Page 1 of Callan

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MACKENZIE

“Take a look for yourself.Doesn’t it look nice?” I ask, walking around my studio apartment and holding the camera up for Kayla, my best friend, to check the Christmas decorations I spread around the walls, across the window sills, and over the furniture—wreaths, garlands, pinecones, fairy lights, candle glass holders, embroidered pillows, soft blankets, and red faux Eucalyptus stems.

“Oh… It looks pretty.”

“It better do. I spent my last paycheck on this and my time this weekend to make it look nice.”

A moment of silence drifts away before she speaks again.

“Don’t worry,” she says as if aware of my thoughts and the bleary uncertainty gripping my heart. “They’ll call you soon,” she goes on. “You’ll get a second interview. There’s no way they wouldn’t call you.” A short pause follows before she utters words again. “I see a job offer in your future, Kenzie. It will happen for sure at the beginning of January.”

Her last words beam with humor, a soft attempt to lighten the mood as the grayish afternoon blends into the early winter evening.

She truly wants to lift my spirits.

What can I say?

It’s never fun when you have no money left for your living expenses.

New York has never been cheap, and living paycheck to paycheck, as difficult as it can be, is nothing compared to trying to pay your bills when you don’t have a job.

I lost my last job overnight.

No one anticipated the layoffs.

Regardless of how much time we wasted chatting about stupid stuff around the water cooler, the topic never came up.

The hammer dropped on a rainy Monday morning.

We cleared off our desks and headed out with the promise that our last paychecks would be mailed to the last known address.

That happened a month ago.

My monthly bills have drained my bank account since then, and I’m hoping to get a job as quickly as possible to stay afloat.

Trying not to think about it, I spin around, hug my robe closer, and curl up on the sofa while setting the phone next to me so I can see her.

“At the beginning of January? Why can’t they do it now?” I ask, counting the days in my head.

I need a job right now.I know we’re in the middle of the holiday season, but people still need to eat and buy warm clothing.

I know I do.

“These people––the corporations, I mean––have no reason to hire in December. There’s no urgency to them, so it makes no sense.”

I give her a soft smile.

“It’d make a lot of sense to me, though,” I say, being the proud owner of two maxed-out credit cards.

“I know. I know…” she says, genuine sympathy flashing through her eyes.

I feel bad about discussing this with her every time she calls me, but it’s impossible not to think about it.

Let’s say this year hasn’t been my best.

It’s been exactly twelve months since I broke up with Quinn, and things have only gone downhill.

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