The Beginning

both of them stared and marveled at it. well, she wasn't really interested in it. Her eyes diverted towards him most of the time, just his gaze at the object wished that she, instead of that whatever-thing was the object of his attention. She just wanted him to look at her... just to know that she was alive and that she wanted him.... but...

"So what do you think of it?" he finally asked her, without even looking up.
"oh well... erm.."
"i think it's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." he finished the sentence. yes. he was the one she has been looking for all her life. he was...

she sighed and suddenly wanted to say how she really felt when he was about to turn at look at her and she can finally see him smile at her when.....

she woke up. it was just a dream. she groaned and lay on her bed. another day again in the life of pathetic Shayna Fong.

The Beginning....

She was barely in her twenties and life has already taken a toll on her. she tried to believe that there was love. but somehow love just seem to give her more reasons why she should be single rather than attached. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her black tresses rested on her shoulders, those hazel eyes just can't seem to open themselves up in the morning. She ruffled her own hair up and then walked right out to the kitchen where her mother was. As usual fussing about the morning breakfast and chores.

"shayna. come and eat something before going to work," her mother encouraged.
"ma. i'm not hungry. and i don't have work. remember?"
"you'd still have to go out there and get one. come. eat something, shower then start looking."
"why is everyone bugging me to get a job? can't i just enjoy myself first. I just got out of the university. it's not like i'll die without a job."
"shayna. we're all worried for you. nowadays jobs are hard to come by. we just want to see you standing on your own two feet and make it in life before your father and i turn grey and old. your father can't always support you, you know. his work at the hospital can earn just that much..."
"alright alright... i'll go find one today," shayna groaned as she bit into her sandwich. just want she wanted. a nagging spree in the morning when she hasn't even woken up enough yet.
she flipped through the papers that was on the table to the classified section. just one interview so she could shut the mouth of her parents up. Her eyes travelled through the pages until it landed on a rather interesting ad.

"hmm... maybe i'll just go for this one." she thought to herself. finishing up her drink she smiled at her mother.
"bye. I'm off for my interview now. wish me luck," she chimed as she kissed her mother and went into her room to change up and get ready.


*****

life was just about done it for Colin. He's a successful man at a young age. He was everything that women wanted. Well, at least that's what he thinks. Being a top executive at a renowned company, a bachelor with his own condo, car, credit cards and even a country club in his name.... he was there. at the top of the ladder... the peak of his life.... ready for life's challenges....

"Colin!"
... and he dropped back down to hell. It was his boss. Rather his father. oh didn't he mention he was working for his dad? oops.

"Colin. where have you been? Peggy from the HR department has been trying to get you to do interviews for the position of your secretary and you are here, doing nothing? Get your butt down to HR and see that the interviews are done." Mr. Tan threw a few files on Colin's table before walking out hastily.
Well, so much for the self adoration time.

Colin did up his tie and poured himself a glass of drink. Looking out at the world through his office window sure made him feel important. Even if this was given to him on a silver platter, he can't say that his achievments weren't a result of his hard work. He got himself through school, the college, university and through months of hard work in the office. He smiled to himself and finally took in a deep breath. It's time to interview some people for the post of his secretary. Well, just to please his father. He's not really happy with the fact that Colin missed three major appointments because no one reminded him. Sheesh. How was he to know they were THAT important.

***

Shayna walked into the building and looked for the office. Damn this place is big. she could get lost in here. She sighed and then finally decided to just take the lift up where it could take her and maybe she'd land up somewhere helpful. So she dragged herself into the lift filled with office people. She sighed. they looked kinda pathetic. now she has second thoughts about even working here.

"oh well... just go for the interview. how bad can it be?" she thought to herself before the lift stops and practically half the lift cleared out. Shayna hesitated for a while and decided to go with the flow and walk out too. Hmm, she landed on the 17th storey. She wandered around and looked for some directory of some sort... then she bumped into someone.

"hey!" both of them screamed. shayna looked up to meet a guy face to face. he was in a grey suit and obviously an executive.
"you better watch where you're heading to. are you lost or something? you don't look like you're from this company. you better leave before security sees you here." he said, obviously pissed at her. shayna couldn't stand his tone of voice. what does he take her for? some lost kid who happens to get herself lost in an office building?
"what's up with you? what if i'm lost? chauvanists like you can't even offer help but all you can offer is your sarcastic humor. thanks a lot. i'm not some lost kid at the zoo. well, maybe i am and YOU are obviously the caged up baboon!" she shouted back at him, snubbed him and walked into the lift without even holding it up for him.

Colin just stood there stunned. What in the world was that?
"did she just snub me?" he asked himself. man, he's never been so insulted by a stranger before. this girl has some bite!
"i'm just lucky she's not going to be one of the interviewees. if not i would hate to think of what my new secretary would be like," he said to himself before entering into the lift.

Shayna finally found her way down to the HR department. There she saw many women settled down at the reception area. They were all dressed in power suits, with trendy bags and files, looking all important. Shayna checked herself. Damn. She was way underdressed for this. She was in some casual blouse and jeanpants. "oh heck. it's just a miserable interview anyway. who wants to work here when i know there's an irritating baboon in the house. argh. just don't let me see him again," she mumbled to herself as she walked into the reception area.

