Chapter 144: First Step Forward

"Excuse me. Are you open?" I asked softly as I poked my head in the door.

"Oh yes, how can I help you?" a middle-aged woman replied politely.

"Umm…this place just recently opened, right? I saw the sign outside that you’re looking for art teachers…" I said hesitantly.

"That’s right. We’re a new art school for kids that just opened in this area. We have other branches, but this is our newest branch," the kind-looking lady replied.

"Are you still looking for art teachers?" I asked, not daring to get my hopes up.

"Of course. Are you interested?" she asked.

"Yes, I am. You see, I’m an art student in my final year and I’m looking for a parttime job," I replied.

"Do you have any teaching experience or experience working with kids?" she inquired.

"Umm…not really. I’ve taught some of my juniors before but that’s about it," I replied honestly.

"I see. Well, that’s not really a problem. If you can drop by to drop your resume here with your portfolio, then I can process your application for you. Would that work?" the lady offered.

"Of course. I live around here so I’ll make sure to drop it off here tomorrow. Is that, ok?" I asked before smiling at her.

"Yup. Thank you!" she replied enthusiastically.

"Thank you very much. I’ll see you tomorrow then," I thanked her leaving.

Taking some risk paid off very well today. I haven’t landed a job yet but for the first time I had found a job opportunity that fit with what I was looking for. A part time job that was related to art. On top of that, I would get to teach children. It should be a lot of fun. This should help energize me and keep my mind off Hayden too.

I realized that I haven’t asked her for the pay but that didn’t worry me much because I wasn’t looking to make loads of money or anything like that. Later that evening after coming back from visiting my grandmother, I started updating my resume and compiling an updated version of my portfolio. Unless they’re looking for someone super advanced, my portfolio should be sufficient to land me the job.

However, my lack of experience in teaching and dealing with small kids might get in the way.

…

The next morning, I headed over to the newly opened art school to drop off my resume and portfolio. Since I was too focused and excited about inquiring about the job yesterday, I didn’t have time to appreciate just how colorful the school was. Whoever designed and decorated it had a good sense of artistic style.

The bright colors mixed with attractive cartoon characters would surely attract the attention of children. It was quite early in the morning and the school was quiet.

"Excuse me," I said when I pushed opened the door and entered.

A moment later, the same woman that I met yesterday came out from the back to greet me. She smiled at me, and I was sure that she recognized me immediately.

"Hi. I’m here to submit my resume and portfolio for consideration," I said as I handed her the documents.

"Thank you. You’re here so early. Would you mind if I take a look?" the woman asked.

"Not at all, please take a look," I said before smiling at her.

The woman turned the pages of my portfolio as her eyes scanned the pictures inside of my artworks. I’ve made sure to include work using various techniques to my favorite works. The main idea was to show that I had the skill in various techniques and can use many tools and medium to produce art.

"Wow. You’re a very accomplished art student. I can tell from your work that you love art a lot," she said as she admired photos of my work.

"I do…" I replied honestly.

"Why do you want to teach here? Do you think you’ll like working with the kids?" she asked.

"To be honest, I’ve never taught art to kids before. However, I’ve taught art to high school students and some university students, and I did enjoy the experience of grooming them and watching how their talents blossomed. It’s always interesting to see how the students develop their own style or their own take on art," I said, reflecting on how I felt when I’ve taught students in the past.

"I see. Interesting. Here’s some details about the job and the rate that we pay. If you’re still interested, can you please fill in the application form and sign at the dotted line at the very bottom?" the woman instructed.

"Of course. Thank you very much," I said as I took the papers from her.

Surprisingly the rate that the school offered was quite high. With this rate, I can cover the rent for my room with ease and have enough money left to get by. Paying back grandma shouldn’t be too hard at this rate. Then I can go back and focus on graduating and the exhibition as well.

After filling up the application form, I thanked the lady and headed off. According to her someone will be in touch to arrange for an interview. Things were looking up for me and I headed to the hospital with a spring in my steps.

A few days later, I had my job interview at the school and was immediately offered a job as a teacher there. I would be in charge of the water painting class as a start. The class had around ten students right now, but the school was expecting more students to join in. After signing the job contract, I headed to the hospital to let my grandmother know immediately.

"I got a job!" I announced proudly when I arrived at my grandmother’s hospital room.

"Wow! Really? Congratulations, Lisa!" my grandmother cried out in excitement.

I bent down and hugged her to me. That was when I realized that she had gotten thinner. Her body felt so small and frail in my arms that I was scared of breaking her with my hug. Carefully, I loosened my arms from around her body and smiled at her instead.

--To be continued…n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om