Character Prompt: Interview

This is Orion's Interview for the City car-washing job. I wrote just under 250 words in the time it took to play "Old City Bar" by some orchestra that I can't remember. TSO is their initails. I could look, but I'm lazy like that. The song lasts 6:17.

Orion stood in front of the new City building. She was trying to get a job as the car washer, at least temperaroly. She just really wanted the money. She knew that if she could get a job with the city, she could move up, which meant that eventually, she would make enough money to move out of the Slums.

She walked in, a little nervous. Was this the right place? Oh, please, let it be the right place. If it was wrong, she couldn’t get the job. She had not ever really left the Slums. She lived on the corner of L and A streets. This was as far away from her house as one could get and still be in the City.

“Hello,” an oldish man said.

“Hello,” she said, and took his hand firmly, as she had learned from the Mexicans who lived nearby. She nodded to the other man.

“My name is Orion.”

The younger man opened his mouth, but Orion beat him to it.

“Yes, like the constellation.”

He opened his mouth again.

“Yes, I get tired of hearing that.” Not entirely true. She didn’t tire of people asking what she was named after, but asking if she ever got tired of it.

“Um, this isn’t a real formal interview. We just have some questions . . . do you mind getting wet and dirty.”

“Oh, that’s fine with me. I can tolerate it just fine.”