I WILL NOT LET HIM OFF

Luna stared at the gate to Haven Logistics, which was across the road. She looked back at herself and her dirty clothes. A few passersby sympathized with her while she struggled not to cry.

After standing for a while, she decided to go ahead. She had less than an hour, and it was important for her to be present. But regardless of how she looked, she believed that whoever saw her would realize that she had been in an accident and that what mattered was that she aced her interview.

She crossed to the other side of the road and knocked at the gate. A man opened the gate for her. He took a good look at her dirty clothes but didn't say anything else and let her in.

He pointed towards the door that led to where the interview was going to take place. She began to walk over there, noticing a few men and women who were also dressed as people who came for the interview.

They looked at her and some began to laugh. She tried to control her emotions, but when she got closer, the assistant to the director who was responsible for taking the candidates inside stopped her and said, "You look really dirty. People who look this way are not allowed on these premises. Why were you allowed into the building?"

Luna said, "Listen, something happened to me. I didn't leave my house looking this way, of course. I wouldn't do such a thing. I came for the interview, but on my way, I got into an accident."

"Then you should change your clothes. You look too dirty." He repeated. "What do you think? Do you think that once you walk into that office, my boss will be able to listen to whatever you have to say?"

"But I do not have the time to change."

"Then why are you wasting it? By standing here arguing with me, you're wasting your time. He will not attend to you while you are looking this dirty. Go back and get a change of clothes. This is for your own good."

Luna stood for a while, staring at the man and back at the other candidates. She didn't know what to do. Going back home and coming back was going to take her more than an hour, and she was already feeling very tired.

If she did that, she would not be able to make it, and the interview might be over. Also, she didn't carry her credit card with her. If she did, she would have stopped at the closest mall and gotten a change of clothes. She regretted leaving it back at home.

The clothes she was wearing were very expensive for someone like her. She had spent more than three hundred dollars just to get them because she wanted to look her best for this job. She thought about begging the man once more but realized it was in vain.

He had already said that his boss would be the one who would not listen to her. What was the need of begging him? She thought of calling her friend to ask for help, but what was the point? Allison was with her daughter Claire, and if she called her, she would have to leave the hospital.

She decided to go back home and change. No matter what, she was going to meet up on time. At the very least, she would end up as the last candidate who would be interviewed. It was much better than being kicked out of the boss' office because of looking dirty.

She ran out of the company and began to run back home. She kept running without stopping until she arrived at her house. She was feeling very tired that she had to sit down briefly to catch her breath.

When she recovered her strength, she got up and looked around her wardrobe. What she had on her body was the best set of clothes she had. But then, she had clothes that were much better than the ones she had on her body in her condition.

She thought about washing and ironing it, but that was going to take too much time, so she took out a red gown from her wardrobe.

It wasn't what she would have loved to wear to an interview, but it was still good enough. She put on her heels once more and ran out of the house. When she got to the door, she realized that she had worn the wrong shoes. Since they didn't match what she was wearing.

She went back inside and changed into a different color of shoes. She removed the shoes and held them in her hands, putting on her sandals once again, as she ran back to Haven Logistics.

When she finally arrived at the gate, she was sweating profusely, her makeup was ruined at this point and her face looked funny. She wiped off the sweat on her face without bothering about the ruined makeup.

She was more worried about the job which was more important to her. She looked at the time and saw that she was ten minutes late. Regardless of what happened, she would explain to the man who had asked her to go and change. He would understand that she had been in an accident.

She knocked on the gate, but the man who had opened it for her initially came out and said, "The interview is over. No one is allowed to go inside the building."

"What do you mean? But this is a public office." She replied.

"There's no work here today because it's a holiday. Today was kept for the interview and the time was moved up so it happened earlier than it should have. All the candidates have left, and no one else is allowed in the building. My boss is very busy, and these are his instructions."

"Please, do not say that." Luna cried. "You saw me when I came earlier. I was just across the street, trying to cross when a madman almost ran me over. That's how I ended up in an accident. Please, I really need this interview. This job is important to me. Please, just let me go in."

"You do not understand. I am only following orders. If I let you in, I might lose my job."

Luna folded her hands and began to cry, "Please, just help me. I really need this job, please."

"Listen, I feel sorry for you, and I understand what you're saying, but..."

"My daughter has a hole in her heart. She is very sick. I need this job to give me the money for her treatment, please help me," she begged.

The man stared at her and finally said, "Alright, come in, but if I lose my job, it's on you."

