A New Mantra by Sapna Srinivasan

Author:Sapna Srinivasan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781956387193
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2023-01-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

FALL – November

It was a second chance, and potentially her last one. But as Mira inwardly swayed against her growing anxiety, she watched her interviewer smile at her resume. “This looks great,” said Chantelle Kempler, the owner of Sound Consulting, a thriving boutique wealth-management firm on Mercer Island. “The only trouble is, Mira, I think you’re a bit overqualified for this role. I see you have a college degree from India? And you worked for a few years there, and—”

“And I don’t need sponsorship or a visa. I have a green card,” Mira cut in.

“Well, that does help. This is an entry-level role which is a backfill for our office assistant, who recently accepted another job. As you can imagine, we’re eager to fill this position . . . with the right candidate, of course.”

“Oh, of course.” Mira nodded.

“I’m not sure how much time this will give you to transition out of your current role at . . .” Chantelle momentarily squinted at Mira’s resume for reference. “The . . . er, Say-tee Store?”

“Yes.” Mira smiled. “And it’s not a problem since I know the store owner. Well, I was a store patron before I became employed there, and well, he’s understanding that way, Jaggu-bai. I mean, he already knows that bagging drumsticks and stacking jackfruit isn’t really my dream job, and . . .” Please stop talking, please stop talking, please stop talking. Mira quickly pulled it together with a heaven-sent belly breath.

“Great,” Chantelle said, and extended her hand. “In that case, Mira, we’d love to make you an offer.”

“Oh, wow, thank you,” cried Mira, reaching out to return the shake.

*

When she returned to her apartment after her interview, Mira noticed a bottle of port with a tag hanging around its neck. It was a note from Laila: “Port wine—can be drunk happy or sad, depending on how your interview went. I’ll see you Tuesday. XX”

In all the excitement that came with prepping for her interview that morning, Mira had completely forgotten Laila’s travel plans with the band. They were performing at a corporate event in San Francisco, and she’d left early that morning and wasn’t going to be back until the next night.

Breathing in, Mira eyed the bottle of wine, trying not to pay attention to the anxiety triggering inside her—the last time she’d found herself alone was after Jay had left her. And the thought was making her sick to her stomach. The idea of once again being alone in an apartment felt threatening. All of a sudden, Mira could feel her heart beating faster; her airways seemed to be tightening, and the room appeared darker and almost too quiet to bear. While she’d left the interview feeling sky-high and ravenous, she had no semblance of an appetite now. Settling down into the couch, Mira tried hard to breathe in deep and think happy thoughts, despite her throbbing head. How was she supposed to sleep alone here tonight? Would she leave the light on? What if she had those dreams again—the ones that had bombarded her the night Jay left? Ugh.

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