Page 6 of Royce (Atkins Family Saga #1)

Four

Klarity

I nterview ready, I walked out the front door in a pair of slacks, and cute top.

It wasn’t like I could do much to begin with, but I was trying.

If it wasn’t for Serinity letting me drive one of her cars, I would’ve been shit out of luck.

My car needed a new transmission, and I didn’t have the money for it.

I barely had gas money to fill the tank up. It just wasn’t a priority right now.

Climbing in the car, I threw my purse and small file to the passenger seat.

I expected today to be a good day. I prayed, I woke up feeling relaxed, got CJ to daycare on time, and enjoyed peace for the first time in a long time.

Cojak wasn’t calling me at the crack of dawn getting on my nerves, so I was thankful to be able to breathe for a little.

Cranking the car up, I put the destination to Pledis Bank in the GPS.

Once it was plugged in, I backed out and headed in the direction I was told.

The radio played as I cruised through the city.

There was morning traffic of course but I was mentally prepared for it and left out the house in time to deal with it. I was content for the most part.

With this job, I’d be able to catch up on a lot of bills that were behind.

The light bill was sent with a disconnection notice over the weekend and the Wi-Fi was literally on by the grace of God.

I hadn’t paid that in months. I never had the left over funds to do it.

As much as I was on my knees praying for this interview to be successful, I was hoping God showed favor.

By the time I arrived at the bank, I had ten minutes to spare. I checked my makeup in the visor mirror one last time before heading to the door. I rang the bell and a woman’s voice answered seconds later.

“We’re not open yet.”

“Hi, this is Klarity Monroe here for the interview. Do you want me to just wait out here until you’re ready?”

“Nope. You can come right in.” I heard the doors unlock for me and I stepped inside.

Pledis Bank was one of many bank franchises in Sage Springs. There was an upper level inside where some of the staff would be stationed. I could see myself building a foundation here if they were to hire me. It gave off a calm and subtle vibe and that was off the aesthetics alone.

“Klarity.” Turning around, I looked into the face of a beautiful dark skin woman whose skin was flawless. “Hi, I’m Olandria,” she said wearing a smile and extending her hand in my direction.

I took her hand in mine and gave it a quick shake before taking a step back. “It’s nice to meet you as well. Here are the documents you requested.”

“Oh good. Follow me to the conference room if you don’t mind,” she instructed.

I did, observing everything I passed by. The bank was clean and smelled of fresh linen. We entered a room off to the side where another woman sat at the table. She was older in age and of fair skin. She looked sweet as she could be as she smiled at me.

“Klarity, this is Diana, our branch manager. She’s interviewed every staff member here by my side. It’s also an all-female bank. She’s deep into women empowerment.” Olandria made the introductions and like I did her, I shook Diana’s hand as well.

“Hi, Klarity. Have a seat please,” she said gesturing to the chair in front of her.

“Nice to meet you,” I replied as I sat down.

Olandria occupied the chair next to her and handed over my file. They did a quick scan one by one making quiet remarks as they did so. A lot of head nodding was going on before they panned their attention to me once more.

“We were able to review your resume completely, call your references, and now get proof of your accolades. You’re a well-liked person and that is something we look for in our staff. There are a few questions we have for you. First, what made you want to be a part of Pledis Bank?” Olandria inquired.

“If you want an honest answer, it’s because I don’t want to feel like I spent four years in college for nothing,” I said bringing light to the interview. I was glad to see Olandria and Diana were amused by my response.

“Your sense of humor is nice. Okay. Can you tell us what a line of credit is?” Diana questioned next.

“An agreement between said bank and customer that establishes a borrowing limit that can be drawn on repeatedly.”

“And if a customer is rude or aggressive, how would you handle that?”

“First, I try not to take it personal. They’re frustrated or upset for a reason so my mission is to help as best as I can by keeping my cool.

If my attempts don’t work, I’ll divert them to someone who could resolve or explain things better than I can.

If they’re aggressive, I’m calling for our security immediately.

I don’t play with my life like that.” My answer was both professional and real.