"Don't worry, if you lose your job, I will share my salary with you. Please, just let me ace this interview."

The man smiled and let her into the office. As she approached the door she had used in entering before, she was surprised to find it locked.

And it seemed to have been locked from the inside. She knocked on the door, but there was no reply. She tried opening it, but she couldn't. She stood there until the man she had seen earlier came out from a different room. When she saw him, she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, thank you. It's nice to see you. Please, help me. I went back home to change as you suggested, and when I came back, I realized I was a few minutes behind time. Please, help me, I'm begging you as I really need this job."

"I'm sorry, but our boss has already picked a candidate."

"What? No, no, no, no, no. You don't understand. I spent all night preparing for this interview. I didn't even sleep. Please, listen to me. My daughter has a hole in her heart, and I really need this job to be able to help her."

"I'm sorry, but it's not in my hands." The man replied. "I kept looking at the road, wishing you would make it since my boss became bored and decided to move up the time. I didn't have your contact, I would have called you. I'm just so sorry, it's not in my hands.

I would have really loved to help you, but my boss has already chosen the candidate he wants, and he doesn't intend to see anyone else. He's quite busy inside and asked not to be disturbed. I'm sorry, but you would have to leave."

Luna stood there as tears poured down from her eyes. The man said comfortingly, "Perhaps you should try a different place. You might be lucky next time."

He turned and walked away, while she stood there, crying. After a few minutes, her mind went back to her daughter whose feet had begun to swell in the hospital. She recalled how she had gone to her father six months ago, and he said it would be better for her to die. She thought about how her friend had confidently told her that she was going to get the job, and she was waiting for good news at the hospital.

"Why? Why me?" she lamented. "Why me? What do I do, Claire? What do I do?"

She remembered the professor who had recommended her for this job before she was invited for the interview.

"I can't even call the professor and beg him because he will be so disappointed in me. He always hated people who were not punctual, but if I explain my situation to him, he might understand. He's a father afterall."

She removed her phone and quickly called the professor who had recommended her for the job and explained everything that happened to him.

He said, "This is really a problem. The director and I aren't really close friends. He is just an acquaintance, and I just made mention of you. But let me see if I can talk to him. I am really sorry about what happened to you."

The professor called the director and told him about Luna's case, but he said a candidate had already been picked. She performed really well, and she had already received her appointment letter, so there was nothing they could do for Luna.

After the call ended, the professor called Luna back and told her everything. He told her that he would let her know if something else came up. She thanked him and also apologized if she let him down but he said it was fine.

After the call ended, She thought back to the car that had almost run her over. "It's all his fault, that animal. If he hadn't tried to run me over, this would not have happened. He ruined my chances of getting this job and I'm going to make him pay pay. I will not let him off."

She left Haven Logistics and went to the police station. When she got there, she told them that someone had almost run her over, giving her injuries on her knee and hands, and she ended up being late for her interview – a job that she was already guaranteed to have.

But because she was so dirty, all thanks to him, she went back home, changed, and lost her opportunity to get the job. And this was the job that would have seen her earning five thousand dollars a month which would help her sick daughter in the hospital.

The officer who was listening to her said, "Alright. Do you know the person who did this to you? Did you see his face? Can you describe him?"

Luna shook her head, "No, I did not see him, but I was able to commit his number plate to memory."

"Okay, write down his number plate, and we will begin from there," the officer said. "Do not worry, we will try our best to make sure that you get compensation for what happened to you, and we will also look at the satellite covering the area to see how the incident took place."

"I will be really grateful for that," Luna replied.

She wrote down the number plate of the car, and the police officer ran it on their system. After a few minutes, he came back to her and asked, "The number you wrote down, are you sure that it belongs to the person who almost ran you over? Are you sure you didn't make any mistake?"

"No, I did not make any mistake," she replied confidently. "Listen, officer, I have a photographic memory, and I'm very smart, so I cannot make mistakes with such things. I'm an accountant. When it comes to numbers, I am the best."

"Alright," the officer nodded. "It's quite unfortunate that this happened to you. I'm sorry but, the person who almost ran you over isn't someone we can arrest. I don't think we can touch him."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Luna asked. "Why wouldn't you arrest him? I just explained what he did to me. Because of him, my child's chances of survival have become slim."

"Listen, calm down," the officer said. "I just ran the plate in our system. That car belongs to Alexander Cooper, the wealthiest bachelor in Houston."

Luna's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"