Stranger in a Park
1012 Words
“Attention, please, everyone. We are extremely sorry to inform you that the afternoon interview sessions have been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience and confusion that this may cause, but we have decided to postpone the interview until tomorrow afternoon instead. Please check the board or your email for the time and room for your interview tomorrow. Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience caused,” a formal woman said through the speakers.
Oh…so there won’t be interviews today. I have to come back here again tomorrow in the afternoon for my interview which meant that I am now free for the day. I sighed as I took out my phone and began checking my email based on the announcement just now.
Here it is. Tomorrow 3PM Room 309. The new time, date and location for my interview.
Suddenly, I had the whole afternoon free and didn’t know what to do. Just like the other candidates, I left the building for the day. I had plenty of time left before my train ride late in the afternoon. I guess I could change the time of my train ticket if I paid the fee, but I just didn’t feel it was worth it.
I could find a way to burn a couple of hours now that I was already in the city, which would help me save up on the fee. As I walked past the beautiful landscape of the garden in front of the building, I was reminded that I saw a public park right next to this building. Well, since this building was huge and the land surrounded it, the park was a few minutes walk away but I had time to kill anyway.
With no better idea in mind, I started walking towards the park…
…
By the time I got to the park, my shoes were literally killing my feet. I’m so stupid, I forgot to change into my shoes instead of these auntie lent me. I looked around the beautiful lush-green park trying to locate a bench where I could sit down and rest my feet and legs.
The park was beautiful beyond words, but it was also too big. The park was covered with lush green grass, large trees, bushes, and flowers that were in full bloom. The park's center was a significant body of water with wooden bridges built to help people cross the water. In my case, there were paths for running and cycling and benches for people to sit down and just enjoy the scenery…or change their shoes.
I spotted a white wooden bench a little walk away, which seemed to be in a perfect spot, under a large tree and quite close to the lakeside. Since it was early afternoon on a weekday, very few people were in the park. It seemed the only people free at this time of day were mothers with their babies in strollers and older people. I watched as a couple of them walked by, enjoying their peaceful walk and the pleasant weather.
I enjoyed the sensation of the wind blowing in my hair and face as I reflected on the written exam from this morning. I guess I didn’t do too badly on it. I wasn’t fully confident, but I think I did a decent job and should be able to pass it. Now all I needed to do was nail the interview tomorrow to get the job offer. There were a couple of questions that I wasn’t sure of the answer to.
Well, there's no point thinking about it now. I can’t go back to change past events, so it was better to focus on the present and future. I wonder what questions will be asked in the interview tomorrow…
I was so deep in thought that I didn’t realize that a man had approached me until he had already sat beside me on the wooden bench.
“Good afternoon,” the man said, drawing me out of my thoughts.
I turned around, a little bewildered at how close he was sitting next to me. The man next to me was probably in his early thirties with light brown hair and matching hazel eyes. The look in his eyes was nothing like I had ever seen before.
His eyes were so full of determination and passion like he had already figured out the goal of his life and was running as fast as he could towards it. I couldn’t quite understand why or how to explain it, but something in those eyes captivated and held my attention. If I continued to stare into them, I would see something great happen…
“You’re here for an interview at Jessen & Hills?” he asked.
At first wondered how he knew, but then I realized I still had the interviewee lanyard with the company’s logo and my name around my neck.
“Umm…yes…” I said, nodding slightly as I plastered a friendly smile.
I felt a knot of nervousness in my stomach, and my heart started beating faster as I became more aware of his presence close to me. I didn’t need another look to realize this man looked beautiful. Although seated, I could tell he was very tall and fit underneath the loose and casual clothes hanging from his extensive and muscular frame.
He wore a simple white t-shirt, light blue jeans, and sneakers. There was nothing to help me indicate who this man was and what he did in his life, but for some reason, his presence intimidated me.
“Hmm…so, how did it go?” the man asked as a slight smile curved his beautiful lips. For a split second, I watched his full lips form a smile, completely mesmerized.
“…it was ok, I think. …the interview in the afternoon got postponed to tomorrow…so yeah…” I replied after snapping out of my thoughts.
“Oh, right…I forgot about that…” the man murmured as if to himself.
“Sorry…I don’t quite follow…” I said softly in confusion.
--To be continued…
- Writer
