The Interview that Reeks

Jacob has been waiting for this day. Today at 1:00 pm will be his interview with Armstrong Design Inc. It's a top-rated company that creates client's websites, logos, and apps. He didn't think he had a chance with only a little over a year of experience working in this field. But he took a leap of faith and sent his resume and a website design sample. The hiring manager called him and scheduled an interview. The first thing he did in the morning was go out for a run in the park. He thought it would help to clear his mind. He was very nervous about the interview. When he entered the park, he saw other runners and a few older people feeding the pigeons. Halfway into his thirty-minute run, he came upon a girl jogging. They were the only ones on this particular trail. He decided to stop and drink some water. When he opened his water bottle, he heard a scream. He looked up and saw the girl on the ground. Jacob ran to her and knelt beside her. She had a large gash on her head, and her right ankle was swelling.

"Are you all right?" "Do you think you can put your weight on your other leg?" Jacob asked.

The girl tried to stand up and started to cry.

"It's ok. I'm going to run and get you help."

"No! Please don't leave me." The girl pleaded.

"Well, do you mind if I carry you? I can get you back to the busy part of the park, and we can get help."

" Alright." The girl said.

Jacob picked her up and brought her to the two cops patrolling the park. They called the ambulance and took it from there. His thirty-minute run took close to an hour. He returned home quickly, ate, and showered. He hurried and dressed to make up for the time he lost. After getting ready, Jacob said a silent prayer and hoped everything else would go smoothly. He had to take two buses to get to his destination. His arrival time will be about thirty minutes before his appointment.

A lady and her baby were waiting when he got to the bus stop. The mother was standing with the baby. Jacob decided to sit on the bench beside them. The mother smiled at him, and Jacob nodded. He smiled at the baby, and the baby smiled back with his milk smile. He reached for his phone in his jacket to check the time and realized it was still on the kitchen table. Jacob noticed the clock at the bus stop was out of order. The traffic was heavy and noisy, so he politely tapped the lady's arm to get her attention. The lady turned around with the baby and looked down at him.

Jacob said. "Maam, I'm sorry to bother you. Could you please tell me the time?"

When the lady looked at her watch, her baby projectile regurgitated milk all over his jacket and shirt. The mother was mortified and tried to clean it up with baby wipes. But it didn't help much. The lady apologized and left. The smell was pungent. The bus arrived, and when Jacob got on and sat down, he could hear whispers and people holding their noses. He understood because it took all he had not to gag. He bought a bottle of water at the corner drug store by the next bus stop to try to help wipe the milk off without getting his shirt too wet, but the smell lingered.

Jacob decided to get in line for the next bus. When he looked behind him, he saw an elderly lady in line with a strange look on her face.

She looked around and said, "What is that smell?"

Jacob confessed it was him and gave her a sympathetic smile. 

"A baby regurgitated his meal on me at my last bus stop."

 The elderly lady shook her head. " Oh dear, I have something to help you.

She reached into her purse and took out a large bottle of perfume. She started spraying him with it, and the smell reminded him of baby powder and flowers. Jacob was beginning to have trouble breathing, so he put his hand over the perfume bottle.

"Maam, I'm good. I would not want you to waste all your perfume on me."

"Don't worry about that. Would you like me to spray some more?"

"No, No, thank you. I think that's more than enough." Jacob said between coughs,

"No problem, dear. I'm glad I can help."

The bus arrived, and the driver said he could only take one passenger. One of the other buses got into a wreck, and he had to take the passengers from that bus, so he was at capacity. The driver said the next bus would arrive in thirty to forty minutes. Jacob was relieved he was the first one. The old lady behind him was upset. Jacob turned around to see if she was ok. She said if she had to wait for the next bus, she would be late for a doctor's appointment. She had waited two months for this appointment. He stepped aside and told the lady to go ahead. He will wait for the next bus. The lady thanked him and got on the bus.

