The next afternoon, Celia sat in the guest room with her laptop on a desk in front of her. She had arranged the furniture behind her to look as much like an office as possible. Within the frame, it looked pretty damn good, if she did say so herself. Off camera, there were stacks of boxes and furniture. She had started packing even though she didn't have a concrete place to go. Hopefully, after this call, she could pick a location.
Celia had spent the morning at her hairdresser, Marisol's. She got the full blow-out. Being the Wonder Woman that Marisol is, she'd also added highlights and a few curls, making Celia look damn fetching. It was well worth the investment.
A shopping spree had produced a business suit that she planned on returning tomorrow. But, then again, if she landed this, maybe she'd need it; time would tell. The outfit included a white cotton blouse that fit her new figure, with a banded collar buttoned all the way up, a dark green jacket, and matching slacks. The slacks weren't important since she would be sitting, but they did make a difference to her state of mind. She wore her only pair of dress shoes, the comfortable ones with the low heel.
The agonizing wait for 2:00 pm was excruciating. Celia paced the apartment like a caged animal anxious for the afternoon meal. Checking her phone every 30 seconds, 1:58 pm finally rolled around. She logged into the Zoom meeting. No one else had signed in yet.
First one here, perfect.
She had arranged a few lights to shine from off-camera. The desk lamp illuminated her face; a clamp-on work light hung above and behind her, subtly accentuating her hair with a halo outline; and a heavy-duty camping flashlight cast a streak of light up the wall, accentuating the backdrop behind her. It looked like a movie set with every detail considered.
A moment later, the screen buzzed, and an African-American woman appeared in the box next to Celia's.
"Oh, hi. I'm Sage Reynolds. I'm VP of HR. Nice to meet you." She had a very professional demeanor and a stunning appearance. Her hair had been expertly styled, a coif that swept to the left side of her head. Her outfit consisted of a pink silk blouse and a pearl necklace. Her nails were well-manicured, and she sported what must have been a one-and-a-half-carat diamond wedding ring.
Almost at once, three other boxes lit up. The rest of the team joined in. Clifford handled the introductions, and they got right down to business.
The meeting had been in progress for almost forty minutes when Sage asked, "Celia, do you have any questions?"
Celia smiled with confidence, "I've been in this system for seven years. I know all of the DOL rules; I know ERS and TRS. As a matter of fact, the change in TRS last year, to make it more efficient in processing claims, came from me."
Delighted, all four of them clapped. Clifford said, "You have no idea how much time that saves us every day. So, that was you? Impressive, thank you."
Celia continued, "I have to be honest; I am a bit behind on the IAM/TDIS support, but from what I could tell, it won't take but a minute to get up to speed."
A lull filled the screen as each team member considered the next move. Sage spoke up first, "Well, gang, does anyone have any objections?" Celia looked at the screen and saw four shaking heads.
Are they making the decision in front of me? Wow!
Clifford said, "Ok then, congratulations, if you'd like it, the job is yours.
When can you start?"
"Whoa!!!" A shriek of joy bolted out as she bounced in her seat. "Oh, sorry, sorry. I'm just very excited. When do you need me?" She unsuccessfully tried to regain an element of decorum, Sage said, "Ah, that's the thing." The four execs seemed embarrassed all of a sudden. They looked at each other as though hoping someone else would gracefully explain their situation. "We had this position filled, and at the last moment, the gal's husband was transferred, and she left with him, naturally. We would love it if you could start on Monday?"
Overjoyed, Celia spurted out, "Great, Monday it is. Where do I go?" Clifford gave a thankful smile. "We appreciate your effort in this. I know it won't be easy. Anyway, I'll have my secretary send you the address and the pre-hire forms so you can get started. We're in the Lyndon Johnson building, so we won't be hard to find." He leaned forward and, with extreme sincerity, said, "We're all so excited that this is working out."
The four team members clamored with obvious relief. Celia stared at the screen, confused.
"The Lyndon Johnson Building? But, that's in Austin?" The four team members fell silent.
Sage said, "Uhm, yes. The position is in Austin. Did you not know that?" Celia blanched, "No, I'm sorry, I didn't. Is there any room for negotiation here?"
Embarrassed, Clifford looked to the others, "No, I'm sorry, I thought we discussed that. This is an in-person position...in Austin. Will that be a problem?"
Celia, so elated just seconds before, felt devastation club her to the ground. She had lived in Houston her whole life. The idea of living somewhere else, by herself, terrified her.
How could I even do that?
Her hand came to her mouth as a cold sweat formed on her upper lip. Everything had been so perfect, and then the damn shoe dropped, just like her mother always warned her about.
How could I move away from my parents and all...
She stopped. She wanted to say 'all my friends,' but outside of Luna and Josie, did she really have any? From deep in the recesses of her mind, a question surfaced.
What exactly would you be missing?
Celia didn't have an answer. Not because she didn't know it, but because there wasn't one. A hollow thump rang through her, proclaiming the sorry indictment of how she had lived her life.
What's keeping me in Houston? It's only Austin. It's not like it's in Europe or
anything. Why the hell can't I move to Austin? In Austin, there's no Rod, no Tommi, none of the same ol', same ol' of Houston.
The possibility of moving went from an impossibility to exciting in a heartbeat. What an adventure! A fresh start for a new woman. Truth be told, could it have been more perfect? A smile came to her face. She looked at the monitor and saw four very concerned faces. With a smile, she said, "I would love to live in Austin. What kind of relocation package do you have?"