“I like that. One last thing before we wrap things up. Could you walk us through your resume?” Diana asked.

“Sure. While I was in college, I did an internship my freshman year with Daniels Savings & Loans. I was in commercial banking then and was able to help a few clients secure loans. Let’s see, after the internship, I worked as a bottle girl at Club Jewels.

The money was fast, and I was able to feed, clothe, and shelter myself.

I worked there for two years. I then moved on to Whataburger for a year, Barnes & Noble’s right after, and now I’m at Evangeline’s Diner. ”

“You’ve had quite the journey,” Olandria commented.

“I did but it was out of survival. I would’ve rather been hired in a field of my degree, but I guess it’s better late than never,” I replied.

“Most definitely. Well, we would like to offer you a position here at Pledis. You can have either position that was mentioned. However, we would recommend taking the banker route. We see you cooking over there and want you to stay relaxed as much as possible. What do you say?” Diana wore that same bright smile plastered to her face as I walked in. She was pleased with what she heard.

“I say hell yeah! Oh, excuse my language. I am so sorry,” I voiced, covering my mouth with my hands.

“It’s quite alright. Your excitement is welcoming.

Can you start tomorrow? It won’t be more than filling out paperwork and watching a video or two on your computer on protocol.

Pay is bi-weekly. This is pay week, so you’ll have to do two weeks in the hole.

Typically, deposits drop on Monday’s,” Olandria informed me.

Two weeks without pay was going to be challenging on the gas and meal part, but I was going to thug it out as best I could.

I was beginning to see Cojak’s disrespect more and more the longer he sat in jail.

Our kids deserved more than me running ragged behind him.

I was all they had right now and if I wasn’t good, they wouldn’t be.

I couldn’t think about their father right now.

Speaking of him, I had a visit booked in a few hours to go see him.

I was excited about landing a job, and I was hoping he would be too.

After all, his punk ass family wasn’t willing to help in any shape or form.

All that money his mother brought over was put to his lawyer and commissary.

She didn’t leave my house until it was done and not once did she interact with CJ or ask about Essence.

She raised Cojak to be the selfish person he was today.

“That’s fine with me. I’m just grateful to be here. Thank you so much, Olandria and Diana, I truly appreciate this,” I said smiling ear to ear.

“You’re quite welcome. I’m going to run and make copies of these documents and I’ll be right back.” Olandria grabbed the folder off the table and walked out the room.

“I was told you’re eight months. I applaud you for still trying to work even when you should be resting. I have three myself and they are a hassle even at their big grown age.”

“She’s my second,” I stated rubbing my belly. “Her brother is a little hurricane though. He tends to give me a run for my money when he’s hungry or wants to play outside. Other than that, I’m glad he works with Mommy.”

“Will your hours interfere with your son’s school schedule?”

“It won’t. He’s only two and attends my aunt’s daycare center. He’ll be with family.”

“That’s good to hear. Olandria and I discussed how to work around your delivery and recovery.

What’ll happen is you’ll work until then, take your six weeks, but return right after and start your probationary period officially.

I won’t send you any client’s until you return.

In the meantime, you’ll catch us up on a lot of files we’re behind on.

I’m well aware of how unpredictable pregnancies can be. ”

Diana was more than understanding and because of that, I knew I would be here for a long time.

I’d been wanting to have a career and flourish for me and my kids, and they granted me the perfect opportunity.

I held back my tears that wanted so desperately to fall.

Olandria walked back in and handed over the folder.

“We’re all set. Thank you for coming in and we hope to see you soon,” Olandria voiced extending her hand one last time in my direction.

“Thank you for having interest. I’ll see you tomorrow morning bright and early. You two enjoy your day.”

I walked out of the conference room and then the bank altogether on a high. Literally nothing could ruin my day, not even Cojak and his disrespectful ass mouth.

After I left Pledis Bank, I went home, cleaned up, and rested until it was time for me to come here.

I figured since I was starting a new job, going to the diner scavenging for tips could wait or better yet, cut me loose.

There was something better for me and mine and they were willing to work with me on for the remainder of my pregnancy.

It truly didn’t get any better than that.