Rae, I would quickly come to learn, had a habit of ending the majority of her sentences with “yeah?” even if they were not questions. I can be easily annoyed, and this was a quirk that never ceased to get on my nerves.

I told Rae I was interested in the position, though I had no idea what it required.

“Like I said, you’d be the studio assistant. October needs someone to help her with a film project she’s been working on, as well as various other art and technology projects. Someone who will not be intrusive. Someone who knows how to work cameras and lighting equipment, can build things, and has a general understanding of art. Is that you, Mister what-is-your-name?”

“Harper. Joe.”

“What is your current occupation, Mr. Harper? You work in the film industry, yeah?”

“The ad didn’t say anything about that being a requirement.”

“You’re an artist then?”

I explained to Rae that I was currently employed by an organic produce delivery service called FarmHouse. My job consisted of driving around to local farms, picking up fruits and vegetables, eggs, and jars of various pickled foods, and delivering them to people’s homes. The pay was shit, but spending the day visiting farms in Northern California was more appealing than working for my dad’s construction company, which was what I’d done for almost a decade after college.

“You deliver vegetables?” Rae exhaled with obvious irritation. “You have no experience with film or art?”

I thought about being honest and telling her I was applying for the job because of the trees mentioned in the ad, but she didn’t sound like someone who would appreciate that. So I told her how I’d spent ten years working in construction, which seemed to soften her a bit, and then I added something stupid about how in high school my art teacher said I was good at drawing.

“I used to play guitar pretty well too. If you count that as art.”

Rae did not make a sound to indicate if she did one way or the other.

“I’ve built entire houses, so I’m sure I can build anything an artist might need. And I’m a quick learner.”

“That’s something,” Rae groaned. “The truth is we need someone ASAP. Our last assistant got a job on a feature film and left us in the lurch. Tell me you have an eye for composition and can decorate a set.”

“Sure,” I said, though I wasn’t confident that was the case.

“And you can come in for an interview first thing in the morning, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you familiar with October Danko’s work?”

“Full disclosure? I’ve never heard of her. Do I lose points for that too?”

“No. October would prefer it, actually. You should know this before you come in. She’s a very private person. Sensitive. Needs a lot of space. Her assistant has to be quiet and unobtrusive.”

“Gotcha,” I said. “I’m pretty introverted myself. Trust me, she won’t even know I’m there.”