Looking at Miguel’s sweet smile, his dark eyes sparkling with laughter, a long-repressed memory teased at the edges of Hector’s mind. He remembered that smile on a much younger Miguel, as well as the way he’d felt as he looked down into his friend’s upturned face. Hector hadn’t thought of that day for a long time. It was probably out of line to be thinking of it now.
“You’re right. That really helped. I don’t feel nearly as overwhelmed now that we worked all that out.” Miguel got up from the table. “The lasagna should be cool enough to eat. What kind of salad dressing do you want tonight?”
“Ranch.”
“Got it.” Miguel continued talking as he moved around, fixing their plates. “I like the way a lightweight sweater over a button-down looks, but it’s so hot. I don’t want to walk in to my interview all sweaty. I’m not really a suit jacket person, but I guess I can wear a blazer. That way I don’t have to put it on until I get there and I won’t get too hot.”
“Wear whatever you think will help you make the best impression,” Hector said. He followed along with the rest of the conversation, answering when needed. But for the rest of the night, he couldn’t stop thinking of that sweet smile.
Chapter 3
“You can do this. You’re ready,” Miguel said to himself as he pulled his mom’s car into the parking lot for his second interview. His first hadn’t gone as well as he’d hoped. He’d been nervous, and going by the hard look on his interviewer’s face, he hadn’t made the best impression. He hoped he’d have better luck here at the office he’d been referred to by Hector’s friend.
Miguel checked himself out in the mirror. Thankfully, the bruise on his face was long gone. He didn’t have mall clothes money, so he’d planned to catch the bus to a second-hand thrift shop. When he told his mom his plan, she’d insisted on taking him shopping. Knowing his mom, Miguel wouldn’t hear the end of it if he didn’t let her help him. So he’d agreed as long as they went to the thrift shop he’d found instead of a department store.
It was a cool place, and he’d picked out pants, a blazer, a button-down shirt, two ties, and a pair of shoes. At the last minute, he’d grabbed a pastel blue lightweight sweater. They’d taken his haul to the register where Claudia had proudly mentioned that it was all for job interviews. The cashier had congratulated him and given them an extra fifteen percent off. Miguel had taken that as a good sign for things to come.
That good sign probably wasn’t going to work out for his first interview. For this next one, he’d ditched the blazer he’d purchased and gone with his preferred outfit of a sweater over a button-down. It was probably silly, but he felt more confident.
He took a deep breath and straightened the knot in his tie. “You practiced.” He thought of Hector asking him ridiculous questions to prepare him and that made him smile and relax. He took a drink from his water bottle to make sure he wouldn’t have a dry mouth. Then he got out of the car and walked across the parking lot to the office.
The building was in a small medical center. A dark glass front would keep out the heat, but also meant he couldn’t see into the suites. White, marble-finish signs with gold lettering identified the occupant of each office. Big concrete planters lined the sidewalk at regular intervals, each filled with greenery and pale blue flowers.
Miguel went into suite 105. He took a moment to appreciate the coolness of the air-conditioned office before he looked around. The dentist’s waiting room had a cozy atmosphere, with rows of chairs facing each other and a low coffee table between them. To his right, an older woman sat behind a large reception desk. She greeted him with a friendly smile.
“Hello. How may I help you?”
“Hi. I’m Miguel Delgado. I have an interview with Kendra Pacella.”
“Great! Have a seat and I’ll let her know you’re here.” The receptionist picked up the phone, and her soft, pleasant voice sounded over the intercom. “Kendra, please come to the front desk.”
Miguel sat down. The art hanging on the wall across from him was typical for a dentist office, a bland landscape of a Texas field of blue bonnets. Still, he stared at it for something to do while he went over his interview responses in his head.
“Hi!”
Miguel looked up at the voice. A woman with a heart-shaped face and thick, dark hair pulled back into a neat ponytail stood in the hallway that led to the back of the office. She came over with her hand outstretched.
“Mr. Delgado. I’m Kendra, Dr. Nguyen’s dental assistant. Welcome.”
Miguel stood and grasped her hand for a handshake. “Good morning. And you can call me Miguel.”
She smiled again. She led him back to a small office, inviting him to sit down in the single chair in front of the desk before settling in the chair behind it. Miguel waited patiently for her to take the lead. She chose to start off with small talk. Miguel was glad for it; it helped put him at ease. By the time she got going with the interview questions, he was calm and relaxed.
“Tell me about your education and training.”
“I completed the South Texas Vocational Dental program. I learned a lot there and completed thirty hours of practical training. I also completed the process to become a Registered Dental Assistant, so I am qualified to take and develop X-rays.”
“That’s excellent. I like that you took that extra step.” She was quiet for a moment as she glanced over his resume. “You’re a little light on experience, but that’s because you’re shiny and new.” She gave him a friendly wink. “That’s good. That means we can mold you to do things the way we have them set up here.”
Miguel grinned. He liked her. “Yep. I’m not bringing any bad habits with me.”
Kendra looked down at his resume again. The tiniest of frowns creased her forehead. “You have a small gap in your employment. I see you’ve been out of work for several years.”
“Yes.” Miguel went with the answer he’d come up with. “I was in a relationship with someone who preferred that I stay at home. That relationship is over, and now I’m ready to re-enter the work force.” It was an honest answer, without getting into too much detail. Miguel hoped that employment gap wouldn’t work against him. He was relieved when the frown cleared and Kendra nodded.
“Totally understandable. I took a couple of years off myself when I was first married.”
They talked for a few minutes more, with Kendra mostly asking how he’d handle difficult patients, and how he felt about working with kids since they were a big part of their clientele. Miguel actually enjoyed working with children so that wasn’t a problem. He told a story of how he’d sung a made-up toothbrush song to a little kid to get him to stop crying and try brushing his teeth.