Mum!
I shouted with joy. They’ve accepted me for an interview at New Mount Mines!
I ran to her, and together we jumped around in delight, hand in hand, tracing
little circles of celebration on the floor.
New
Mount Mines was one of the top gold mining companies in Australia and in the
world. It owned dozens of mines across six continents. A few months earlier,
I’d replied to a job posting they’d shared on LinkedIn. They were looking for a
manager to lead their Latin American division. Just being invited to the
interview was already a huge achievement.
I’ve
just made your favourite meal, Mum said, stirring a pot.
She drew me closer so I could breathe in the aroma. Something
told me good news would come to this house today, so I made your favourite
noodles.
I
savoured the delicious dish while telling her all about what I’d do with the
great salary I’d earn if I got hired as the new manager at that mining company.
Here’s
your jelly, love. Orange. Your favourite. I gave
her a huge kiss and hugged her tightly. She always had a radar for spotting my
biggest moments. Ever since I started earning my own money, she’d been there,
supporting me every step of the way.
How could I forget when
she came with me to my first job interview? I was fifteen and had applied at
the city’s MacDonald’s (or Macca’s, as we call it here in Australia) to
flip burgers.
The manager led me to
one of the empty tables in the restaurant. Mum sat at another, also empty, just
a few metres away, her gaze fixed on the interview. I could clearly feel the
emotional backup radiating from her green eyes, and how they kept the
interviewer, my future boss, under strict watch. If his questions had cornered
me in any way, she would’ve leapt straight at his throat. You treat my
boy fairly and with no tricky word games; he’s a good kid, ready to work hard
and honourably, her looks and gestures seemed to say.
Sure enough, at one
point during the interview, Mum noticed a bit of anxiety on my face. She
quickly approached the manager and said a few words to him.
What are you saying to
my boy? You’d better be careful not to make him feel bad, because I’m a lioness
when someone messes with my kid.
The manager raised his
eyebrows, clearly surprised and a little frightened. He shook my hand and,
without looking at me but keeping his eyes on her, said: You’re hired.
Now, over dinner, Mum
and I are planning her presence at this next interview for the CEO role at New
Mount Mines. I’m sure I’ll come out victorious again, because when Mum’s by my
side, everything always turns out right.
