The Job I Didn't Want
[Scene 1: Psychology Lecture Hall – Afternoon]
The lecture hall feels like a pressure cooker.
PROFESSOR ELIAS CRANE, early 30s, composed and cold, writes a term on the board: Cognitive Distortions.
He turns, gaze sweeping the room like a searchlight.
Elias:
"If you don't understand this by now, you're wasting your tuition."
He locks eyes on LENA HART, 24, a bright but worn-out psych major.
Elias:
"Ms. Hart. Define 'catastrophizing.' Real-world example. Now."
Lena answers, throat dry.
Elias (flatly):
"Correct. Barely. You'll need more precision if you plan to be anything beyond average."
The class exhales when the lecture ends. Students flee. Lena stays behind, fuming.
Lena (to her friend):
"One more sarcastic remark and I'll throw myself off the cognitive distortion spectrum."
[Campus Café – That Night]
Lena's laptop shows an overdraft warning. Her rent notice flashes.
She scrolls the school job forum — one post jumps out:
Discreet nanny needed. Afternoon care. High pay.
No name, just an email.
Desperate, she applies.
Lena (typing):
Senior psych major. Flexible afternoons. CPR certified. Available immediately.
[Admin Wing – Next Day]
She arrives at Room 312, surprised it's in the professor's wing.
Then she sees the nameplate:
Professor Elias Crane.
Her eyes widen.
"No. No. No."
Before she can leave, the door swings open.
Elias (stoic):
"Ms. Hart. I assume you're here for the nanny job?"
Lena (in disbelief):
"You're the one hiring a nanny?"
Elias:
"I kept the listing anonymous for a reason."
He gestures to the office.
"I don't have time for sentiment, Ms. Hart. Just competence. My nephew needs someone reliable."
Lena (in shock):
"You have a nephew?"
Elias:
"My sister is undergoing treatment overseas. I'm his guardian for the foreseeable future."
She takes a step back.
Lena:
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize… I can't."
Elias (curt):
"Very well. I'll find someone else."
He closes the door. Lena stands in the hallway, stunned — and strangely conflicted.
[ Lena's Apartment – Late Night]
Her phone buzzes with another rent alert. She checks her empty fridge, sighs, then stares at Elias's email.
Lena (softly):
"I can't believe I'm doing this."
She opens a new message:
Hi Professor Crane. If the position's still available… I'll take it.
[Elias's Office – Same Time]
He opens the email, his expression unreadable.
After a long pause, he replies with one word:
"3:00 p.m."