7 yrs, Gone and Forgotten

Chapter 7: Test & New Friend

      The week passed quickly as I worked hard setting up meetings, organizing and mailing out designs. Scott had completely gone back to his usual mischievous self; Theo was preparing the open interviews while I got names and applications for each applicant. By the time Friday rolled around we had fifty women including Mandy and myself to take the tests. Mandy had spent the week in between designing and meetings studying for the test, and as much as I tried, I couldn’t study, I couldn’t even manage to read one line of anything to help with what if scenarios. I only prayed all week that I at least got through the first test and then I didn’t know what I would do with the last two, but I did know that I would not give up so easily.       

       We arrived at the auditorium right on time Friday afternoon, after fussing with Lance and Lane about why I was doing this. I tried to tell them I had a point to prove, but they just kept laughing it off which aggravated me to no end. I really hated that men thought women were so helpless. Maybe it was my fault, maybe because for seven years I seemed to run on autopilot without even having a second thought about how strong I could be or possibly actually was, maybe not physically but mentally.

    They led us into the auditorium and spaced us all out with about ten seats between each of us. Theo made his rounds and handed the packets out, while Lance and Lane followed behind him handing out pencils to everyone. Sitting there I wished I would have paid attention to the applicants with pictures that I had collected all week. There was woman of all ages, sizes, and shapes, all beautiful in their own way and all confident and ready to take on the world. I smiled thinking about how these guys were going to get proven wrong in a matter of three days about the strength of a woman.

      Scott stepped onto the stage and pulled the mic to his lips, “Good afternoon, ladies. As you all know we are looking to add some new trainees to our company. You are all here because you are confident, you are strong, and you believe that you can be an attribute to our company. I won’t lie, this business is dangerous, there are no set hours, and there are no set office suits waiting for you. You will risk your life; you will travel, and you will work unreasonably long hours just to make sure that we are providing the best for our clients. This job not only demands a certain level of mental capability, but also physically.” He took a sip of his water and flashed that smile out to all of us. “Please do not think I am trying to detour any of you, I just want you to understand everything from the beginning before beginning the next three days. Now if any of you have second thoughts and feel like you want to change your mind, please feel free to leave now, no one will judge you.”  

        The auditorium became deadly silent, and we all watched as five women from different areas of the auditorium silently stood and exited out the back of the room. Once the last girl left and the door shut Scott cleared his throat and gave us all a smile, “You have two hours to complete your test. When you are done, please wave down Theo, Lance, Lane, or me to collect your test and then you may leave. We have a dinner set up for you in the garden outside where you can have dinner and mingle before going home for the evening.”

          Once again it became silent in the large room and one by one you could hear pages turn and pencils begin to scratch across the surfaces. Dragging through the questions one by one I didn’t even really take time to think about them, they all seemed like common sense to me. By the time I got to question one hundred and answered it, I was more than ready to get out of there. I closed the packet and stood making my way over to Scott who was standing next to Theo at the exit door.

       Scott looked at me funny as I handed him the packet and smiled, “Lee, are you done already, or are you giving up?”

       I laughed as silently as I could, “I’m done. I am going out to wait on the others.”

      “You can’t be serious; it’s only been thirty minutes.” Theo whispered.

     “Well, I am, check for yourself.” I smiled as I passed by them and made my way out to the garden.

     They had sat up a small dining area in the small gazebo, with drinks and finger foods. I grabbed a plate and threw a few small things in it, before grabbing a water and making my way to one of the small fruit trees where I politely took my seat and leaned against it. After finishing my snack quickly, I stretched out and leaned my head back against the trunk of the tree to peer up through the leafy branches.

       A flash took me back to another place and time, as if watching a movie and I was the star of the show on the screen, I watched as I danced and leaped through the branches barefoot. It was pure freedom, I felt alive, I was happy, and I was one with my surroundings. I jumped and swung and moved so elegantly. Suddenly I wanted to climb a tree, I suddenly felt like I needed to, there was something calling to me about the trees, and it wasn’t something new, it was something from my life, something that I had forgotten that I suddenly remembered.

