Music comes back and slides in the background as the man with his inner voice says: "This is my stop, I am getting off here".
Sound of the engine slowing and stopping. The hiss from the opening door, and some more footsteps leaving the bus.

Beeping sound comes from the signal lights calling pedestrians to cross the street.

Inner voice: "I think that Vertigo Design is placed behind that music shop. I am not going to be late. It is fifteen minutes past ten. Good!

Footsteps are louder, closing up the Vertigo Design building. Sound of the main door that is opening and closing. Slight echo other people's voices and sharp sounds of hard heals hitting a marble floor.

Inner voice: "Elevators must be close…aha, there." His footsteps and music, and no other shoes are heard. An elevator door slides open with a humming sound. Clicking sound of buttons and closing door.

The sound from a speaker announcing: "The fifth floor".
His footsteps are soft now, yet resolute.

The footstep sound stops. (PAUSE), Inner voice: "There is nobody around, only a secretary, I will ask her."

"Hi, I have an appointment at ten thirty. My name is Peca Rajkovic."

A young female voice: "Hi, let me see…(sound of a keyboard and typing)…yes, he is expecting you. You can go in now"

His voice: "Thank you."

Knocking at the door, and then another mail voice from inside, muted: "Come in."

Sound of the doorknob turning and clicking, and then the same voice from the room (more defined): " Come in, please, and have a seat. You are Peca, right?

" Yes."
"My name is Dave Philips, I am pleased to meet you. Please take a seat. (PAUSE) So, how do you like it here?"
"Oh, I like it very much, I would really like to work here."

Dave Philips: "OK, we have seen your work, and we liked it very much. Tell me something about yourself. For example, how do you like to work, and what is your working environment? Do you prefer to work alone or in a team"?

Peca: " I prefer to work alone, but I can also work as a part of a team."

Dave: "All right, we will bring our decision this afternoon. At this point, I can't tell you whether you are selected or not, but you are on our very short list. As the matter of fact, there is only one person sharing that list with you. So, your chances are really bright, as well as hers, that is the other one's on the list. I wish I could tell you more, but I cannot.

Peca: "Oh, I love it. It sounds great, I want to tell this to my wife."

Dave: "Oh, yes…well, we are done for now anyway. It has been very nice talking to you. As I said, I will call you this afternoon and let you know about our decision."

Peca: "Have a nice day, Mr. Phillips, I am looking forward to hearing from you soon."

The sound of the door knob turning and the door closing with a soft click.

Scene Three

Inner voice: "This is going to be great. I can hardly wait to tell this to my wife. She must be back from her interview by now. How did she do it?"

Background music fades in and mixes with footsteps. Sound of elevator stopping and the door opening.

Prerecorded female voice from inside the elevator: "Going up…(Inner voice: " The wrong way, I guess I am to excited)…PING…tenth floor."
Clicking of a button and the same metallic female voice: "going down, fifth floor…BING…main floor."

Sound of the door opening, and suddenly, many footsteps around, some remote, and some very clear. Street noise is remote and blurred. Gradually, it becomes more defined. Sound of the door opening, at the same time mixing with the street noise, now loud and clear.

Inner voice: "I can see the bus coming…hurry up…(fast paced footsteps, sound of fast breathing, sound of a heavy engine slowing down)…good, I made it.
Sound of a pneumatic door, opening, three stumpy steps over a more resonating surface.

Peca: "I was lucky, I did not have to wait at all."
Frontal voice: "I guess so…but you did not have to run. I would wait for you"
Sound of paper, ripping.
Peca: "Thank you."
Sound of a stop request, engine slows down, stops, hiss from the right side, and then the engine roars again.

Inner voice: "My stop."
Ping again, the hiss, footsteps and the street noises, but milder.
Footsteps for a while, then the sound of a key, unlocking. Slamming behind, soft footsteps, then more defined, with an echo. The footsteps are gone, and another, bit different sound of a key in a lock, clicking. Music from inside.

Peca: "Hey, I am back."
Jelena's remote voice, becoming closer: " Yes, I am. How was it?"
Peca: "Well, I think I have great chances to get hired. He told me that I am on a super short list…I mean…he, he, there is only one person on it and I, of course. Isn't that funny? He also said that would call me this afternoon and let me know if I am accepted."

 

Jelena (loud and surprised): "What? I got the same answer. The man to whom I was talking, told me something very similar. He said they could not decide between me and another person, and that he would call…
Peca (interrupts with a higher pitched voice): "What? What is the name of the company?"
Jelena (after a short pause): "Vertigo Design…they are…

Interrupting sound: Ring…ring…

The End

An Interview

(in Brief)

It was nine o'clock when I woke up. The coffee was ready, but my wife was not at home. Then I remembered that she had already gone to an interview, but I could not remember the name of the company. It was one of the mornings when you feel that something important is happening. My interview at ten thirty is something that I had been preparing since last week and I knew that I would do well, but there were other candidates to consider, too. So, when the time came, I took my portfolio and some other stuff and locked the door. Soon after, I come into the "Vertigo Design" building, for this was where I was supposed to meet the interviewer.

"Good morning, please take a sit", greeted me a younger man when I entered the office. After a couple of minutes, he went through my portfolio and said: " I have seen it many times before, and I will say this strait forward-we all like it very much. You are on our short list, and there is only one person to consider. We met with her just fifteen minutes ago. At this point, I cannot tell you if you are hired or not, but, I call you this afternoon. What do you think?"

Needles to say, I was pretty excited, but uneasy because of that other person. When I got home, my wife was already there.
"How was it", she asked. "Oh, really well…but, they will have to decide whether to take me or another person. I will know more this afternoon."
"Funny thing, the man whom I was talking to, told me the same thing."
"What company did you go to", I asked her curiously.
"Vertigo design, just several bus stops from here…and you?