1
Camilla
“Congratulations! You are a lucky winner of $1000! Click here to claim your prize!”
I rolled my eyes at the flashy pop-up window and closed it with a rough click, wondering if anyone fell for this shitty scam and actually clicked on it. If I had a dollar for every time I received a “prize”, I wouldn’t need the job I was desperately searching for now.
“Maybe I should give up on my dreams and work as a scammer,” I muttered.
With a sigh, I closed another website with job openings and rubbed my forehead tiredly.
I was sitting on my bed in my apartment looking online for jobs, but I had no luck so far. I was at my wit’s end, living off savings I had almost used up. If this situation continued, I would have to apply for welfare.
I refused to ask for money from my parents since they had already helped me more than enough when they funded my choice to go to school out of the state. College had been expensive, even with my student loans, but they had never complained, always willing to support the baby of the family even though their pensions had been their only meal ticket.
I had always been an ambitious person, having big dreams about becoming someone in the world of politics despite coming from a family that had no money or connections in politics. My parents had always believed in me, telling me I would become a high-ranking politician one day, and up until recently, I believed them. I had believed I was able to fulfill my dreams and do what I loved through my dedication and continuous work.
I was a straight-A student and had enough extracurricular activities to compete for any internship I wanted, and I even got my master’s degree in political science a few months ago. I was fired up and ready to start working, however, even with internships, diligence, and good grades, I couldn’t kick off my career. Dedication could only get me so far.
Getting the job I wanted was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, so here I was, spending hours on the internet looking for anything remotely good. I wanted to be an aide in Washington, but the employers either wanted someone with many years of experience or they offered too low salaries. I was in dire need of money, but I had rent and bills to pay and accepting something super low didn’t cut it.
The Skype ringtone ripped through the air, pulling me out of my thoughts.
It was my mom. I bit into my lip, having no clue what to tell her when she asked me about my job search. I didn’t want to disappoint her. She knew about my recent internship at one of the local political parties, but I didn’t tell her that it had ended a month ago.
Setting a smile on my face, I accepted her call, and an image of an attractive brunette in her fifties filled my screen.
“Hi, Mom.”
Her smile was huge, her blue eyes crinkling with joy. “Hi, sweetie! It’s been a while!”
I was her replica because I had the same sea-blue eyes, heart-shaped face, tall body with curves, and chestnut brown hair. The only difference was that her hair was short, while mine reached my mid-back.
“Actually, it’s been three days.”
She tsked. “Feels like much longer to me! You know how much we miss you. Your dad keeps asking when you’ll come to visit us. You and your brother.”
“Soon, Mom. You know how busy it can be—”
“You always say soon! When is that? This year? Next year?”
I let out a small sigh. She could be a tad dramatic sometimes. “I know, and believe me, I miss you too, but I can’t travel right now.”
Her smile never wavered, but I could see the worry in her eyes. “I understand, honey. A life of politics is very busy and stressful, so it’s no wonder you can’t take a breather. Just don’t overwork yourself, okay?”
I wanted to snort. Overwork? I wished I had any work to begin with.
“I know. Thanks.”
“About that internship. Did they hire you as a regular employee?”
Me and my big mouth. Why did I tell her there was a chance they would hire me after I completed my internship?
“Actually…” I couldn’t lie about that. I couldn’t look her in the eyes and spurt out yet another lie. “They didn’t hire me. And I’m not their intern anymore.”
A frown replaced her smile. “Oh? Why?”
“I wasn’t the right person for them. Or so they say.”
“Nonsense! You’re the best! You’re smart, hard-working, responsible, and knowledgeable! How dare they?”
I melted at her words, grateful for having her constant support. She was always there to bring me up when I was down, and I couldn’t thank her enough for everything she had done for me.
“Well, I’m not the only one with those qualities, Mom. The competition is tough, and there aren’t many open positions. You remember what is was like for Carter. But that’s okay, because they weren’t the right campaign for me anyway. I worked for them in hopes of expanding my horizons and getting experience, but I knew I wouldn’t want to continue working for them long term.”
She didn’t respond immediately, her soft gaze moving across my face.
“Don’t worry,” I hurried to reassure her. “I’m not without options. I applied for an internship at one local firm, and I have big chances of getting accepted.”
“Another internship? How about a job? You’ve already graduated and got your master’s degree, so why are you wasting your time on internships? You could ask your brother for help.”
Because anything was better than being jobless at this point. “As I said, I’m expanding my horizons. Leaning on Carter doesn’t help me do that.”
I could clearly see she wanted to say something but was holding out on me. In the end, she said, “You look tired, dear. You said you were okay the last time we spoke, but are you sure you’re okay? You can tell me anything, you know.”
I had no intention of telling her just how uneasy I was. She was already concerned about me more than enough. “I’m fine. I just stayed up late last night with my friends.”
Her lips quirked up into a beam. She had bought it. Hook, line, and sinker. “I see. You’re just like me. I went to bowling last night with Kelly”—Kelly was our next-door neighbor— “And we had such a great time that I came back home around midnight. Your father was so worried.” She chuckled, and an image of my dad pacing around our living room waiting for her flashed in my mind.
“I guess Dad didn’t like you out so late, having more fun than him.”
“Actually, he was sound asleep by the time I came back home. He was fishing the whole day yesterday, so he was too tired to wait for me.”
We spent another half an hour chatting, until she said she had to go and make dinner for Dad, she also wanted to call Carter, my older very successful brother. I waved at her and ended the call, glad that she hadn’t pushed me to talk in detail about my job or rather the lack of it.