HIS FUTURE QUEEN

THE INTERVIEW

CHAPTER 9

KLAUD

The food prepared for the students was as if ... our last meal on earth.

The dishes were decked out on the massive buffet table and looked sumptuous and delectable. But–unlike yesterday, wherein we attacked the dishes, I didn’t have the appetite right now, not when my brain wouldn't and couldn't stop thinking of the worst-case scenario.

I was scheduled for a 3 pm interview, which could last for fifteen to thirty minutes, depending on how the student captured the panel's interest. Sure, thirty minutes was long, but I could give them double that time, a whole hour, if they wished. Ask me anything and everything they wanted to know. They need to assure me one thing...just one slot, and I could lick their asses.

Eww, gross...I didn't mean literally.

Peter finished his turn. He came out of the screening room quite exhausted, which increased my nervousness when I saw his pale color. I held on to my seat, my legs shaking so badly that I thought I would give in to all the anxiety swirling in my stomach, and puking in the nearby restroom would be my resolve. If the interview could turn the confident Peter so pale, what more could it do to poor me?

I prayed to my guardian angel. I needed all the help he could give me--right now...not a minute delayed.

“How was it?” Mia asked as soon as Peter reached us.

Mia would be the next after the turn of the girl who was now being roasted inside the room.

“Oh wow, hard to explain. They promised to announce the 12 names at the earliest tomorrow,” Peter said while trying to find a comfortable position. He still looked tense.

“We knew that, dummy. Tell us about the questions,” Mia asked, a bit agitated. I couldn’t fault her as she would be the next one to undergo the process. She was a bundle of nerves, and I felt the same.

Peter spoke and summarized his ordeal in under five minutes. In my near-to-breaking point condition, I noted everything he said, especially Prince Elik’s silence throughout his fifteen-minute interview.

“So–he didn’t ask you anything? How many were they inside?” I asked curiously.

“Ahm- six people on the panel and another four on the sideline. All distinguished-looking, one man could have been the Prince, 30 or 40 years off his current age, but he still looked dashing.”

“I guess his grandfather. The Weston men have strong bloodlines. The semblance was so obvious as if they were pieces of a pee pot,” Mia remarked while she sat up straight, crossed her legs, and changed position after a few minutes. She was restless for the last 30 minutes, changing her sitting position from time to time.

A smiling assistant called Mia's name. Not a minute ticked, and the interview room door opened.

I looked at the girl who had stepped out of the room and, unlike Peter, with a ghostly appearance, the lady came out flushed.

Oh, dear!

Would no one exit that room looking normal?

“Good luck Mia,” I caught her as she trotted mid-way to the lady assistant waiting by the door.

“Thanks,” Mia smiled. Although it did not reach her eyes, she continued stepping toward the room and extending a handshake to the assistant.

Mia was so anxious. Poor girl...Never had I witnessed her in such a tense state, but who wouldn’t be in her situation? Certainly, if it were my turn, I would look my absolute worst.

I couldn't shake off the fear. I was on pins and needles, waiting for my turn.

Peter offered to buy me a cup of happiness–I mean coffee, but I declined. I dared not take anything that could increase my nervousness. Caffeine has that effect on me. I could happily take it in less strenuous situations, but definitely not now. I was in a mini-crisis. My heart was nearing collapse, and I could be rushed to the heart department for heart failure if I continued fidgeting.

I couldn't bank on my heart at the moment; all I needed was my brain's power and my sanity.

Damnit, I would have been in a much better situation if I had not encountered the Prince in New York. However, I did.

And, I told him to go to hell...thanks to my temper.

Why was I so damned unlucky?

Peter joined me with a cup of green tea, which I took gratefully. My parched throat was relieved as soon as the hot liquid flowed into my system. It miraculously helped calm my nerves.

Not long later, Mia emerged from the door. Unlike the prior candidates, Mia had a smile on her face.

I heaved a sigh of relief. I never thought one would come out of that door with a beaming face. I instantly felt happy for my friend and could sense her success. Mia would be included in the scholarship awardees, no doubt about it.

“Oh my–look what we got here. Did you get a go?” Peter cajoled her gently to share her experience.

“Oh, dummy, I needed to wait until tomorrow like the rest, but I enjoyed my time inside. Mrs. Aliyah Weston, the Chairman, was so nice."

“Did the Prince ask you anything?” I asked.

“No, he didn’t. But I saw a sample of his smile. Gosh! He’s really a charming Prince.”

Part of me would like to contest her words, but I decided not to speak. So far, the handsome Prince had been my greatest nightmare.

Mia shared her experience with us for two minutes. She was so happy, and I felt the same way for her.

While we waited for my turn and listened more to Peter and Mia’s experience, my phone pinged with my parents' heartful good luck message. They told me how much they loved me and assured me that I would finish medical school with or without the scholarship grant.

