It’s Wednesday, and I’m back from vacation all ready to get this novel finished. The plan is to be done by the end of April. We’ll see how that goes. Right now, that’s the only goal I have. Life is moving fast at the moment, between preparing for our final orchestra concert of the year, state testing (story for another day), and the kids getting geared up for performance season (3 concerts, 2 dance recitals, 1 piano recital, and a local theater gala…whew!)
For today’s WIPpet, I’m taking you back to what Andre’s doing. The POV switches between them, so you’ll get a bit of both their stories before their worlds collide. Last time we saw Andre, he was frustrated with his job taking tech support calls. In today’s installment, he just might be getting a better offer.
WIPmath: Chapter 2, and it’s the 8th, so 2 x 8 = 16 paragraphs of dialog.
Andre answered his cell phone. “Hey, Julian.”
“Yo, man. Are you busy?” Julian’s warm tones came through the phone.
“Not particularly. Cross your fingers that I don’t get another damn call about our software not working right.”
“That good?” Julian chuckled. “Well, I think you’re gonna like the reason I’m calling you.”
“Uh huh. I could use some good news right about now.” He wondered if Julian was going to tell him news about Elisa, his wife, and her second pregnancy but decided Julian wouldn’t be that insensitive as to phone him at work about it.
“My company’s doing well,” Julian said, and there was a note of pride in his voice.
“I agree with you, that’s fantastic, but this has exactly what to do with interrupting me at work?”
“Thought you said you weren’t busy.”
Andre huffed into the phone. “I’m not. Look, I am happy for you. Can you make a point before I get in trouble for taking personal calls?”
“Sure. This isn’t a personal call, though. It’s business.” There was an obvious smirk in his tone.
“Oh, really?”
“Mm-hm. I’m looking to hire someone with experience in technical support who also knows something about web design and building Internet platforms.”
Andre sat up straighter. “You don’t say.” He’d been dabbling in a variety of web-based technologies for the last couple of years, taking the occasional freelance job, but he hadn’t built up enough clients to branch out on his own.
“Do I happen to know anyone who’s been my brother by choice for the last twenty years and might be looking for a new job?” Julian asked, his voice oozing sugar.
“You might,” Andre replied. “He might be very interested in the position. Would he need an interview?”
“He’s having one as we speak.”
Let’s hope Andre’s new job involves a lot less problem-solving for people like me.
If you liked what you read here, think how many other fabulous snippets you’ll get if you click this link. Read, comment, and join in with your own by posting a bit of your work-in-progress connected to the date with Fancy Math. Thanks to K. L. Schwengel for setting us up.
Happy reading and writing!
Love the back and forth between them. 🙂
Thanks! 🙂
Ha! That’s great. “Do I happen to know…” 😀 How fun. But I wonder how the business Andre is currently working for feels about him taking interview calls for other jobs. Hmm… I hope it works out for them and that they don’t end up hating each other after being in an employer-employee position for a while. That would stink. Of course, it would only stink fro them. Not the readers.
Well, this is actually the only interview call he’s taken. He has a reason for staying stuck in a job he hates despite wanting to get out. LOL about it only stinking for them if it doesn’t work out!
I love the back and forth here, and it looks like good things for Andre. Except… well… working for a friend can be a double-edged sword. And the fact Andre’s thinking about branching out on his own… Do I see trouble brewing?
Oh, trust me, Andre’s in for a lot more trouble than he was expecting, but it’s not coming from Julian.
I bet he takes the job! (I’m so smart like that…)
Crazy how life takes up all of one’s writing time, isn’t it?
Well, I mean, I *did* make it super hard to figure it all out.
I always have a hard time regrouping after a trip out of town, and it doesn’t help that all of a sudden, it’s busy season again—just when I was getting used to “normal”!
Love the feel of this conversation. The banter and teasing are perfect. I hope the job works out, and that they get along, if Andre takes it…
And I hope the life and the performance season go well! As for state testing, we’re lucky enough to only need to do them for one (Annalise) this year. Next year, the boy, and the next, both…bleh.
Andre and Julian are a fun pair. No worries, all the drama comes from somewhere else.
I could write a whole blog post about the state testing. Our younger one doesn’t need it, and we’d already decided to opt her out when she enters school because of her writing challenges. We also opted our 6th grader out this year. He didn’t really care either way, but we explained why (my husband is a teacher). My son’s reaction was priceless. He said, “Governor Cuomo is spoiling my chances of being a music teacher when I grow up!” I’m usually the activist type in our family, but my husband has been doing a whole lot of on the ground work with this new bill that passed. Ugh…sometimes, I’d like to live somewhere else.
Haha. I like the last line! A good interruption by the sound of it.
It most definitely was a good interruption! And now all the “fun” begins. LOL!
Having spent eight years in customer service, taking technical support phone calls, I totally feel Andre’s pain here. I love the dialogue, and I would totally jump at an opportunity like that too.
*takes down dialogue pointers*
Nice snippet. I feel something brewing here but I can’t put my finger on it yet.