Conquering Drew

I

I was in the middle of an uneventful work day at my job downtown, when I was called into my boss's office. I paused my work and quietly got up and headed down the corridor where Mr. Banks was waiting for me. When I stepped in, he offered me a seat but did not say anything else.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Banks?" I asked him

"Yes, everything is fine. We are waiting on Gregory and Phil to come in next and then we will continue." he answered

I nodded my head while I waited on my other colleagues to enter the office. While waiting, I took the time to scan Mr. Banks' office. I saw a picture frame containing himself, his wife and two teen children. They looked so happy, even though the whole office knew the gossip of Mr. Banks' extra marital affair with one of the partners.

I also noticed all the business textbooks on his bookshelf, that I am sure he refers to when he is stuck in a bind.

Mr. Banks graduated top ten of his business class in Chicago. He transferred here to Philadelphia about 10 years ago to expand his insurance business. He was not the kindest man, but I knew that there were worse bosses to work for. He was all about business and had no time for incompetence.

He hired me out 25 interviewees with a simple sales test. Me, being the only black female, was nervous although I knew I was smart, I knew it was going to be a challenge getting the job because I was a woman of color.

He was impressed with my ability to take risks and my unapologetic attitude.

My daydreaming distracted me to the point that I had not noticed that both Gregory and Phil were now present and sitting down on the chairs placed on both sides of me. We were now all sitting, nervous out of our minds about what Mr. Banks would say to us.

He took his time because he was so cruel that he liked to see us squirm. After about five minutes passed, he finally spoke.

"I called you three in here to talk to you about an important issue," he paused to add effect, "Giorgio Amanté, VP of Amanté & Co. asked me to send in three of my best employees to interview for an accounting position for the company's international branch. I chose you three for your experience and work ethic. Now, he will call you in one by one next door to conduct an interview. If you are not interested, then speak now."

He paused to allow us to speak, but none of us said anything.

All three of us knew how big this would be for our careers. The Amanté brothers were known for their thriving investment company. If we could handle the ventures and accounting for a company this big, it would not only mean a pay raise but also an opportunity to get our names out there.

"Okay, well I am assuming that you are all ready for the interview." Mr. Banks said while picking up his office phone

I was assuming that he was calling Mr. Amantè to inform him that we were ready.

"They are all here and ready to go.....Okay I'll send him in."

Once Banks got off the phone he sent Phil over next door to the waiting vice president.

As Gregory and I waited, I went through some interview questions and tactics in my head. I wanted, no needed this job.

Growing up in the rough part of Philly taught me how to survive, but being the first person in my family to go to college, taught me all about racism and discrimination. I always had to work harder to stand out. It was obvious that I looked different from the color of my skin, but I had to be sure that everyone remembered me for more than that.

I took out my makeup compact that I always kept in my blazer pocket and made sure I looked presentable. I hadn't put on any makeup this morning besides eyeliner and mascara and you could definitely see the blemishes due to my caramel complexion. I shrugged it off and checked my teeth for any food left there from lunch.