It began to rain around three o clock. Mark Curtain liked the rain, especially when it was loud. He found the sound of the water pelting against his roof to be soothing and he needed to relax. He put up an advertisement in the local newspaper for a position available in his restaurant. His business was the trendiest place to get your lunch and as a result, he enjoyed the prosperity that came with it.
Mark was a large white man with a greying hair. He wore a suit which was from the latest Armani collection. He was 5'9 and he had a 45" waist. He had green eyes and white teeth. His face was home to a bushy moustache. He was a little handsome, in a non conventional sort of way. He was 43 and he had a nasally voice.
He sat in an office looking at the C.V. of Aaron Hilton. His C.V. got Aaron through to the interview stage; if what Aaron was saying was true, then he was a strong candidate for almost any job he wanted. Not because he was qualified in any particular field, but it showed him to have a strong character which would have a positive impact on any team in general.
The office was grey and it had few personal effects. It was a large room which when one entered it, they faced a big mahogony desk. On the desk were papers in neat bundles. Also there was a photo of Mark Curtain's family. He had a wife and two kids, both girls. The eldest girl seemed to be Aaron's age, 17. The youngest was only 10. The photo was taken on a beach and it was obvious that they all loved each other and were happy together.
At 3:15, I entered the restaurant about to be interviewed. I was dressed in black pants with a white shirt. The simple yet classic outfit was finished with a silver and black tie. The tie was the most expensive part of the look costing €20. It wasn't even mine; I borrowed it from my best friend's Dad. The pants and shirt were apart of my school uniform and so were the pair of black leather shoes I wore. I wanted to look respectable but I didn't have much money to buy anything new.
I was dreadfully nervous. Even though I didn't really want to work in a food or catering business when I left school or college, I really needed the money. I wanted to move away from home and go to Dublin to study social work in Ireland's most prestigious university, Trinity. But to do that, he needed funds.
I told a waitress that I was there to speak to Mr. Curtain about a job interview when I arrived. The interview wasn't until 3:30, but I wanted to arrive early and let Mr. Curtain know I was punctual.
When the time came, I entered Mr. Curtain's office.
"Hello there, Aaron, welcome. My name is Mark Curtain." He spoke with perfect enunciation and clarity. He was confident yet, he had no reason to be nervous. Mark shook my hand and showed me to a black leather seat in front of the desk. When he returned to behind the desk, he continued. "You have quite the C.V. It doesn't show much in terms of culinary experience, but of course that doesn't matter for you applied of the waiter position."
I didn't say much; what was there to say?
"So, let's go through your C.V. You sat your Junior Certificate in June 2008 and you got all As in all 10 of your subjects which were studied at higher level. Do you find academics easy?" Mark could clearly see I was nervous so he decided to begin with an easy, straightforward question.
"Well, I find school to be OK. I listen in class and do my homework. I don't mean to make it sound like I am a genius or anything. I do work hard in the school year. School is OK when you work at it I guess." I replied modestly. The truth was that I was a genius. I read Shakespeare for fun. I always understood the maths problems we dealt with. I am practically fluent in French.
Mark made some notes that I couldn't see. He had only come to Ireland from America a year and a half ago, so he didn't understand the Irish education system well. He figured that he could open me up more by asking him about it. I was still obviously nervous. When I spoke it was barely audible.
"As you can tell by my accent, Aaron, I am American. Can you explain the Irish education system? I mean, what is a Junior Certificate? It sounds rather childish." Mark asked. He didn't really care about it, but he wanted me to be comfortable. Once I was, then the real questions could begin.
"Well, when you enter 7th grade or as it is known here, 1st year, you begin the junior cycle of secondary education. You study roughly 10 subjects for 3 years and then in 3rd year or 10th grade you do an exam in them. The Junior Certificate shows you how well you performed over the 3 years. It shows how committed and hardworking a student is at a young age." I spoke more strongly now. I guess I was relaxing a little, these questions weren't so bad.
"After 3rd year, the student progresses into 4th year or Transition Year. In some schools it is optional, which allows students to skip it and continue to 5th year. 4th year is not compulsory as it is a year which focuses on personal development rather than academics. As a result, many students find it hard to study after it and find school work difficult in 5th year."
"In 5th year, a student studies typically 7 subjects. They are studied until the end of 6th year when they must sit their Leaving Certificate. This exam decides the rest of your life to a point as it is how you represent yourself to the University's you applied to attend to. It is the equivalent of the UK's A Levels or the US's SATs."
I was now in the zone. I knew Mr. Curtain was only trying to get me started and I was grateful that this was would be so kind.
"Oh, I see. Thank you, Aaron. My daughter is your age; she will sit the Leaving Certificate next June. But she is always out; I never have time to talk to her." Mr. Curtain confided.
"So, I see, you have never worked in a restaurant or café before. You did two weeks in a primary school March of last year and a week in a preschool for children with special needs. Tell me about that? Do you think your experience could be related to working in this sector?" Mark asked me inquisitively. He felt that I was comfortable enough to truly begin.
"Well, Mr. Curtain, while I haven't placed it in my résumé, I have worked for a day in the school shop which carters for one thousand students. I never applied for the duty, but that day the shop was understaffed and I was drafted in. The reason I was chosen was because I am seen to be trustworthy and honest among the other people in the school, student's and staff alike. Regarding my work experience in the schools, I had to work with many children and I feel that should someone bring an unruly child into the business I would be able to keep him or her occupied until they left and as a result, the ambiance in the restaurant wouldn't be compromised." I spoke well, but in the middle of my answer my voice wavered from nerves.
Mark decided to ignore the voice break; he didn't have the time to keep warming up the kid.
"Ah, interesting. Nice answer." More notes were made on Mark's notepad about what I had just said.
"It says here that you practise martial arts? What can you tell me about that?" Mark asked.
"Well, umm... I do Karate and I am a black belt. I also teach it to the junior members..." My mind went blank. I tried desperately to think of something to say. I was annoyed; I just answered two questions well, now when I am asked an open question I could take anywhere I wind up empty. Mark could see me squirm and he smiled. He found how this kid seemed to be constantly nervous a little cute. While he wasn't gay, he would never say no to a mouth that was willing.
