“I’m sorry Ms. Lewis, I’ll try again, but I don’t think it’ll make a difference…”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I yelled at the receptionist. Around us, in the normally calm offices of the Hewitt Foundation, people were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, papers and folders comically flying everywhere. I suppose that’s what happens when a million-dollar foundation gets raided by the FBI for fraud.
“Never mind,” I said, slumping down on the plush seat in the reception area. The news that Taylor Hewitt, son of the multi-millionaire real estate mogul John James Hewitt III, had been embezzling funds from the foundation to his own private accounts was everywhere. Oh, and there were rumors of money laundering for terrorists, but since I hadn’t seen any CIA guys hanging around yet. What was I going to do now?
Two years ago, when I got news that I was selected for Hewitt Foundation scholarship, I thought, “This is it!” I would get a free ride for four years at my school of choice – I chose business as my major at Candor University in New York City – and then I’d get an awesome job, maybe open my own company someday. But, when the Hewitt Scandal hit the news, I knew my dreams were dashed. I held out hope – perhaps the scholarships weren’t going to be affected. I went online and heard rumors and stories about other students getting their funding cut. Then it happened to me – my food allowance for the month didn’t come in and next month my tuition and living expenses would be due. I went down to the offices of the Hewitt Foundation to try and get things settled, but the younger Mr. Hewitt seemed to have disappeared and there was just no money. My parents called me the night before, asking, what was I going to do. Honestly, right now, I didn’t know. I was a 21-year-old college student with no money, no job, and soon I was going to be kicked out of school and be out on the street. No way was I moving back to my small mid-Western town with my mom and pop.
I sighed, and then stood up. I left the building and walked down Madison Avenue. It was a nice day for a walk (and I had to save every penny I had) so I walked 20 blocks to my dorm and Candor U.
“Georgie!” my roommate, Grace Anderson, called when I entered our dorm. “What happened? Did everything get straightened out?
I shook my head and slumped down on my bed. “There’s nothing left. No money, no Mr. Hewitt.” I buried my face in my pillow. “What am I going to do, Grace?”
She sat down next to, patting my back. “Don’t worry Georgie, we’ll figure it out. Maybe you can get a job!”
A job! Of course I needed a job. That would at least put food on the table (right now, I was getting by with a loan from my parents). However, that wouldn’t solve my tuition and housing problems. It’s a start though…
“Here!” she produced a newspaper and handed it to me. “There’re lots of office jobs around here…some pay pretty well and I guess…worse case scenario, I’ll sneak you up here to sleep!”
I smiled at Grace. She really was nice and caring. I took the paper from her. “Ok, I’ll give it a try.”
***
I spent most of the next two days searching for jobs in newspapers, online, and looking at flyers around campus. I called and sent out hundreds of resumes but I still didn’t get any replies. I was ready to pack up and move back in with my parents.
“I’m going out!” I told Grace, who was at her desk, working on a paper. She gave me a silent nod as I left.
It was a nice, spring day in New York, so I walked a couple of blocks to the nearby park, sat on the bench, put in my earphones and watched people go by. The sun was starting to set by the time I went back to the dorm.
“Georgie, you left your phone,” Grace handed me my phone. “And…” she smiled. “You have a job interview!”
“What?!” I cried. “No way! I mean, what, how did you…”
She gave me a piece of paper. “Your phone was ringing so I answered it! I pretended to be you, of course, but I wrote down the address and the time – Monday morning at 10 am!”
“Yes!” I squealed. “Finally!” I scanned the paper – I didn’t recognize the address, but then I’d sent out hundreds of resumes and emails, I could probably find it. Plus, I could always wing it.
“Let’s go celebrate!” Grace suggested. “I heard Gamma Epsilon is throwing a huge party tonight!”
“Awesome!” I said. “But I’m starving. Let’s spend some more of my parents’ money on pizza and head over to the Gamma House!”
