25. Lucy
Lucy
“You’re gonna do great,” Leo says as he walks with me to the training facility for the Hollis U men’s hockey team.
It’s the day of my job interview with the physios. Nerves fire off inside of me like cannonballs. I smooth my hand over the crisp fabric of the blazer I’m wearing.
I glance down at the gray pantsuit Briar let me borrow. I still can’t believe she offered it to me. That was so nice of her.
All of Leo’s teammates and friends have blown me away with their kindness and generosity. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s exactly what he’s like too.
“I’m so nervous,” I say. “I’ve had a ton of interviews before, but not for a job like this.”
He opens the door to the building for me. I walk inside and follow him through the massive entryway, then turn right.
He glances down at me, smiling. “You’re an old pro.”
I laugh. “At interviewing for food service jobs, maybe.”
We head up a staircase, then through another set of doors. We pass through a training facility with tons of exercise equipment.
“Is this where you work out?” I ask.
“Yeah. We train here a couple times a week, at least.”
We stop at a closed office door. Leo rests his hand on my shoulder, then turns me to face him. “You’re gonna do great, Luce. You’re a hard worker. You deserve this. Just be yourself.”
I take a slow, deep breath. “Thanks. I needed to hear that.”
“I’ll be working out in the training room. Come find me when you’re done.”
I nod, and he walks off.
I take another deep breath and knock on the door.
A second later, it opens. A guy in a black polo smiles at me. “Lucy Bailey?”
I stick out my hand and smile. “That’s me. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He shakes my hand. “I’m Evan. Come on in.”
I walk into the office. There are two desks in the modest space. A woman in her thirties stands up and introduces himself as Paula, the other team physiotherapist.
The gesture for me to sit in the chair in front of one of the desks.
I hand them both a copy of my resume, which they both look over.
“Hopefully you didn’t have trouble finding our office,” Paula says. “It’s a bit of a maze in this part of the building.
I smile and shake my head. “No, it was very easy. My friend, who plays on the team, was nice enough to walk me here.”
“Leo Peretti, right?” Evan asks.
“Yes. He’s the one who told me about this job, actually.”
“He’s a good kid. Very focused and dedicated,” Evan says.
“So for this job, we’re looking for someone who’s a go-getter. Someone who is okay with learning on the job. Who can roll with the punches and is ready for anything,” Paula says.
Evan nods along. “Some days you’ll be assisting us with carrying out treatment plans for the players. Some days you’ll be on the computer researching therapy mediums. Other times you’ll be cleaning equipment. Other days you’ll be scrubbing down the treatment rooms and washing and folding towels.”
“There’s definitely a grunt work element to this position,” Paula says with an apologetic smile.
“That’s okay. I’m not afraid of grunt work. I’ve done plenty of that.”
“Tell us about your work experience,” Evan says.
I tell them about my background working in food service.
“I’ve always had an interest in massage therapy and treating the body,” I say. “I’ve researched a lot about anatomy and physical therapy. And hockey.”
“You’re not a hockey fan?” Evan says in a teasing tone.
“I’m a new fan. Ever since I became friends with Leo, I’ve learned a lot about the game and how it can affect a player’s body.”
They ask me about challenging work experiences I’ve had. I give examples of how I dealt with rude customers and how I balanced overwhelming workloads.
They ask me about my knowledge of exercise and physical therapy. I go over the research I studied from both Anna and Poppy.
“I have to say, Lucy, I’m very impressed with your work ethic and your understanding of the kind of work we do. Especially since you haven’t studied this in school.”
I smile. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“I will say that the one thing Evan and I are a bit hesitant about is that you don’t have a college degree.”
Disappointment flashes through me, but I nod and try to keep smiling.
“Of course, I completely understand that.” I go quiet, wanting to be professional.
But part of me doesn’t want to leave it at just that.
If I’m going to lose out on this opportunity, I want to make sure they know what they’re missing out on.
“I know that in a perfect world, I’d have a degree.
” I look at them both. “This isn’t a perfect world though.
I had plans to go to college, but life got in the way.
And because of that, I’ve been on my own for the past couple of years, so I’ve had to work full-time.
College just wasn’t an option for me. But I don’t want to let that deter me.
I’m sure that you could hire someone with a degree, and they’d do a great job.
But I promise you, no one works as hard as me.
I don’t have an ego. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.
I don’t come from money or an important family.
It’s just me. So if we have a hard day at work, I’m not going to slack or quit like someone else would.
I’ll stick it out. Because I actually want to be here. ”
Evan and Paula exchange a look I can’t quite decipher. Regret shoots through me. Maybe that was too bold for me to say all that.
But then they both break into a smile.
“Lucy, I like your tenacity,” Evan says.
“Really?”
He nods.
“I like it too,” Paula says. “You’re hired. When can you start?”