Sophia Andrew, a 21 years old girl lived with her grandmother and her little sister who was 12 years old. She had just graduated from the university with a major dydin Business Administration and she hoped to get a very good job that pays very well so she could take care of her grandmother and her sister. The faint aroma of coffee was usually the first thing Sophia smelt every morning once she woke up, followed by the sound of a passing bus outside which was a daily reminder that whether she likes it or not the city was awake and already moving.
Sophia hopped out of her bed even before her alarm sounded. Her room was very small; it was barely enough to contain her bed, her vanity table and an old wardrobe. She stretched her body and did a little yoga to warm her body up. Her gaze lingered around her room till it stopped at her vision board that she had pinned above her desk. On it were cutouts from magazines: women in suits in their offices, a nice house with nice furniture and the kind of life she wanted for herself and her family.
"Today has to be the day" she whispered to herself and said a few words of affirmation to get her spirits up for the day. She grabbed her towel and slowly walked to the bathroom so she would not wake her grandmother up. A few minutes later she came out from the bathroom with her bathrobe, her hair tied in a messy bun. She went to the kitchen, brought out a bowl and cracked three eggs into the bowl. The kitchen smelt of soap and ginger tea which showed that Granny Andrew was doing a little cleanup yesterday.
She brought out the remaining bread and toasted it, slicing it into three pieces, boiled water for tea and poured it into three mugs and placed it on the table. It wasn't too much but it was enough.
"Isabella" Sophia called while walking to her room. "Time to wake up".
"Five more minutes" Her twelve year old sister grumbled.
"Nope. You are going to be late for the school bus." Sophia said while smiling.
Isabella stumbled into the kitchen while rubbing her eyes. She sat down, wanted to start eating but Sophia stopped her and told her to wait for their grandma. Not long after, Granny Andrew came out wearing her favorite knitted sweater and scarf.
"You're up early again, child." Granny said while sitting down.
"Of course, Granny. I have to go out and find a job before all the good jobs are taken" Sophia said.
"You've been looking for weeks, Sophia dear. Don't overly stress yourself. Granny said while looking at her, half worried and proud of her.
"Yes Grandma I've heard you but I cannot stop now, if I do, who's going to take care of you and Isabella?" She replied
"You are very brave and you have the heart of a warrior my dear. I pray you find something today"
Sophia faintly smiled and ate her toast, lost in thought. She had many responsibilities on her shoulders and it was weighing heavily on her. She had Granny's medicine and it wasn't cheap, Isabella's fees were almost due, their landlord has been patient with her but for how long. After breakfast, Sophia cleared the table and did the dishes. She went back to her room, wore one of her good blouses and a skirt, and she kept her resumè in her bag.
"Wish me luck" she said while pushing the door.
"Good luck Soph" Isabella said, also preparing to go out and wait for the school bus.
"Today is going to be a lucky day," Granny said.
The morning air was crisp and refreshing. It carried the faint smell of cinnamon rolls and freshly baked bread from the bakery down the street. Their small neighborhood was lively, the convenience store was just opening for the day, car horns sounding in the distance. Getting to the corner, someone called her name
"Sophia"
She turned and saw that it was Laura, her childhood best friend- they were practically sisters. They used to sit together and talk about their future.
"You are heading out again?" Laura asked.
"Yes. Job hunting." Sophia replied
"Ok let me come with you. We might just be lucky together."
They took the subway into Manhattan. The city felt alive with lots of skyscrapers. They spent the whole day going from building to building.
"Sorry, we are not hiring"
"Leave your resume, we will get back to you" Those were the words she kept hearing as they went from one receptionist desk to another. Each rejection felt like a blow to her gut.
When Sophia got home that day, she was so tired that she could barely speak a word. She just went straight to her room, laid on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She knew she could not afford to give up.
The next morning, she woke up, got dressed and headed back into the city. Hours passed and still no luck. Her feet hurt so much. She sank onto a bench trying to hold her tears back.
"Not today, you are stronger than this" she whispered to herself.
She stood up abruptly and bumped into someone so hard, her resume folder nearly flew out of her hands. Hot coffee splashed across her blouse
"Oh no!" She said
She looked up at the person she bumped into. He was tall, wearing a perfectly tailored suit that accentuated his features. His polished shoes and expensive wristwatch screamed Manhattan executive.
"I am so sorry" he said while pulling out a napkin from his pocket. "Are you okay?"
Sophia looked at the stain spreading through her blouse. She wanted to cry but stopped herself. "It's fine"
The man didn't move. "At least let me buy you a cup of coffee"
"I'm fine. I don't think there's any need" she said.
"Please, I insist. It's the least I can do" the man said.
Sophia hesitated. "Alright" she said reluctantly.
He smiled and led her to the cafe across the street.
Inside the Cafe they sat down at a table close to the window
"I'm Kelvin Adams" he said offering his hand
"Sophia" she said, taking his hands.
"You seem stressed. Having a bad day?" He asked.
Sophia let out a tired breath and for some reason she found herself opening up to him and telling him all she had gone through, the past couple of days all in the name of job hunting. The struggles with her grandmother and sister.
"You know," he slowly said, "I might be able to be of assistance. I work at Sterling Enterprises. We are currently looking for a junior assistant. If you are interested I can put in a good word for you"
Sophia's heart jumped. "You would do that for me".
"Of course. You seem like a determined and intelligent person and that's what we are looking for"
Before they left the cafe, they exchanged numbers and Kelvin promised to get back to her. The city suddenly felt brighter and warmer to her. There was hope for her finally.