      “Lee, are you alright?” Mandy violently shook me from my flash.

      I looked from her to the tree several times before I shook it off and stood to my feet, “Yea fine. You done?”

      “Yea silly, while you were out here napping everyone finished, everyone’s tests haven been graded, and they are fixing to put the list out for the ones that go onto tomorrow’s round.”

      “Really?” I couldn’t have been out there that long.

     “It’s been four hours already, now come on.” She huffed as she pulled me behind her to the table where Theo and Scott were sitting with the list in front of them.

      “Alright ladies, scores are in, as hard as it is going to be to say this to you all, there are only twenty-five of you that passed. So, when your name is called, please step behind the table as you will be the ones going on to tomorrow’s test.” Theo announced as he took the list in his hand.

      Mandy and I held hands as we listened to each name being called and one by one the ladies stepped behind the table. Mandy and I were called, and we proudly stepped behind them as we hugged each other, I knew we could do it. He kept calling names and I paid no attention until he called a name making my heart skip a beat. Her name was Eva, she was beautiful with her shoulder length blonde hair, and hot pink tips bouncing around her face. When her stormy grey eyes met mine and she smiled everything inside me told me to run and hug her, but I kept my feet firmly planted and watched her as she never took her eyes off me.

      After Theo was done calling the names Scott stood and faced us and motioned for us to follow. Eva moved closer to Mandy and me as we walked as a group back to the buses. As we stopped and Scott gave directions for the following day, Mandy slowly left my side and migrated to Scott’s. I just smiled as I watched her watch him in admiration. She was so madly in love with the boy, and even though they had dated for years now, I doubted sometimes his feelings for her.

       “Hi, I’m Eva.” A whisper drifted to my ears as I looked over at those stormy grey eyes and that big smile look back at me.

       I wasn’t one to take to strangers to easily, but my heart won in that instant, I liked the girl, and I wanted to take to her. “Lee.” I smiled as I took her hand in mine and smiled.  “Nice to meet you.”

      “You too. Wow, how great is this? I hear this company is awesome.” She rambled.

      “It is, they work really hard and provide a great service to those in need.” I c****d my head sideways when something dawned on me, “You don’t sound like you are from around here?”

     She giggled, “I’m not. I am here for awhile and really wanted to gain this experience. I am from the states.” She pointed to me, “You? Cause you don’t really seem like a native either.”

      “Well, I have been here for seven years, so I guess you could say I am from here.” I laughed back, I wanted to tell her more, but how do you just tell a complete stranger you were found in an alley left for dead and have no idea who you really are, or where you come from.  

     “Well, that’s my bus, but we will talk tomorrow, maybe go out for dinner or something.” She sung as she stepped onto her bus.

      “Absolutely.” I waved as she disappeared onto the bus.

      “Hey Lee?” Theo shouted from behind me, I turned quickly, and he engulfed me in his arms. He placed his lips near my ear to whisper. “Scott won’t tell you this, you know the whole pride thing, but you are the first and only one to make a hundred percent on that test, so congrats.”

      I jerked away quickly to look up into his eyes to see if he was serious and all I could see was the truth smiling back at me, “Seriously?” he nodded his head and I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him close, before doing a little crazy happy dance right there in the middle of the sidewalk. “Now can I go home and crash?”

     “Yea, come on. You can ride with me.” I nodded as he took his keys out and we headed toward his car.

      The ride to the flat was silent, and I was grateful. I didn’t want to talk, I didn’t want to think, all I wanted to do was crash on my own bed and let the moments of the day sink in. Especially the thoughts of the Eva girl who seemed to walk into my life. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something about her, did she remind me of someone in my past, could she be someone from my past, or were we just kindred spirits that met by chance in this big world. One thing I knew for sure, was that I was going to get to know her, and I was going to figure out what it was that I couldn’t figure out in the moment.