When my alarm had gone off that morning, I had mentally prepared myself for the full company board to grill me about my experience. Instead, I was welcomed by Vihaan, who came across more like a friend than the director of a massively successful company. We spoke briefly about my experience and time at college, but most of the conversation revolved around our personal lives and how Vihaan had worked his way up from poverty. His parents had sacrificed a lot to send him to college, and he had wanted to make sure that he could provide for them in their retirement and give them everything they couldn’t have while he was growing up.

I identified with the man interviewing me; our values were similar, and I found myself opening up briefly about my time at the orphanage and how I wanted to provide for my Maa in her twilight years. By the time the woman from reception reappeared to say the next candidate was waiting for his interview, I felt that even if I did not get the job, I had made a friend who could guide me in the right direction.

Before I left the building, I was given a stack of papers to read through. I put them in my briefcase and walked towards the bus stop. I took this bus often and knew that the back seats were often empty because people did not like to push their way to the front of the bus when it was time to get off. When I got onto the bus, I made my way through the crowd gathered in the centre of the bus. At the back, two empty seats called me. I sat down and opened my briefcase, taking out the papers that were given to me. The first page was a brief overview of the company and where their offices were located globally. The second set of papers was an in-depth document explaining the company’s values and what was expected of their sales and marketing staff. It was signed off by the head of human resources, Gautam Pillai.

I mentally patted myself on the back, telling myself that if I had the documents, the interview must have gone extremely well. I put my briefcase between my open legs, steadying myself against the swaying of the bus, and started reading the documentation. At the third stop, a woman in blue pushed her way to the back and sat next to me, pulling my attention away from the document I was reading. I picked up my briefcase to put the papers away, deciding that I would walk the two stops rather than be interrupted again.

The woman looked like she had been crying; her dark brown eyes were filled with sadness, and her face was buried in her phone. Distracted, I dropped a paper; she didn’t move, refusing to acknowledge my existence. Normally, a woman’s rejection would send me into a downward spiral of self-loathing, but today was a good day, and I was certain that my future was looking a lot brighter than it was yesterday when I was on the commute home. I put the papers in my briefcase, making sure to keep the page I was reading on top of the pile. Clutching my bag to my chest, I pushed forward through the crowd.