"Hello miss. Are you here for the interview too?" a chirpy voice greeted her. Shayna turned and saw a petite lady in a peach dress smiling at her.
"yeah i guess. is this gonna take long?" shayna asked as she passed the lady her resume.
"well, there are a lot of applicants and besides, the boss isn't here yet. so it's gonna take up some time. why don't you make yourself comfortable and we'd call you when he's ready for you." the lady said, her smile never ceasing to be there.
"oh alright. thank you" shayna replied. "well, at least things are off to a much better start now," she thought to herself.
she found a seat at some obscure area of the reception counter as she saw the lady stacking her resume with a whole lot of others. she knew it was going to take long... real long, so she decided to take a nap other than fussing about her hair or her looks like the other applicants. they were busy making sure they look all pretty for the boss. oh what the hell.

"mr tan! you're finally here. everyone's been waiting for you" the lady said, passing him more files.
Colin grumbled. He looked around the room. there are a lot of people waiting to be interviewed. this was going to be a long day. he wanted to head down for an early lunch with his friends but it just has to be spoiled looking for some girl who would organise his work life for him.
"alright. send the first girl in. i want this to be fast. well... make that two girls in at a time," colin instructed the lady before rushing into the interview room to get ready.
"get it over and done with" he muttered to himself. "it's going to be over soon."

***

two hours passed. shayna's turn wasn't here yet. she was getting rather impatient and was comtemplating to leave the office. Shayna never liked waiting, especially when she was going to be interviewed for some job that she wasn't really interested in. just to keep her mother happy. that was the reason for her to be here.

"miss shayna fong," the lady finally read out. shayna leaped onto her feet. "... and miss adreline lim. please follow me," that petite lady said, ushering them into the interview room. Shayna rolled her eyes. great. she was going to be interviewed with some bimbo with long legs and short skirt. adreline checked shayna out again. her eyes trailed her like as though she was going through some body scan. shayna didn't like the feeling of being checked out... to think it's worse cos some girl is doing it instead of a guy.
"maybe she's lesbian," shayna thought to herself. she started to laugh to herself. adreline rolled her eyes in apparant arrogance and saunted into the room. shayna couldn't believe what a day she's going through.

as she walked into the room, she was asked to be settled down next to that bimbo. shayna slumped herself into the seat and dunked her backpack beside her. she watched as adreline sat down like she has a sign 'fragile: handle with care' written on her butt. she pulled her skirt up a few inches higher to show more of her sickening thighs and leant forward to reveal more of her assest. shayna couldn't believe the spectacle she was seeing! this was more of like a bimbo search instead of a secretary search.

shayna sighed and looked up at the interviewer. She had a shock of her life. now she understood adreline's strange ways. she was parading herself in front of that chauvanist baboon... who was the boss! shayna couldn't believe her luck. it was bad as the day had started. at that time, colin also noticed that the girl looked really familiar. his jaw dropped when he remembered. she was the girl at the lift who called him a baboon. oh man, she's really come for the interview! colin shook his head and wanted to end the interview immediately but this has to be professional. he has to keep his father's company reputation if he wants to keep his jonb and pride.

"so. let's start with some warm up questions shall we?" colin said to peggy, who was checking through the girls' credentials. "why do you think you are suitable for this job?"
adreline didn't even put the question to thought the blurted out an almost perfect answer. shayna wondered if she had meant any of the things she said in that 2 minute speech. finally, it was shayna's turn to speak. she looked at that baboon. his smile is so obviously fake and he body language tells her that he knows that she was the one who insulted him at the lift.
"maybe you are going to diss my answer. so why should i give you a chance to," she said to herself.
"excuse me? did you say something? miss...." colin tried to find her name on the files.
"fong. shayna fong." shayna finally answered. she hated for people not to know her name. it's kinda insulting.
"oh yes. you WERE saying something weren't you? or were you thinking about something else... maybe like a monkey of some sort," colin teased. he couldn't help it. she was there ready to get insulted back by him. colin had to save his pride after being so rudely scolded by her just now. hellt o the company's reputation. she didn't really deserve respect now. it's an interview. interviewers are meant to do this to interviewees.

shayna couldn't believe what was happening. he was practically insulting her in front of her face and she was at a major disadvantage here. she had to fight back. she had to. if not it wouldn't be fair to all the non-bimbo women out there who were never meant to live with such chauvanistic men!
"well... i didn't really have to think about that... it's obviously clear that one is sitting right in front of me now. and besides i presume that monkeys do have higher intellegence to ask far better quality questions than this. i am so in the wrong interview. i'm not here for a post in the zoo. i should be taking my leave now. bye baboon."
shayna smirked to herself as she leant over to adreline. "all the best working for this ape. oh and you might want to lengthen that skirt. i'm sure you do not need little baboons running around in 9 months time," she whispered to her before walking out of that room triumphant.