Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
“Thanks,” I said as Rooster started us forward.
The receptionist chattered and said hi to quite a few people as we passed, and I stayed silent and kept pace beside her, even though she was walking a tad fast for my comfort.
Luckily, Rooster kept me solid, and I arrived at an office that I would never be able to find my way back to, or out of, even if I wanted to.
“Mrs. Carter,” the receptionist said. “Your appointment.”
“Thanks, dear,” a sweet woman’s voice, with a hint of steel underneath of it, said. “You’re dismissed.”
I shivered at the tone.
No nonsense.
“Come on in, Ms. Howe,” Mrs. Carter said. “I have a couple of chairs directly in front of you.” She paused. “Do you think your dog would like something to drink?”
I relaxed completely then. “Actually, yes. It’s hot, and the poor boy’s had to do a lot of work to get me here today.”
“Oh.” She paused. “Was it very hard to get to from your apartment?”
I hesitated to answer before saying, “Yeah, kind of.”
“Let’s just say, if you get the job, I’ll be sending you a ride every morning,” she said. “We have officers that live in your area that are more than willing to grab you up, then take you home, if you’re okay with that.”
“That would be fantastic,” I shared.
She poured Rooster a drink into what sounded like a bowl she’d already had handy.
“My son’s dog comes in here a lot to…” She paused. “It’s like I talked about him, and there he is. He’s a sweet boy, aren’t you, big boy?”
An excited nose poked at my hand and I reached out, feeling pointy ears and long hair.
“Hello, mister,” I cooed as I petted away.
“My son’s dog is a K-9 officer for DPD,” she said. “He gets to roam around a lot in the back offices when he’s visiting either me, his brothers, or his father.”
“Oh,” I said. “That’s pretty cool.”
“We already have a potty area set up for our other K-9s, so getting your dog…” She trailed off, and I said, “Rooster.”
“Getting Rooster a potty break will be no problem,” she finished. “Now, if you’re comfortable, we’ll just shut this door and discuss the needs of the department and see how you’d fit.”
I kept my stroking of the ears up and used my feet to rub Rooster’s side at the same time.
The next thirty minutes were spent explaining my credentials, my past work experience, and what I was wanting out of a job.
She didn’t ask me about how I’d gone blind, though, which I almost came to expect.
All the other places had asked, and I’d given them a very shortened version of the truth.
Mrs. Carter didn’t ask, and since she didn’t, I kept the information to myself.
“What kind of salary are you interested in?” she asked.
I scrunched up my nose then gave the generic answer of, “That’s something I’d like to discuss. What’s your budget for this position?”
I’d listened to a few YouTube videos when I was searching for interview questions, and that particular question had come up. Then the man had gone over how to turn the question around on them for my own benefit.
She laughed. “I like that answer.” She hesitated. “Let’s discuss…”
It was about twenty minutes later when the expectations of the job were given to me that the interview came to an end.
“Any other questions?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Then you’re hired, as long as you still want the job,” Mrs. Carter said with a smile in her voice. “When do you want to start?”
I thought about it for all of a second before saying, “Whenever you’ll have me.”
I was bored at home.
I’d enjoyed spending the last few months working. Sitting at home all day with nothing to do/watch was exhausting.
“Then now.” She clapped. “We have a private office for you and everything. It’s in the same wing as all the higher brass, including the office we took you to today, so it shouldn’t be too overwhelming for you. And it’s safe.”
That made me feel instantly better.
Not many people thought about how dangerous it was to be a blind woman in a violent world.
“Come on, I’ll show you around…” she paused. “Is there anything that’ll make it easier for you? I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
I appreciated her words.
“Nope,” I said. “And showing me around is good. It’ll give Rooster and me the lay of the land.”
She “showed” me the entire bull pen, management wing, as well as a few other places.
“This way is to the jail cells,” she said. “Likely, you’ll never get this direction. But if you do find yourself here, just ask for Ross. He’s our main officer in charge here.”
I nodded, even though I tended to agree with her. I’d likely never find myself here on my own.
She walked me to HR, and I filled out my new hire paperwork. Once I was done with that, she said, “I’d like to take you out tomorrow at lunch to introduce you to the main people you’ll be working with. A few of them are my sons.”