The Job Interview Pt. 02

A day had passed since Susan had interviewed Amy for the housemaid position and the college junior was having second thoughts. Although her options were pretty limited, she felt the whole idea of working as a housemaid demeaning. Unable to sleep much, Amy had gotten up early and spent the last several hours scanning every source she could find for job opportunities that would meet her needs.

There were plenty of jobs out there. That was not the problem. The challenge was two fold. She really needed flexibility. School was unpredictable. There would be nights she needed more time to study. Her class schedule also changed every couple of months. That problem was manageable. The bigger issue, however, was the lack of housing. The Boston housing market was really tight. With her limited credit history and negligible income, no respectable landlord was going to offer her a lease. Unless Amy was open to living in a bad neighborhood far from school her options were pretty limited

.

The longer she searched the more determined Amy became to find a way out of the situation, but so far a solution eluded her. Just before lunch Amy's phone buzzed with a text. The message indicated that Amy had an appointment at Stitch n'Time to be fitted for her uniforms. It appeared that despite her best efforts things were beginning to move forward.

Amy stared down at the text for several minutes. She really wanted to text her new employer back and politely decline the role. Whatever she decided, the college student had to make up her mind quickly. The appointment was scheduled at 1:00. Given the time it would take to walk there, Amy figured she had 30 minutes to make up her mind before it was made up for her by not showing.

Eventually Amy gave up. She grabbed a pair of shoes and headed toward the seamstress shop. It was a rather cold yet lovely late Spring day. The sun was shining and the humidity that plagued the area during the Summer had not yet arrived. Amy had thrown on a sweatshirt for extra warmth. Although she was not exactly familiar with the area, Amy made good time and arrived at the shop about 10 minutes early.

The shop was situated in a small business district surrounded by tightly packed urban housing. A little bell rang as Amy opened the door. Inside she found dozens of dresses hanging from racks. Toward the back of the show room there was a simple desk with an old school cash register sitting off to the side. The place appeared to be empty.

"Can I help you?" Amy was startled as a woman appeared from a door along the side of the room. The woman appeared to be in her early 50s. She was stout and slightly overweight. Amy noticed her simple black dress which was paired with black heels that clicked as she walked along the hardwood floor of the shop.

"Yes I am here for a fitting."

The seamstress walked over to the desk and pulled out a book. "Alright, which wedding?"

Amy paused. This was all a bit embarrassing. "Ummm... it's not for a wedding. I am here to be fitted for a uniform."

The woman looked puzzled for a moment. The only uniform fitting she had scheduled for today was for a housekeeper. This customer was wearing a Harvard sweatshirt and a nice pair of leggings. "I'm sorry dear, but the only uniform fitting I have scheduled today is for a housekeeper."

"Yes that's it."

There was an awkward pause. Could this girl really be serious? Given the proximity of her store to the University, she had dealt with her share of rich, snotty brats, but never in her 30 years had she fitted one of them in a housekeeper uniform. "I'm sorry. Did you say you're here for the housekeeper fitting?"

"Yes, that's right. Susan made an appointment for me." Amy fidgeted a bit. This was even more awkward than she had expected. The older woman was looking at her like she had two heads.

"Well alright then. Please follow me. I have a fitting room in the back."

Amy followed the woman to the back of the store. She had not really noticed this area when she walked in as the lighting wasn't great. There were also a few boxes stacked up that sort of blocked the view providing a little bit of privacy.

"Alright dear, you're going to need to slip out of that sweatshirt. I need to get accurate measurements."

Amy hesitated for a moment. It suddenly dawned on her that she was about to strip down in front of a complete stranger for a uniform fitting. She was a bit apprehensive, but she had come this far and needed the job. She took off her sweatshirt and handed it to the old seamstress, who gave her a nod of approval. Amy stood in her leggings and sports bra, feeling a bit exposed. The seamstress took out her measuring tape and started to take her measurements.

As the fitting went on, Amy felt more and more self-conscious. She couldn't help but feel like the older woman was judging her. She tried to keep her eyes to the ground as the seamstress worked, but her eyes kept wandering.

"Have you ever worked as a housekeeper before?" the seamstress asked, breaking the silence.

"No, I haven't," Amy replied, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Well it's certainly not for everyone," the woman replied as she wrapped the tape around Amy's waist. "I can't remember the last time I measured someone for a residential position. Occasionally I get the one off hotel housekeeper, but I'd just assumed that uniformed maids had fallen out of favor."

Amy winced upon hearing her words. "I wasn't sure about it at first either, but Susan assured me it was a great way to avoid getting my own clothes dirty." She tried to appear nonchalant even though she felt like a part of her was dying inside. "After giving it some thought, I figured what the heck. It really doesn't matter what I'm wearing."

The woman smiled. "Well your employer really picked out a lovely uniform. Once we get it fitted, the dress will look really smart on you."

"As long as it's comfortable."

"It will be," the seamstress assured her. "So I have to ask, what interested you in this role?"

"Well I was hoping for something that would work with my schedule. It's hard to find a job that is so flexible. Susan was very accommodating."

The woman nodded, "So I assume you're a student, then?"

"Yes I am. I attend Harvard." Amy cringed as she said this. She hated how the locals reacted when you mentioned that you attended Harvard. Some rolled their eyes. Others made a quip. It was always awkward.

However, the seamstress hardly acknowledged it. She just kept right on measuring. In a way this was almost worse. As embarrassing as it was for someone on the street to make a comment, Amy couldn't deny the fact that she kind of liked the attention. At this point in her life getting accepted to Harvard had been her pinnacle achievement, yet this service worker didn't even offer it a passing comment.

As the woman measured down Amy's leg she said, "So when do you need these by?"

"Susan mentioned that she would like me to start this weekend."

"Thanks, that's helpful. When she called earlier she mentioned it was a rush delivery, but that can mean different things to different people."

Amy nodded, relieved that the fitting was almost over. She couldn't wait to put her sweatshirt back on and leave the shop. But as the seamstress finished up, she handed Amy a slip of paper with the final measurements and a note on where to pick up her uniforms. I'll have these ready for you by Friday. You'll need to come in for a final fitting to make sure we got everything right."

Amy forced a smile and quickly grabbed her sweatshirt, eager to leave the shop and never look back. "Thank you."

The woman gently touched her arm. "You know if you're looking for extra work, I've been looking for a girl to come by and clean."

Amy felt a lump forming in her throat. "Oh really," she finally managed to say.

"Yes, it's probably just 5 hours a week. I'm super flexible. Nights, weekends, whatever works best for you."

"Well I'm not really sure how much time I'll have with my new job."

"Of course, of course. Happy to wait until you get settled. Just let me know. Pay is $10/hour."

"I'll think about it and let you know." Amy bolted out of the store. This had to be one of the most embarrassing days of her life.

The woman just smiled as she watched the woman leave. What a great country. The daughter of poor immigrants had risen up to the point where she was on the verge of hiring an Ivy League student to be her cleaner.