Samuel walked into the room, rolling up the sleeves of his jacket and adjusting his lapels. This morning, however, while he went through his morning routine of preparing for a day at work, Kali joined him to prepare for her interview. She had woken up early, and after her obligatory moment alone by the bedroom window, she went around getting ready instead of going back to bed.

She dressed plain white-sleeved shirt tucked into a fitting Persian pink skirt and matching block heels. She sat in front of the dressing mirror, braiding her hair and setting it with one of her hairsprays.

Since she got the call the afternoon before, she had been excited to go for the interview. She wanted everything to be perfect, down to her look. She wanted to exude professionalism. So, finding himself entertained by her skittishness, Samuel leaned against the door frame of their walk-in closet, observing her as she added the finishing touches to her makeup.

"You are being weird."

"Me? I am worried you won't make it to this interview with all the time you are using to check off boxes in your long list of preparations."

"Have you ever been to an interview before?"

"No."

"Exactly." She pinned on her earrings and stood, turning theatrically to show off her outfit. "Neither have I. Been freelancing since I came here. This is my first official interview. I don't know much, but I have been learning since I started job hunting. I know it might require more than all my talent and skill. Sometimes a degree is not always important. They may want other things too."

"Like?"

"Maybe they want to know that I have some leadership skills, good with communication. Other useful talents outside of web development. They may look at things like appearance," A quick sweep of her hands over her body drew Samuel's eyes to the outfit again. "Maybe they look at my composure and how I handle the interview. I need to check those boxes so in case they say no, I'll know there is a little fault I had in that."

"You'd do great."

"How do you know? Did the CEO call to tell you it was a done deal?"

"I am not on speaking terms with "the CEO". He is just the son of my mom's friend. She doesn't mix with the rest of the family too much." He tugged on the collar of her shirt, laughing when she rolled her eyes and readjusted it. "Stop fussing. You'd do great. If you go in there with half a confidence and a mountain of doubt, you'd do more harm than good."

"I don't have a mountain of doubt."

"Yes, you do. It's why you are checking and rechecking everything. I haven't been to any interviews, but I know confidence is the best."

She looked down at herself with a satisfactory nod. "I believe you are right." She took in a breath and then let it out. "I am ready. I have an hour and a half to get there, so I have time to settle."

"Leaving now, then?"

"Yes. I don't want to be late. Sends the wrong message." She snatched her purse from the bed and stopped by the dressing mirror to check herself over again. "I'll see you later and tell you how it went."

"Good things and good things only."

"Ah. From your lips to God's ears." She mused, walking back to kiss his cheek before she left the room. He heard her car start up and watched from the balcony as she drove out.

When he returned downstairs, he wasn't surprised to find every trace of the previous day wiped clean. At some point after waking up, Kali must have gone downstairs to clean up the mess they made from eating takeout last night. The pillows were back on the sofa, and the coffee table had been dragged back to its original position.

They were, unfortunately, still stuck under his mother's thumb with nothing but each other to pull through the mess. Flora was still unsafe because the lawyer he found didn't see a way out of her situation. To further destabilize matters, his mother was now trying to antagonize Kali.

He knew she didn't care about the apartment or whatever Kali spent on her sister. Her problem with Kali was how easily she made herself part of the family. The more she integrated herself into their life, the harder it would be to sell the inevitable divorce to the family when the time came. Samuel doubted his mother would be less hostile if Kali did things by the book. She was driven to push the girl's button, and all he hoped was that Kali could manage.

He shook his head and left the house. He locked the doors, got into his car and drove to work.

Kali strutted into the building, clutching the strap of her purse tightly. There were other people seated in the reception area. Some worked on their laptops while others read books, and a few were on their phones. With her best casual smile, she reminded herself to be confident and relax the tense muscles around her shoulders.

"Good morning. My name is Kali Madden. I have an interview with Mrs Naveen at nine this morning."

The secretary looked through her computer. Her fingers clacked away on the keyboard. "Yes, I have you here. Please take a seat. I will inform you when she is ready for you."

"Thank you."

Kali took a seat considerably farther away from the others. She got her phone and texted June to check in on how her first night went and her plans for the day. She hadn't mentioned the job to her yet, because it had come as a complete surprise, but afterwards, she planned to take her out for lunch and tell her all about it.

She felt guilty that she couldn't enjoy the day with her sister because Ysabel ruined her mood. After Samuel fell asleep, Kali went down to clean up the living room and erase all traces of the day from the living and dining room. She was restless, and her mind needed the distraction. After she cleaned up, she sat on the carpet and thought about their conversation.

Maybe this was another chance, another call to turn her life around for the better. So much went wrong after her parents passed; she didn't handle her grief in the healthiest way. Maybe it was time to start treating the wound instead of ignoring its presence.

"Love your sister as what she is, your sister and your family, not your lifeline. If you are to hate my mother, then hate her for how she has been to you, not as fuel to keep you waking up every morning."

She wanted to try again. She wanted to change her life for the better. She wasn't sure how easily her disdain for Ysabel would fade or how easily she would forgive Richard's betrayal. But Samuel made a solid point. She was still making the same mistake as before; living through others. One day Ysabel would be out of her life, her sister would grow up and move away, and she would only have herself again.

"Miss Madden? She is ready for you."

Kali got up, wrapping the chord of her earpiece around the phone after putting it on silent. She led to Mrs Naveen's office and entered gracefully, greeting the woman politely before taking her seat.

"How are we doing this morning?"

"Fine, thank you, ma'am," Kali answered, sitting, spine straight in the chair.

The interview began with a few questions about her, and they walked their way down to her skills and aspirations for the job. She answered each question eloquently and directly. They shook hands after the interview ended, and she walked out of the office into the warm morning. The heat from the sun heating her chilled skin.

On a thought, she eagerly called Samuel to fill him in on how the interview had gone. He answered the phone on the third ring.

"Are you done?"

"Yes." She giddily replied.

"How did it go?"

"Fine. I think. She had a depressingly stoic expression, like a detective working a lie detector. I couldn't tell if I was doing well or not."

"Don't dwell on it. Give it a week or two, and you'll know."

"I thought you've never had an interview."

"I haven't, but I have had people hired at my office. I know some basics."

"I forgot about that part. Nothing left to do, now."

"Are you going back home?"

"Not yet. I want to stop by the apartment."

"Alright. Wish your sister well for me."

"I will."

She dug through her purse for her keys as she walked through the park to her car. She missed a step, her heel catching on a tile, and she stumbled forward, letting go of her keys. They dropped to the floor, and she kissed her teeth, squatting down to pick them up when her fingers brushed against a man who had stopped to help her. He picked them up before she could, as he was faster and handed them over to her with a smile.

"Thank you." She said as she took the keys, squinting as she looked at him.

"You arewelcome." He flashed a grin, adjusting the lapels of his suit beforesidestepping her and walking on.