Chapter 8 or First encounter

So if you remember I decided to become a doctor, even though I am a 31-year-old mom with a very decent job. I had never imagined how deeply this decision would affect all areas of my life. I had looked for an apprenticeship with the man, who broke my 16-year-old heart… but it was OK, because I was ready to face him….

… until I heard him saying my name. I was not sure I managed to respond as my voice went missing, but I stood up.

“Olivia, is that you?” he smiled.

His charming smile, his bright blue eyes – fuck he was still attractive. I secretly hoped he would have turned very ugly to help my nerves calm down. But nope, he had aged well, a little bit too well. He had gained a couple of pounds since the last time I saw him, but they were a nice addition to his stature.

I really didn’t need to fall for him again so there were three things I hoped he wouldn’t do:

• Smile (too late) – his dimples were adorable back then and I didn’t want to see them again. But too late
• Stare at me – eye contacting Lucas scared me. I always felt he was seeing through me
• Touch me – my nerves were not in a good place and therefore very sensitive

 

I finally nodded to confirm my identity.

“I wouldn’t have recognised you” he continued.

Erm, was it a compliment? Or did I age badly? Oh my God, did I look my age? –

Who cares Olivia? I implored to myself. Time to focus and stop acting like a teenager. I regained some composure as I rearranged my scarf around my neck.

“Oh, I get that all the time.” I commented with a shy smile. I didn’t know what say. Small talking with Lucas was tiring, and I couldn’t even switch to the weather talk, since night time had already recovered the city.

“Follow me then.” He articulated with self-assured manners, showing me the direction to an office. Thankfully, he continued with a monologue.

“When David called me about you looking for an apprenticeship, I was really surprised. It’s such a drastic change.” He paused as he opened the door of the office.

Then he stared at me.

OH no!

His blue eyes locked into mine, I stopped thinking. “Why changing now?” he demanded.

After a couple of seconds, which seemed like an eternity. I broke the eye contact and turned my back on him.

“Have we started the interview?” I observed, taking a seat by the desk. I needed to put myself into an interview mode in order to stay focused. He had remained in the same position, holding the door.

“Just curious.“ He smiled again.

Stop smiling!

“Since you’re David’s sister, I’m happy to have you with us as an apprentice. But you’ll be mainly shadowing my colleague, Doctor Keegan. So I am not conducting the interview.”

This time I smiled and despite his raised eyebrow, I kept smiling. He would not cross number 3 off of my NOT-TO-DO list. I felt relieved!

“I’ll get him and good luck.” He offered as he finally walked away.

That was nerve-wracking, but Christina’s suggestions helped me get through this. I owed her!

The door slammed open letting Doctor Keegan make a very loud entrance.

“Olivia Adele, am I correct?” he shouted.

“Yes sir!” I shouted back. He seemed like a nice fellow to shadow. I could tell from the first minute he enjoyed listening to himself.

Therefore, I applied three principles to my interview:

• I let him talk. The man loved to talk. His voice had a special melody to his own ears he couldn’t stop listening to. Recognising this trait, I did my best not to interrupt his never-ending flow of sentences. But when he stopped…
• … I asked questions about him. Where did he study? Where did he train? Why becoming a surgeon? Who was his mentor, etc. His life genuinely interested me, I used his self-love to avoid talking and perhaps break the deal. I knew if I managed this correctly, I should leave with the apprenticeship.
• I let him answer my questions and his. An interview is an assessment of the interviewee but also the interviewer. So he has to answer some questions to convince me.

After 39 minutes of an intense monolog, he finished the interview with “you’re a wonderful listener, I am convinced you will be a great doctor. Welcome on board Olivia.” No kidding!

At the end of the day, it did not matter if I barely spoke, I got my apprenticeship and I faced Lucas.