by Valor on Wed Nov 07, 2012 9:48 am
Prologue
“So let me get this straight kid, you just graduated from college, got your first degree; and you are applying to be our assistant general manager?” The man looked up from his comfortable seat and peered upwards through his thin, half-rim spectacles.
“That is precisely the case sir “
“Mr….Lai was it?” The man said as he slowly took off his glasses, “Do you realize how many interviews I have done throughout the course of this week?”
“I’ll imagine quite a few”
“So what makes you think you are even qualified to talk to me right here, right now, taking up my time? You know and I know that the possibility of you landing this job is beyond slim!” The man exclaimed loudly
“Why is that an issue?” Lai fired back, “With all due respect, sir, this position isn’t even the one I want, it’s just that it’s the only one being offered right now”
“Well, which job did you want?”
“Yours”
After a brief moment, the man raised his eyebrows in amusement, as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard. He picked up the cup of water on his desk and took a sip.
“Intrigue me, why would I take a risk hiring you” the man asked,
“If you risk nothing, then you risk everything” Lai said as he flashed his confident, and borderline arrogant smile.
The man chuckled, put his glasses on and took another sip of water.
“Mr Lai, I don’t know if they taught you this in your university, but it takes more than cliché quotes to run a business, let alone manage an NBA franchise”
“Then again, you got some guts, I’ll give you that.” The man continued, “We need someone like that around here, and out of the 24 candidates we’ve interviewed, you are the only one who showed some fire.”
Lai smiled, “So I get the job?”
“Not so quick kiddo, you got through me, you gotta get through him too” the man said as he picked up the phone and dialed an extension
“Boss? Got one here, gimme a time. Tomorrow? Got it”
The man turned to Lai, “Come back tomorrow morning, the real test is coming right up”
✧✧✧✧✧
For probably one of the first times in his life, Leo Lai was nervous. Obviously, he didn’t show it, but his stomach was turning over and over again.
Of course he was going to be nervous, anybody would be nervous if they were to sit down in front of an elderly, but imposing man for the last 10 minutes without a single word being uttered by both sides. It was a suffocating silence that seemed like it will go on forever.
“It’s as though I’m on a trial or something here!” Lai thought to himself as his mind raced through all the potentially nerve-wrecking moments in the past, but it was to no avail. Not even the night before his high school basketball finals was this bad.
Finally, the old man spoke. “I’ve looked at your resume. It’s basically a blank sheet of paper to us.”
Lai swallowed hard and didn’t dare to look the man in the face. He knew one wrong move and his chances of landing the job are all but over.
“However…”
Lai looked up, there might be some hope afterall!
“I did like that quote of yours” the old man finished, and Lai could only assume the slight twitch on that old, emotionless face was an attempt to smile.
“He told you about it huh?” Lai asked in amusement,
“Wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t, would he?” the old man replied as he picked up a pen and signed on a piece of paper on his desk, “This, is a contract stating the terms of your employment. Read it, sign it, and keep it if you will”
Lai took the contract slowly and almost methodically, “I am going to be working in the NBA!” he thought to himself as he scanned the terms of agreement and signed on the dotted line. Apparently, he was also going to be considerably richer than he was in his university days.
With that done, he offered his hands with his new boss, who waved him off, and proceed to head out of the office. Work starts tomorrow and he has a whole afternoon to go apartment shopping. Lai smiled as he walked outside onto the pavement. He was 21, got more than enough money in the bank, and is the assistant general manager of an NBA franchise;
...and this is just the beginning.
Last edited by
Valor on Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.