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Vera

I read the e into lue

Dear Ms Caldwell,

Thank you veryus the chance to consider you We have reviewed your application and the supplemental materials you sent, but we are sorry to say that we are not able to offer you a position at this time

Please feel free to continue checking our website so that you ain if another position becomes available

Best,

The Essex Foundation Recruiting Team

PS We very ive our best to your father

I don’t understand what’s happening here I walked out of that interview feeling aenuinely interested in ued byin low-incoave hborhood square What could have possibly gone wrong?

I guess it doesn’t really rabbing a pen and crossing off The Essex Foundation from my list of applications That’s my twenty third rejection in the last three ot an interview I try not to take it personally anymore, but it feels personal

I glance down atthin now I’ll have to take so out of time

Wandering down to the kitchen, I grab a sleeve of Oreos froory keeps for lass of h the crea I watch little air bubble pop up as the cookie absorbs the ht of this combination should be added to the list of saints

I’h the sleeve when my mother comes into the kitchen “Uh-oh,” she says, “I know that face and I know that snack” My h she doesn’t To her, processed food is the devil and all evil springs froe too much I shove another cookie in my mouth

“Another rejection?” she asks

“The Essex Foundation”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry I know you wanted that one”

I glance at her out of the corner ofsincere Neither of rees with my professed choice of career, but just like the Oreos, ive me as much support as she can From the look on her face, she’s actually a bit sad for me That’s nice

She pours herself a glass of water and perches on a bar stool across from me “What happened?”

The last thing I want to do is rehash everything I’ve been thinking about for the last hour, but I know better than to not answer She’ll just continue to ask me pointed questions until I do I shake my head “I honestly don’t know That was the interview I felt best about The interviewers and I really had a great conversation, and I thought we connected I was really confident about the sample materials I sent in I just…I don’t know”

“Well,” my father’s voice cuts across the kitchen, “If they didn’t hire you, it’s obviously not the right place for you Time to move on”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes My father is Timothy Caldwell Yes, that Timothy Caldwell Architect to the stars, builder of half the celebrity hoh rises in LA, and number one on the list of people who disapprove of ht roup” I dunk another Oreo a little too forcefully, causing some milk to spill onto the counter

Dad comes into the kitchen and stands in front of my mother, who helps him fix his tie auto as I can reoes out to er?” he asks

My sto about and I don’t even want to think about it because it makes me nauseous “A week”

We ain Well, I say wethe terive me till the end of the summer—the actual calendar day at the end of the su whatever I wanted If it didn’t happen, he’d draft me into service at his company I think the phrase he used was, ‘you’ll co drafted is probably more accurate

Now, I’ve got only one week left until the deadline, and then I get swept against h-end world of luxury real estate That is nowhere near where I want to be I’rown up with, but I have no interest in building a iven a lot, and I would much rather try to pass what I can on to people that need it instead of serving the people who can afford h

“Thank goodness for that,”a bottle of his favorite green tea to go with hi the ropes with me I didn’t build an empire just to leave it to no one”

I sigh pointedly “Dad, your e the fourth house of so from what I want”

“Vera, you’re twenty-two,” he says, his face darkening “You don’t knohat you want And since you don’t have a job or a house or rateful that I paid for the entirety of your education and that I’ive you a place at the co to do that”

I glance over at rees with him, but she doesn’t want to pile any er boiling up inside is too , and I’rateful for that I’m thankful that you have allowed me to be debt free But up till now you also let o out thejust three raduation?”

He doesn’t even bat an eye atever riles my

father, which infuriates me even more “Because I know this world better than you You had your fun, and it’s good to have dreas you talk about are very noble, Vera But people don’t hire untested architects who only want to make houses for people who can’t pay Maybe soot soe it But right now, you’re going to work for me”

My eyes prick with angry tears If he was just going to stopafter my dreams, why did he let me follow them this far? “I still have a week,” I say

“A week or a month, the end result is the sahtly before leaving The kitchen is filled with an aard silence now

I pour what’s left of my milk down the drain and put the cookies back in their cubby Myto defend him

She clears her throat again

“Yes?”

She takes a small sip of her water “He just wants what’s best for you”

“Really?” I laugh, but it gets cut off by the lump in my throat “If he wants what’s best for me, then why hasn’t he bothered to consider what I think is best?”

“Because you’re young,” she says, “and—”