The other bus arrived thirty minutes later, and Jacob got on. He sat by the exit to be the first to get off when it was time to depart. The clock on the bus showed it was 12:15 pm. He was fifteen minutes away from his destination. So, depending on how many stops, he figured he should get there about ten to fifteen minutes before the interview. He wanted to get there earlier and maybe find a way to decrease the strong aroma. But at least he wasn't going to be late. The bus arrived at the next stop for a few more people. He was lost in thought, wondering if the hiring manager would cancel the interview once she got a whiff of him. He hoped she would allow him to explain. He heard someone clear their throat. Jacob looked up and saw a beautiful woman looking down at him.

"Excuse me, the seat next to you is the last one. I like to sit by the window. Would you mind?" asked the woman.

Jacob got up and motioned his hand to the window seat.

"I don't mind at all."

The woman sat down, her eyes started to water, and she started sneezing.

The woman looked at Jacob and said. "I'm sorry, I'm sensitive to strong smells.

He looked around and saw people staring at him with mean looks. They knew where the smell was coming from. He stood up and apologized to everyone. Hoping they wouldn't kick him off the bus. He sat back down and looked at the woman sitting next to him. Her eyes were still watering, and her nose was bright red.

"Hi, I am Jacob, and I would love to tell you why I smell like baby puke and twenty old ladies mixed together. The best part is that I'm heading to an interview with an amazing company I would love to work for, and I smell like this.

Anna laughed. "Hi, I'm Anna. I would love to hear the story. It might help me forget about the burning sensation in my nose.

Jacob told her about the girl in the park, the baby spitting up on him, and the old lady who tried to help him by dousing him with perfume. He explained what happened with the last bus and said only one seat was left. Jacob explained how he let the old lady go so she wouldn't miss her doctor's appointment. As he talked, she couldn't help but notice his blue eyes sparkling as he made her laugh. Jacob loved her laugh. He was about to show her his portfolio and tell her about his interview. But he felt his stomach start to cramp, and he felt like he was about to vomit. The smell affected him more than he thought. There was no way he would lose his stomach contents on the bus. He pressed the button for the bus to stop, and he ran out. Jacob ran behind a building and relieved his nausea. When he finished, the revelation hit that he had left his portfolio on the bus. He walked back to the front of the building and realized it was a fast-food place. He went inside, went into the restroom, and washed his face. When he went to the front, he bought a soft drink and sat down. The restaurant clock showed it was 1:10 pm. He was devastated. He didn't know what to do. He forgot his phone, so he couldn't call and explain what had happened. He didn't even have his portfolio. He decided to rent a bike and head towards the company. He wanted to apologize for being late and explain what happened. He doubted that they would give him a second chance. But an apology would be the right thing to do. Jacob was angry. He had missed out on the job of a lifetime and met the most beautiful woman he had ever seen on the bus, and all he got was her first name. Jacob felt defeated.

Anna got to the office and went straight to her boss's office. She knocked and opened the door slowly.

"Are you busy, Mr. Armstong?"

"No, come on in."

Anna walked in and opened Jacob's portfolio on his desk.

"Take a look at this, Sir."

Mr Armstrong took a minute to look at the portfolio. He closed it and said, "Wow! This person is talented. Who is this for?"

"It belongs to the guy I was sitting next to on the bus today. His name is Jacob. I didn't get his last name. He looked like he had a rough day, and he smelled awful. He told me that he went jogging this morning and ended up helping a girl who had a serious fall and hurt herself. Then he told me a baby threw up on him. An old lady thought he smelled bad and decided to drown him in some of her perfume, making him smell worse. Then he gave up the last seat on the bus so the lady who sprayed the perfume on him wouldn't miss her doctor's appointment. His face took on a greenish hue as he showed me his portfolio. He became nauseated and ran off the bus. He left his portfolio behind. He said his interview was with an amazing company that he would love to work for. But he didn't say the name of the company."

Mr. Armstrong was flipping through the portfolio again.

"He has remarkable skills. Hold on a minute, did you say his name is Jacob? Linda came by and gave me the resumes for today's interviews. She told me her last interview for the day was a no-show, and his name was Jacob Collins. She was disappointed because he gave a sample of his work and she was very impressed."

"Could it be the same person?" Anna asked.

