“Yes. Thank you, Nancy. Ms. Thompson, it’s a pleasure to meet you, please have a seat.”
Taking the seat in front of his desk, I remove another copy of my resume along with letters of recommendation from professors and a list of references.
I’m ready.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hamilton,” I say politely.
Mr. Hamilton is an older man, probably late fifties to early sixties. His smile is kind and further relaxes me. “Well, Ms. Thompson—”
“Tatum, please,” I tell him.
He smiles. “Well, Tatum. You come highly recommended. Nancy has been my administrative assistant for twenty years now. Her family and mine are all close. Her sister Ruth works with a friend of yours.” He consults the paper in front of him. “Dr. Brent Wethington,” he reads from the paper, and then lays it back on his desk.
I smile. “Yes, sir. Brent is engaged to my best friend Leah. Leah and I have been inseparable since kindergarten.” I take a breath and decide to get it out there so I can control the conversation. “Brent, Leah, and I just moved here from Ohio. Brent is starting private practice, as you already know.” I offer him another small smile. Here come the emotions. I take a deep breath and push through. “I lost both of my parents in a tragic car accident.” I stop to fight back the tears. Shit! I thought if I led with this, I could control the pain, the hurt. Clearing my throat I continue. “Leah and Brent were moving and offered for me to come with them. I needed a change,” I say, and drop my gaze to my lap. I try to discreetly wipe at the tears that are fighting to fall. I hear the squeak of his chair and the clearing of his throat.
I look up to find Mr. Hamilton holding a box of tissues out for me. Speaking in a quiet voice, he says, “I’m so sorry for your loss. You’re about the same age as my Holly, and I can’t imagine what you are going through.” His words are sincere and spoken from the heart. He reminds me a lot of my father. He was the most kindhearted, gentle man.
My tears begin to flow, not only from the thoughts of my father, but from the kindness of the man sitting before me. This is going down in the record books as the worst job interview ever!
Finally, getting my emotions in check. I feel like I can talk without sobbing. “Thank you, Mr. Hamilton. I miss them terribly,” is my reply.
“So tell me, Tatum. Why marketing and public relations?”
Finally, moving toward safer ground. “I enjoy the work, taking a product or brand and helping to get others interested. As far as public relations, I enjoy working with people. I added a double major with the mindset that my marketing skills would come in handy for working with the public and selling the brand or product and vice versa,” I tell him.
“We have been looking for a new public relations person since Lucy left over a year ago. We just haven’t been able to find anyone. Most are interested in big city life, like Nashville. You think that you can be happy here?”
I nod my head. “Yes, sir, I do. Leah and Brent are making a life here, and they are my family now, all that I have left. I just want to live again,” I tell him honestly.
“Tatum, I’m not sure how much you’ve heard about the position, but we are actually looking for a part-time person to do some marketing. So you see, your double major has piqued my interest. The workload will be heavy at first. Nancy has been attempting to do her job and that of PR for the last year. She has been juggling two full-time positions. I feel confident that once you get the hang of things, you will be able to utilize both your marketing and PR skills,” he says.
I stare at him, trying to understand what he’s saying. “Mr. Hamilton, I would be honored if you would consider me for the position. I know I’m right out of school with limited extern experience, but I’m a hard worker and I need this. I promise you, I won’t let you down.”
He smiles at me. “I like to go with my gut instinct; it always steers me in the right direction. My gut is telling me you will make a great addition to our team. So, Tatum, I would like to offer you the position.”
My mouth drops open. He just offered me the job on the spot! “Thank you, sir.” I stand and reach my hand out to shake his. “Thank you so much.” I feel the tears start to well behind my eyes and I will them not to fall. My future starts here, in Tennessee.
Mr. Hamilton shakes my hand. “Let me take you back to Nancy and she can get you squared away with all of your new hire paperwork.”
I don’t hesitate to follow him out of his office and down the hall back to the front desk. “Nancy, Tatum will be joining our team. Can you please get her set up with the necessary paperwork, background check, and drug screen that goes along with the new hire process?” He turns to face me. “Nancy will get you set up. One of us will call you when we have all the results to set your start date.”
I reach out and offer my hand again. He quickly shakes my offered hand, and heads back toward his office. As I turn to Nancy, a single tear slides down my cheek. I squeeze my eyes shut willing the rest to not fall, at least not until I’m alone.
“Are you all right, dear?” Nancy asks, her voice laced with concern and motherly love.
That thought alone causes my chest to ache. I take a deep breath and open my eyes. Nancy is looking at me, worry in her eyes. Behind her is her son, the tattooed Adonis. I don’t look at him long enough to try and figure out what he must think of me. My embarrassment won’t allow it. I feel my face heat as I reach up and wipe the escaped lone tear.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’ve just had a lot going on these past few months and this job…” I pause, reining in my emotions. How much do I tell her? I don’t want her to think I’m too much of an emotional wreck to handle the job.
I need this.
“This job, well, it’s my future, and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of your team,” I tell her. That is as close as I can get without spilling my woes. She reminds me so much of my mother that it wouldn’t take much for me to let the words fly. I bite down on my bottom lip to keep from doing just that.
Nancy reaches over and places her hand on top of mine. “Well, we’re glad to have you.”
I arrive about fifteen minutes early to meet Mom. I hate to make people wait on me, and I know she’s busy. Besides, she offered me breakfast. As I’m walking toward the building, I see a girl headed for the same door as me. I quicken my step to get the door for her. My parents raised me right. I catch up to her and reach out to open the door. “Allow me,” I say next to her ear. I didn’t plan it that way. She is closer to the door than I realized. My height makes it possible for me to easily reach around her.
I can hear that she is softly replying to my southern hospitality, but I can’t comprehend what she says. The sweet scent of her hair invades my senses. I follow her into the building where she heads toward my mother’s desk. Mom greets her with her ever pleasant smile. I stand close behind her for a multitude of reasons. One, her scent is intoxicating, and two, I want to know her name, who she is. Shaking my head to break this sudden trance she has me in, I focus on their conversation. I hear her tell my mom her name is Tatum and she is here for an interview with Mayor Hamilton. She must be the candidate Aunt Ruth was talking about.
The girl, Tatum, takes a seat against the wall. I force myself not to watch her every move. As soon as she walks away, Mom greets me. I wrap my arms around her and hug her tight. Because, really, is there any other way to greet your mother?