![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
can_be_moreAeryn was beginning to wonder how exactly this whole job thing worked. It seemed like she would go into a place, hand in her application, and then be dismissed with a smile by some underling and that was it. It was a little discouraging.
So by the time she got to the last place, she was surprised when the hostess actually said, "Hold on. Let me get Jerry."
She waited a moment for Jerry, who was a tall, slightly overweight middle-aged man who greeted her with a big smile, holding her application in his hand. "Are you, um..." He looked at the paper, asking, "Ah-ern?"
No one had ever had a problem with her name before, so she made a face as she corrected, "Aeryn."
"Oh! Like Erin. I'll never get used to some of the spellings of names now," Jerry said. "Well, come on over here, Aeryn. Have a seat."
The restaurant was mostly empty this early in the morning, and so they sat at a booth in the corner, where they wouldn't be bothered. "So what brings you to TGI Friday's, Aeryn?"
She blinked, not sure if he was stupid but leaning towards that opinion. "I need a job."
He laughed and said, "Well, you're honest. It's a good side job for a lot of people, especially when they're going to school. Are you going to school, Aeryn?"
Aeryn had no idea why he kept saying her name except that maybe he was trying to remember it. Or he couldn't get over the spelling. "No. But my fiancé is."
Jerry looked her over, but smiled and said, "Congratulations. And who says young marriages don't work? I married my first wife when we were nineteen and... well, you don't want to hear about that. Is he going to Harvard?"
"MIT," she answered, being very careful not to pronounce it "mit".
"Oh, a smart guy. You'd better hold on to that one. This looks like your... second job?" he said, looking at the paper again. "So what's Caritas?"
Look, Aeryn couldn't exactly put down that her previous work experience was seventeen years as a soldier. She just couldn't. And she had worked at Caritas. Twice. And if one of those times was last summer and one was two weeks ago, she could put down that she did the job for a year. Aeryn had learned a thing or two, living in America.
"It's a karaoke bar," she answered.
Jerry's eyebrows raised. "They let a seventeen-year-old work in a bar?"
"I was law-abiding at all times," Aeryn said quickly.
He shrugged. "That's really more of an issue for them and the state than it is for me. And I can contact your boss... Tino?"
"Yes," she said. "Yes you can."
"Well, at least in a karaoke bar you must be used to singing."
Aeryn unfortunately had no idea what that meant. Also unfortunately, as she opened her mouth to ask, he said, "You seem like a nice girl," and Aeryn really began questioning his sanity in addition to his intelligence. "What do you say to starting on Monday? You can come in and pick up your uniform and fill out the paperwork before then."
"I can start on Monday," she said, half out of surprise. It was definitely half out of surprise as she was convinced her new boss was a deficient.
"Perfect!" Jerry grinned. "Well, congratulations and we'll be glad to have you on the team. You are going to have to smile more. You should be glad to be here!"
And now she was pretty convinced there was no way she wasn't going to have to murder him.
So by the time she got to the last place, she was surprised when the hostess actually said, "Hold on. Let me get Jerry."
She waited a moment for Jerry, who was a tall, slightly overweight middle-aged man who greeted her with a big smile, holding her application in his hand. "Are you, um..." He looked at the paper, asking, "Ah-ern?"
No one had ever had a problem with her name before, so she made a face as she corrected, "Aeryn."
"Oh! Like Erin. I'll never get used to some of the spellings of names now," Jerry said. "Well, come on over here, Aeryn. Have a seat."
The restaurant was mostly empty this early in the morning, and so they sat at a booth in the corner, where they wouldn't be bothered. "So what brings you to TGI Friday's, Aeryn?"
She blinked, not sure if he was stupid but leaning towards that opinion. "I need a job."
He laughed and said, "Well, you're honest. It's a good side job for a lot of people, especially when they're going to school. Are you going to school, Aeryn?"
Aeryn had no idea why he kept saying her name except that maybe he was trying to remember it. Or he couldn't get over the spelling. "No. But my fiancé is."
Jerry looked her over, but smiled and said, "Congratulations. And who says young marriages don't work? I married my first wife when we were nineteen and... well, you don't want to hear about that. Is he going to Harvard?"
"MIT," she answered, being very careful not to pronounce it "mit".
"Oh, a smart guy. You'd better hold on to that one. This looks like your... second job?" he said, looking at the paper again. "So what's Caritas?"
Look, Aeryn couldn't exactly put down that her previous work experience was seventeen years as a soldier. She just couldn't. And she had worked at Caritas. Twice. And if one of those times was last summer and one was two weeks ago, she could put down that she did the job for a year. Aeryn had learned a thing or two, living in America.
"It's a karaoke bar," she answered.
Jerry's eyebrows raised. "They let a seventeen-year-old work in a bar?"
"I was law-abiding at all times," Aeryn said quickly.
He shrugged. "That's really more of an issue for them and the state than it is for me. And I can contact your boss... Tino?"
"Yes," she said. "Yes you can."
"Well, at least in a karaoke bar you must be used to singing."
Aeryn unfortunately had no idea what that meant. Also unfortunately, as she opened her mouth to ask, he said, "You seem like a nice girl," and Aeryn really began questioning his sanity in addition to his intelligence. "What do you say to starting on Monday? You can come in and pick up your uniform and fill out the paperwork before then."
"I can start on Monday," she said, half out of surprise. It was definitely half out of surprise as she was convinced her new boss was a deficient.
"Perfect!" Jerry grinned. "Well, congratulations and we'll be glad to have you on the team. You are going to have to smile more. You should be glad to be here!"
And now she was pretty convinced there was no way she wasn't going to have to murder him.