Anna fumbles through the resumes on the desk and finds Jacob Collon's resume. Mr. Armstrong called his number, but there was no answer, and Jacob's phone wasn't set up for voice mail.

" I will try again later. Take the portfolio to your office for safekeeping." 

Jacob was in the Armstrong Designs lobby. The receptionist looked at him and said, "Hi, My name is Kelly. How can I help you?"

'Yes, my name is Jacob Collins. I had an interview with Linda at 1:00 p.m. I couldn't make it on time. So, I just wanted to apologize and explain to her what happened.

Kelly was taken aback by his kindness. She wondered why he smelled like someone had mugged him with a perfume bottle, but she decided not to ask. Kelly wanted to help him redeem himself. Even though she knew Linda left for the day, she called her office.

" I'm sorry, Jacob, Linda is not in her office right now. Oh well, I will just call Mr. Armstrong to see when she returns."

This was a simple ploy to get Mr. Armstrong to talk with Jacob without looking like she went over Linda's head. Linda is a very nice person. However, she is very strict about being late and wouldn't give Jacob another chance to be interviewed. He could have been late because he cured cancer, and Linda wouldn't think that was a valid reason. Kelly knew her boss would be more understanding.

"Sir, Sorry to bother you, but I have a man here named Jacob Collins. He missed his interview and wanted to apologize to Linda for not showing up. Do you know when she will be back?"

Mr. Armstrong couldn't believe it.

"Kelly, send him to my office, please. You don't have to call Linda back when she returns. I'll take it from here." Kelly hung up with the biggest smile on her face and told Jacob the boss would like to meet him.

"Go down two doors to the left. The first double door is his office."

Jacob couldn't believe the receptionist had done that for him.

"Thank you for doing this,"

Kelly said. "It's no problem; I have a good feeling about you. Now hurry up, and don't make the boss wait.

Jacob arrived at Mr. Armstrong's office and knocked. When Jacob heard him say come in, he opened the door.

No introductions were necessary. Mr. Armstrong knew it was him just by the smell he brought with him. He motioned for Jason to sit down. A few moments later, Mr. Armstrong asked Jacob to excuse him for a minute and called Anna.

"Hello, Could you bring the portfolio we were looking at to my office, please."

"Yes, sir," Anna replied.

Anna walked into the office with the portfolio. She froze when she looked into those blue eyes.

Jacob was confused. "Anna?"

Mr. Armstrong could not help but notice they were smitten with each other. He smiled and shook his head. Anna was still holding on to the portfolio.

"Anna, the portfolio, please."

Anna came back to reality and opened it on the desk. Mr. Armstrong looked at Jacob.

"Your work is impressive. But what impressed me this morning was how you handled the obstacles you encountered coming here. Anna told me you helped the hurt jogger and gave up your seat for the lady who needed to get to her doctor's appointment. Your actions showed what a good person you are. To me, talent is one thing, but someone's character is everything.

Jacob replied. "Thank you for the compliment, sir."

Mr. Armstrong looked at him and said.

" I think you will be a good fit in this company. Can you start on Monday?"

Jacob smiled and said. "Sir, You better believe I can start on Monday."

"Great, but one thing, don't ever come into my building smelling like that again."

Mr. Armstrong shook Jacob's hand and said, "See you on Monday at 8:00 am."

Mr. Armstrong looked at Anna.

"Could you please see Jacob out?" I have to go. My wife warned me not to be late for dinner again, and everybody knows she's the boss at home. Mr. Armstrong left.

Jacob sat there and couldn't believe how this day ended. He looked at Anna.

"I can't thank you enough for what you did for me. Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

"You are welcome, and I would love to," Anna said.

Jacob didn't realize the restaurant he took her to would be their special place. One year to the day they met on the bus, Jacob took her to their special place and proposed to her. Two years later, he took her back to celebrate his promotion as the company's leader in web design. Three months after that, Anna tried to give him a hint and said she wanted to go to their "place." She was craving some of the items on the menu. So he took her and ordered all the food she wanted. He realized she had developed a hearty appetite. He didn't catch on, so she gave him a present. One pink and one blue baby shirt. He understood.