Next, I called my second interview and shared my story, asking if I could come in at 10:30. He said, “Okay.” That was the second piece of good news, which lifted my spirits even more. I called my third interview and explained my dilemma, asking if I could come in at 11:30. He said, “No.” My heart sank. Then he added, “How about coming at 2 p.m. this afternoon?” I started breathing again. I thanked him and hung up.

I grabbed my portfolio and rushed back to my car. I lit another cigarette to relax while waiting for the tow truck. It arrived in less than 30 minutes and hooked up my car. I sat in the front seat as we headed back to the dealership. I was rethinking my plans and felt hopeful—everything seemed to be turning around. Maybe it was a divine intervention!

At the dealership, I asked for a loaner car, but they refused. I said, “You were supposed to have fixed it the first time I brought it in,” and explained I had two important interviews to attend. Still, they wouldn’t budge.

I grabbed my portfolio and hurried to my first appointment—luckily, it was only a 15-minute walk from the dealership.

I met with the owner and director. He really liked my work and offered me a delivery job. “When there are no deliveries to make,” he said, “you can work as an artist—for free for the first six months. Let’s see how you do.”

I thanked him and told him I have a few more interviews today and tomorrow and would let him know by Monday.

Now that I had my first successful interview and a job offer, though unpaid for the first six months, I realized I needed to borrow my girlfriend Kathy’s car to get to my afternoon interview. But I didn’t have her work address or phone number. Still, I had plenty of time to figure that out. When it rains, it pours!

Fortunately, Kathy also worked in Old Town Alexandria, not far from where I had my first interview. However, she never shared her work contact information out of fear of losing her job. She was extremely intelligent and secured her first graphic art role at the UMD’s annual Job Fair, having graduated at the top of her class with a B.A. and a 4.0 GPA.

Luckily, she had a close college friend named Susan, and we had shared a few dinners. I overheard them discussing their jobs and where Susan worked—no specific building, just a few scattered clues I pieced together.

I followed the trail of clues and found a building that matched. I crossed my fingers and went to the second floor, where I asked the receptionist if I could speak to Susan. To my surprise, she said, “Please wait a minute—I’ll call her.” I couldn’t believe I had arrived at the right place on my first try.

Susan came around the corner and was stunned to see me. The first thing she said was, “How did you find me?” I quickly explained my situation and said I needed to borrow her car, but I didn’t know where Kathy was working. She said not to worry—she ate lunch with Kathy every day at the restaurant in the round building in the middle of town. “Let’s surprise her when she gets there,” she said.

I left Susan, feeling relieved, and went outside to explore this historic little waterfront city. It was being revitalized through the renovation of its narrow, old townhouses—drawing in both people and small businesses. It was a beautiful, promising place to live and work.

I surprised Kathy by quietly sitting next to her. She was genuinely surprised. While we ate lunch, I shared in detail the unexpected events of my day and how I stayed calm and turned each challenge into a success—and how I found Susan and her office. They were impressed and pleased with the positive outcome. Kathy said, “Amazing! Only you, Rez, can pull this off!”

After lunch, I borrowed Kathy’s car and drove to my afternoon appointment at Lester Bond, Inc. I arrived at the location and pulled into the underground parking lot of the building. I parked the car and took the elevator to the 12th floor. This was the first time I’d ever had an interview in a tall building—I had always worked in the “belly of the beast.” It was a refreshing feeling—like I was finally moving on up.