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It's early Wednesday morning, and Jake once again wakes up just before his alarm rings out. Today is the day Jake is going to his job interview, so he must get cleaned up and have something to eat before he leaves. He will also plot his course, determine travel time to his destination, and find a gas station to fuel up along the way to Muskegon. Connecting to the internet on his laptop with the WiFi hot spot on his smartphone, Jake uses an online map application to print a map of his travel plans.
Because of the navigation app on his phone, all of this was unnecessary, except Jake's over-cautious attitude causes him to prepare backup plans in case his phone loses reception or quits working. Jake is fairly easygoing for the most part, but his active mind considers most details in a way that borders on paranoia. So Jake deals with his anxiety by coming up with alternative backup plans for important things like this job interview. He normally devises at least three different plans, all of which should accomplish the same goals.
Although cloudy, the weather is fair, and the roads are clear as Jake travels to the Shadow New Service for his job interview. His phone's navigation app works flawlessly as he travels to Muskegon, where the SNS office is located. Jake finds that instead of some office building downtown, the office is in a historic district comprised of 19th-century Victorian homes. The office is in an old mansion of a lumber baron who had made his fortune by selling lumber to Chicago after the Great Fire of 1871. A prominent bronze sign at the building's approach declared its historic significance, causing Jake to think, "Such a small world. It's like coming full circle." He considers how Michigan lumber had given new life to Chicago after it burned down, and how Michigan could give him new life after he burned his bridges in Chicago.
The woodwork inside the old building is all original stain and varnish; none of it is painted over. Although historically a home, its conversion to an office building is quite professional in its layout and decor. The waiting area is in what must have been the parlor, with one end of the waiting area opening into what might have been a dining area. Framed by large wooden pillars, an archway draws his eyes up to the high ceiling decorated with Victorian molding and a crystal chandelier. Near the archway is an elderly woman seated behind a large wooden desk. Jake thinks, "This must be where I check in," as he heads toward the desk with his briefcase in hand.
As he approaches, he glances at the nameplate and sees the name "Miriam Goodwell". He remembers her name from the voicemail and begins his sales pitch, "Good day, Miriam. My name is Jacob Novak, I have a 10 am appointment for a job interview." Miriam responds, "Very good, we're expecting you Mr. Novak and we appreciate your punctuality. Would you please follow me to the conference table right over here" as she points to the larger room beyond the desk. Jake looks over where she is pointing and sees that the ornate chandelier is above a large wooden table with a small amount of paperwork at one end. Miriam proceeds to the end of the conference table where the papers are, while asking Jake to be seated next to her in the first chair near the end of the table. Once they are both seated, Miriam puts on reading glasses and looks over the paperwork before her.
She begins, "The resume you sent us in response to our job posting is quite impressive. Our editor here at Shadow News Service is so impressed that he wants to hire you on the spot. Personally, I have some questions, but I don't do the hiring here." Before Miriam can continue, Jake interjects, "I'm more than willing to address any concerns you may have and will do so at your convenience." Looking at Jake over the top of her reading glasses, she resumes, "I have a contract that offers a weekly salary for four months, call it a probation period. We will give you five leads that you must personally research, delivering one original story per month. If you produce the stories as required and they are of suitable quality, you will be offered to be hired on a long-term contract with the Shadow News Service. If you can produce more than four stories in four months, a bonus will be added when you are hired."
Miriam hands Jake the paperwork and points out a section on the first page, "This is the amount we will pay you for the first four months' salary upon signing. You will be paid in weekly installments and are expected to complete one assignment each month. Of course, your contract will terminate after four months if you produce fewer than the required stories. As long as you submit your assignments on time, you won't have to worry about the editor rejecting them or the need for rewriting. After the four-month probation period, if the editor likes your work, you will be offered a yearly contract with similar terms. It's a simple contract, but if you want to have some time before signing, we can give you until Monday to decide to take our offer."
