The Waiting Room

The waiting room was the most sleek, exclusive corporate lounge that Thom had ever seen. There was a brown L-shaped couch spanning the width of the room, flanked by two potted plants. Copies of the company’s trade publication were fanned out on the coffee table. Thom picked up one as he sat down, admiring the glossy pages before he checked his watch.

Ten minutes to go till the interview.

He couldn’t deny the violent butterflies in his stomach; this was his dream job. Gladwell Electronics Inc was a Fortune 500 company, but the company also had its downsides. The highly eccentric CEO, Tony Gladwell, was famous for firing recruits for something as insignificant as the wrong choice of sock colour.

Thom couldn’t help sneaking a peek at his socks. White, just to be safe.

He dug out his compact mirror. His hair was neat, but his eyes widened when he spotted the giant booger sticking out of his nose. After confirming he was alone, he dug out the offending mess, looking around for somewhere to hide it. In his panic, he wiped his finger under the couch, relieved.

However, he froze when he spotted the security camera pointed at him.

It was too late to do anything except scramble to his feet and flee, before he got torn apart by Tony Gladwell for defacing his couch.

***

The secretary was puzzled when she found the waiting room empty; she had shown in the candidate minutes before.

Shrugging, she walked over to Mr. Gladwell’s office and knocked.

“Sir? The candidate is gone.”

“Preposterous!” Gladwell shouted, tossing aside Thom’s resume. “This fool wasted my time. Send in the next one! Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes sir?”

“Make sure the technician comes to fix the busted security camera in the waiting room.”