Blood Rose

(Renata Pellegrini - United States )

The blue colors dominated everywhere, you could barely see the metal parts, the mirrored glass covered everything like a sheet, it surely has more than fifteen stories here.

I take a deep breath, it's not even two hours since I set foot on solid ground and I already feel like I'm drowning.

I wish my parents were alive, I really wish I could bring them with me, give them a better life. I really wanted to see them smiling, even if it was just one more time...

This is no time to have sad thoughts! I pat my cheeks and stew my chest, now is the time to have courage.

I open the doors and hold tight the handles of my purse, I need to meet the manager and give him the letter of recommendation, my teacher told me that as soon as I delivered it, I would be practically hired, all I had to do was to say the name of her friend: Matteo Valentini.

Could this man be a relative of Filippo's? They have the same last name, but I have never found anything about this Matteo. It doesn't matter, I just want to be hired, and if this name will guarantee it, so be it.

When I enter the building, the inside is much more luxurious than the outside. I need to control myself. This environment will now be my workplace. I have to treat it like any other place.

I walk up to the counter, my legs feel unstable, but as I get closer, my jaw gets stiffer.

"How can you be so incompetent, you imbecile…"

"Good morning!" I interrupt the blonde girl who is looking me up and down.

"Who are you?" she asks, and I can read in her eyes that she thinks someone like me shouldn't even think of stepping foot in there. "Do you know this is Computing Diamond?"

I hold myself to keep from rolling my eyes, it makes me so angry to be treated like this, why did I think this place would be different?

"I'm Renata Pellegrini, I came here to…"

"Oh yes, Carol told me you were coming here."

So she must be the manager of this place, I didn't like her, but what can I do? Accept and hope to be hired, I don't even have five cents in my pocket, imagine some dollars.

"How nice that you were already aware of my arrival…"

"Not only yours, other people were also told they would be here today."

What a rude woman! Breathe, Rê, you need this job, and I should be used to dealing with people like that by now.

"I see, so I guess you know that I came here for the interview for the position of…"

"Go away."

"What?" I blink my eyes in confusion.

"Are you by any chance deaf? You're not fit to work here, look at your clothes, you haven't even put on makeup. Go back to the little place you came from."

"Please don't do this, I have come a long way, I was told that I was already practically hired, that the interview would be just a formality, I dropped everything I had to come here, please give me a chance, I promise you won't regret it!" I say it all at once, my heart pounding in my chest. I press my tongue to the roof of my mouth, I can't cry here, not in front of all these people.

She looks at me with a mean smile on her face, under her gaze I feel inferior, how can anyone be so overbearing?

"So you are willing to accept any service?"

Am? I came here to become Filippo's personal assistant, but it's looking like I won't even set foot here tomorrow, I don't want to starve.

"Yes," I can't hide the disappointment in my voice.

"Okay, there is a cleaning position open, if you want it, it's yours."

What a load of crap! I don't want to disdain those who work as cleaners, because in a certain way the company only works because they clean the environment, but it's that I studied so hard to get a good job, and in the end I will end up as a cleaner.

No matter what they tell me, this is frustrating, I wanted to work in front of a computer, not cleaning toilets.

"Yes, I do," I answer. "When do I start?"

"Right now, come with me."

We walk to the end of a corridor, stopping in front of an aluminum door. Well, it seems that not everything is so luxurious.

"Here is the staff locker room."

She enters and I follow her, she opens the door twenty-three and hands me the key to the locker.

"The uniform you see here is size S, it should fit you, let's get you dressed soon."

I go to the closet and get the clothes: a green coat, a white apron with two front pockets, and pants in the same fabric as the coat. I can't tell what fabric it is, but it's not a coarse fabric.

"Oh, I didn't say my name, I'm Veronica."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I hold out my hand out of politeness, but she rolls her eyes.

"Let's get to the point, last night, Mr. Valentini asked me to clean his office, as you could see we were short of cleaners. He hasn't arrived yet, I want you to clean his room properly before he arrives, don't touch anything at all and be out of that room in thirty minutes, am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good, there is the material you will use," she points to another aluminum door. "Use the cleaners' elevator and go quickly."

She leaves me alone in the changing room, hoping that fate has no more negative surprises in store for me.

I take the materials and go to the elevator, I forgot to ask which floor was Mr. Valentine's office, I will press the last button, whatever it is.