Just The Job
Ever had that vague feeling of dissatisfaction? Hannah knew it well…
Hannah took the job at Kingsley’s Hairdressing and Beauty Supplies because it was local.
At first, she was thrilled at the chance to earn money for herself and her two ever-hungry teenage boys. But the warehouse that was filled top to bottom with bleach and moisturisers was tucked away behind an industrial estate and the only people who visited were beauticians and hairdressers.
Hannah knew where everything was and could get an order ready in no time. She checked new stock when it came in and could make recommendations.
“There’s a special offer on tints,” she’d say, or “Half price cleansers today.”
There was nothing wrong with the job. The days went quickly and good sales earned bonuses that helped when the boys needed trainers or haircuts.
It was just that nothing ever happened.
“Don’t grumble about your job, Mum,” Kane begged at teatime when she started telling her sons about work.
“It’s a fantastic job,” Ross added.
They were right. There was nothing wrong with the job; it was her, feeling glum because she’d been on her own for so long.
What she wanted was glamour instead of gels, action instead of lashes.
“I’d like to work in a bustling environment,” she told Kieran, the supervisor who was always bobbing in and out of the office to check customer orders.
He seemed surprised.
“What would we do without you?” he said. “Don’t leave us in the lurch.”
“Take no notice, Kieran,” she said. “I’m just messing.”
But she wasn’t. She wanted to meet more people – maybe bump into someone she fancied and who fancied her. A department store for example or a hotel.
“You still looking for that dream job?” Kieran said, next time he passed.
“No – why?” Hannah hadn’t thought of a job for a couple of days.
“Your screen’s open at a recruitment agency, that’s all.”
“No. That’s a company that wants to place staff in the warehouse. I keep in touch in case we need anyone.”
“Oh, right.” Kieran walked away and said no more about it, but Hannah worried he might tell the boss she was dissatisfied.
It wasn’t good to seem bored, especially when she wasn’t – just fed up of there being no end in sight to the ordinariness of her days.
“I could do with retraining,” she said to her sons but they’d heard it all before and rolled their eyes.
She wasn’t expecting to see a job advertised in a local paper for a hotel receptionist. She’d been glancing through to see if there was anything on nearby that she could go to to cheer herself up.
No one was more surprised than her when she got an interview. And then the job.
There was a leaving do for her at work. Nibbles, balloons and Good Luck Hannah written on a banner. They were a decent bunch at Kingsley’s, but she needed to get into the world and be seen.
“Looking forward to your new job?” Kieran asked on her last day.
“Can’t wait.”
“Good.” He lingered over an invoice.
“Hannah?”
“Yes.”
“Will you come out for a drink with me tonight?” Kieran’s eyes never left the invoice. “I’ve been dying to ask but I didn’t know how, and now you’re going…”
He glanced up at her surprised face…
Hannah was speechless.
She’d not thought of Kieran in that way. He was handsome, but always seemed so busy and not a bit interested in her.
All the time she’d been at Kingsley’s things weren’t as boring as she’d thought. Something was happening after all.
“OK,” she said. “I will.”
“I wish I’d asked ages ago.” Kieran smiled sheepishly.
So do I, Hannah thought, but didn’t say so because all of a sudden, things weren’t boring at all.
Her dream job beckoned – a receptionist in the foyer of a plush hotel. And now there was a chance of romance.
Things were sparkling and new and bursting with the promise of excitement!
Our My Weekly Favourites series of feel-good fiction from our archives continues on Mondays and Thursdays. Look out for the next one.
Don’t forget – you can find brand new, uplifting short stories every week in My Weekly magazine! Subscribe now for a great saving on the weekly magazine, monthly My Weekly Special or our fortnightly Pocket Novels. Or enjoy one of our Little Escapes short story collections.