The message brought tears around the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them away. I couldn’t cry now when my future was behind that door, and in thirty minutes, I hoped to walk away with pleasure in my heart. I couldn't and wouldn't give up now!

Finally, the time came to prove my worth to the panel.

“Ms. Klaudria McLennon,” the smiling assistant called.

After the good luck messages from Peter and Mia, I slowly made my way to my future.

****

ELIK

The stunning lady came inside the room. Her golden-brown eyes, which right now looked so close to honey, surveyed the faces inside the room. She gave a small smile that increased the attractiveness of her face. So gorgeous, and she looked confident.

Alright, SPITFIRE, let us see what you've got. I murmured to myself.

She first honored the panel as soon as she settled on the podium and adjusted the microphone to fit her height. She was taller than the other lady candidates, I noticed.

She looked at me when she recited my name. I liked Prince Elik's name that came out of her mouth; there was an unusual tremble as the name rolled out from her throat.

She tried to answer the panel's questions as briefly and interestingly as possible. If by chance, she was nervous, she hid it quite well.

A vicious thought formed in my head, but I immediately shut it down. Sure, I would like to rattle her nerves, but it wouldn’t be fair. It was a lifetime chance for everybody, and personal conflict has no place here. She deserved an equal opportunity accorded to everyone, and she would get that if she deserved it with no hindrance from me.

Instead of rattling her nerves, “Ms. Klaudria, what a nice and unique name.” I started. I haven't met anyone with the same name.

“Pleasure, sir. I have my parents to thank for that,” she responded gently.

I even complimented her remarkable achievements.

“I am impressed with your accomplishments-- high grades, graduating with honors, scholastic, and non-scholastic affiliations, and on top of that, your Dean wrote a very good recommendation letter. Now tell me, how important is the scholarship grant to you?”

She exhaled soundly, and I saw her disconcerted for the first time.

After a few seconds, “Ahem,” she gulped hard to clear her throat. “You see, sir. I have prepared for this since I learned about the program two years ago. I knew the evaluation would be rigid, but it didn’t stop me from pursuing it. I studied harder to meet and even surpass the required academic rating. It motivated me to strive harder and achieve much more than I think I could.”

She stopped and breathed hard again, exhaling heavy air from her lungs, and she continued.

“I am here because this is what I want, this is part of my dream, and I strived hard to be here. If, by any chance, I qualify…I will study more and work even harder, so I wouldn’t waste the trust and opportunity accorded by the foundation. In a way--standing here in front of you is an accomplishment but also a reminder that even if my dream is bigger than me, as long I focus and strive hard--I can achieve it. I hope you find me worthy.”

“That was an excellent response, Ms. McLennon,” my grandfather clapped his hands in appreciation.

Since the interview started, he had been silent, and I thought he was bored and didn't care. He was there, of course, because my grandmother wanted to hear the students' responses. But, Mr. Khalan Weston, my remarkable grandfather, surprised me by praising Ms. McLennon. He even clapped his hands.

She indeed gave an excellent response. So much different than the answers of the students who came ahead of her. Her answer didn’t emphasize the rewards of the scholarship, especially cutting the study time from five years to two years and studying medicine for free. Instead, she shared her efforts to qualify for the program and her vision and dream. Putting weight on how much she wanted it and what she did and would do to achieve it.

That was utterly impressive. Ms. Klaudria McLennon did not disappoint me.

“Yes. Klaudria. I could tell how much you wanted this scholarship.” My grandma, Aliyah Weston herself, also gave her a nice comment.

"Thank you very much, ma'am, sir." She bowed her head to both seniors.

She then thanked the panel and left the room.

I guess I knew the result of this interview. We have three more candidates for screening before we finally close and vote for the rightful candidates.

I gave her the once over before Ms. K left the room. She was a bit puzzled when she heard me ask the question. Perhaps she heard from other candidates that I didn’t speak throughout the interview. But I needed to ask her that question that the rest of the panel didn't bother to ask the previous candidates. I needed to know how much she wanted the scholarship and gauge her willingness to sacrifice to get what she coveted.

"Interesting lady,” my grandma said while we waited for the next candidate to enter the room.

I just shook my head. My grandparents were impressed, without a doubt.

It was a backbreaking task to go over the candidates in a day. I wondered how my grandparents were taking it. The six-hour stretch would kill me later, but my eighty-year-old grandfather and seventy-plus-year-old grandmother seemed not bothered by the ordeal. I wondered if their love for each other had something to do with how they looked and felt so young. Their hands were together through the day, and they smiled at each other endearingly.

An hour later, we finished the screening and proceeded to vote, drawing the day to a close.

Tired and badly wanting a stretch and perhaps a good run before supper, I headed for the door after giving instructions to the steering committee. My grandparents had long gone and possibly resting in their room. We would meet again during supper.

I was surprised when SPITFIRE was still standing a few distances from the door, and her beautiful honey brown eyes were on me while I walked down the alley.

Was she waiting for me?