Chapter 5 - Stranger In A Park

“Attention please everyone. We are extremely sorry to inform you that the afternoon interview sessions have been cancelled. We apologize for the inconvenience and confusion that this may cause but we have decided to postpone the interview to 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 voice announced 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 like it was worth it.

I might as well find a way to burn a couple of hours now that I was already in the city and that would help me save up on the fee. As I walked pass 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 so was the land that surrounded it, the park was a few minutes walk away but I had time to kill anyways.

With no better idea in mind, I started walking towards the park...

...

.....

By the time I got to the park, my shoes were already killing my feet, literally. I’m so stupid, I forgot to change into my own shoes instead of these ones lent to me by auntie. 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 as well. The park was covered with lush green grass, large trees, bushes, and flowers that were in full bloom. The center of the park was a big body of water with wooden bridges built to help people cross the water. There were paths for running and cycling and benches for people to sit down and just enjoy the scenery...or change their shoes in my case.

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 lake side. Since it was early afternoon on a weekday, there were very few people in the park. It seemed the only people free at this time of day were mothers with their babies in strollers and the elderly. 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, no point thinking about it now. I can’t go back to change what happened in the past, so it was better to focus on the present and the 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 down right next to 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 that sat next to me is 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. It was like, 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, I wondered how he knew and then I realized that I still had the interviewee lanyard with the company’s logo and my name around my neck.

“Umm...yes...” I said, nodding my head slightly as I plastered on a friendly smile on my lips.

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 to take another look to realize that this man was amazingly attractive looking. Although he was seated, I could tell that he was very tall and had a very fit body underneath the loose and casual clothes that hung from his large and muscular frame.

He was dressed in 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. Umm...the interview in the afternoon got postponed to tomorrow...so yea...” I replied after snapping out of my own thoughts.