off day. You know when I got to go to T’s. On my way back to the apartment, guess who I bumped into? Jack! He was all sweaty, on his way back from the direction of my apartment. I asked what’s up. He told me he wanted to buy salt at the store, but they had already closed. Interesting. I told him, well, Shoprite is still open. Suddenly he didn’t want the salt anymore. Go figure!

Back at the apartment, the internet friend had left. N was in a good mood again. This is the same person who kicked me out earlier on via my friend. I got a call from Jack, Around 10pm. He wanted to invite me over for dinner. Uhm, no thanks Jack, it’s 10pm! He was like, so what? We’re friends. You can spend the night if you like. Nah thanks.