Smiling, I took a sandwich and placed it on a tissue so that I didn’t make a mess. “Thanks.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You’ve been moping around all day.”
I sighed. “You noticed.”
“I have two teenage daughters at home,” she said. “I’m an expert at noticing things.”
I smiled. “I guess I’m just feeling a little sorry for myself. I’m grateful to have this job, but it doesn’t pay very much, which means I won’t be able to save as much as I’d hoped. Which also means that my future plans are…far away, to say the least.”
“What were your plans, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I wanted to study,” I replied.
“What?”
“It was journalism for a while,” I said. “But then I decided on business before…”
“Before?”
“Dropping out of college,” I said quickly so that it would be less painful.
“Ah.”
“It wasn’t a smart move,” I sighed. “I know that. College dropouts never get very far in life.”
“Don’t say that,” she said. “I never dropped out of college…mostly because I never went to college in the first place.”
“You didn’t want to go to college?” I asked.
“I couldn’t afford it,” she replied. “And, I wasn’t smart enough to get in on a scholarship. Regardless, I had two younger siblings to support, and I needed to earn money as soon as I was able to.”
I felt instantly ashamed of myself for being so self-pitying. There were tons of people who had it way worse than I did, and Marta was one of them. And yet, she could still show up to work with a smile on her face and the best damn chicken sandwiches I had ever tasted.
“I'm an idiot,” I said.
“No, you’re not; you’re worried about your future, and that’s normal. In fact, it’s a good thing—it means you care about the choices you make and the road you take. But you also need to remind yourself that things aren’t all bad. You did find this job after barely a month of looking, right?”
“That’s true.” I nodded.
“And, if you’re made permanent once your internship stint is over, then there’s room for growth. The pay will get better, and you can even take a few company recommended courses.”
“What?” I asked, wrinkling my brow.
“The company recommends certain courses for their employees. It’s a way to make sure their staff is educated and can rise quickly within departments. You can take their courses at reduced rates, too, so it’s cost-effective and extremely productive.”
“Huh,” I said, perking up a little. “I didn’t know that.”
“I can find out more if you’re interested?” Marta asked.
“I’m definitely interested.” I nodded.
She gave me a wink.
“By the way,” I said, taking another bite of her sandwich. “This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
Marta laughed. “I told you.”
“You are a genius.”