The Meeting
Carly
Quiet Carly. That’s me. I’ve always been quiet, I’m slow to open up to anyone and I work myself up a lot. Sure, I know they aren’t the best qualities but I do what I can when I can. Admittedly I have been doing better since I took the internship I was offered at LILAC.
I have always been passionate about fashion and lifestyle blogs and LILAC is by far the best one. Working here has been an incredible experience so far. They gave me some fun responsibilities at first; I organized the sample closet and inventoried everything. I got to touch all of the priceless vintage and couture pieces, it was like a dream.
After that I helped out whenever they needed me. I was starting to come out of my shell and then I was offered a paid position on the social media team that was perfect for me. I get to do what I love from behind a computer screen plus I'm part of everything and get to share it with the world. It is a great outlet for my creativity and it keeps my finger on the pulse of what is going on with our brand.
LILAC hosted a huge event for their 10th anniversary and the party ended up being a huge deal. Sloan Kennedy, our Head Fashion Consultant, took charge and we ended up throwing the event of the season. There were several celebrities that showed up, and the hype was insane online. Our social media accounts blew up and Marlene, the head of LILAC was so happy with everyone.
In the last few months, LILAC has been an uplifting place to work. Everyone is always in a good mood but I have a meeting with Marlene today and honestly, I’m so nervous. There are at least two supervisors between us and I wonder why she wants to talk to me directly. Obviously, there is nothing I can do about it; I have to go.
I made sure to look my best today, I'm wearing a powder pink sweater and high-waisted pencil skirt. I tend to stick to classic styles and colors, the reason I got into fashion in the first place was watching black and white sitcoms with my mom. All of the women always looked so put together and I wanted to be just like them. I had an extra shot of espresso before I went into the office too but now I regret that. I'm jittery and shaking as I walk as calmly as possible down the hall to Marlene’s office and knock on the open door.
“Come in,” she smiles.
“Good morning,” I try to smile but I’m sure she can tell that I’m nervous.
"Hi, Carly. Have a seat," she sounds happy and she's gorgeous to look at, she's one of those women who have aged perfectly.
My nerves start to set in and I’m willing myself to just stay calm. I can feel the heat rushing to my cheeks and I wish that I was anywhere but here. I sit in the chair across from Marlene’s desk and do my best to plaster on a smile reminding myself that I have no reason to fear Marlene, she is always nice.
“How are you feeling about your position at LILAC?” she starts.
“I um, I’m really happy honestly, I love working on the social media projects especially now that we have a new influx of followers,” I explain.
“You look nervous dear, this is a friendly chat, okay?” she assures me.
“Okay, I’m sorry, I do tend to work myself up.”
“Not a problem, I just want everyone to feel comfortable here, to be able to come to me if need be,” she smiles and it seems genuine.
“Okay, thank you.”
“So the real reason I asked you here is there is an opportunity coming up that I would like to consider you for but if you’re happy in social media then I don’t want to force you to move, are you interested in learning more?”
"Yes, please," it pops out before I can second guess it so I just go with it, "I love LILAC, when I first started here I didn’t know this would be my lifelong career but honestly, now I can’t see myself working anywhere else."
“Wonderful, as you know Sloan is going to be taking on more responsibility with the new position she’s in. I want to give her an Assistant Brand Designer. Would that be something of interest to you?”
“I would work with Sloan Kennedy? Like planning events and things?” I know that I’m getting overexcited, but Sloan is like the rock star of LILAC right now, she’s basically our own celebrity.
“Yes, you would essentially work under her but knowing Sloan she would treat you more as a teammate. Of course, the position comes with a pay increase and you’ll be officially full time so you’ll get more benefits.”
“Wow, Marlene, I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you want to think about it?”
"I’m pretty sure I love the idea, if you think I’m up for it, I would love to try," it's probably the more insecure sentence ever uttered but I hope it got the point across.
“I have all the confidence in the world in you, Sloan was happy with the suggestion as well. Can you start working with her tomorrow?”
Whoa, Sloan Kennedy wants to work with me? “Sure, yes, I don’t have any big projects in progress.”
“Perfect, well I will send the paperwork over to HR, you’ll be getting a 10% raise on your salary with the opportunity to earn bonuses and raises when it comes time for performance reviews.”
“I, wow, thank you,” I stutter.
“Congratulations Carly, I’m happy this is working out. You can report to Sloan’s office tomorrow morning and see where she needs you. Please try to finish any social media projects up today, feel free to delegate anything you can’t finish.”
“Thank you again, Marlene, really, I really appreciate this,” I smile.
“Enjoy the rest of your day,” she smiles back casually.
The rest of the morning goes by in a blur and all I can think of is how happy I am. As soon as I go on my lunch break I can’t wait to call my mom. Yes, my mom is still my best friend. Maybe I’ll be lucky, and this opportunity will make me come out of my shell even more but right now there is no one else I'd rather call. Hopefully, I’ll get along with Sloan, I know she’s amazing but we’ve hardly spoken.
Before I know it, it’s time for lunch so I grab my things and head down to the coffee shop down the street. While I walk I pull out my phone; time to finally give mom the good news.
“Hi, my baby!” she answers
“Hi mom, guess what?”
“Hmm, you sound happy so I’m going to guess it's good news, maybe you met a boy?”
“No mom but it is good news. I’m getting promoted,” I laugh.
“Really? Carly, that’s awesome! Good job, what will you be doing?”
“Remember I told you about the purple party a while ago?”
“Yes, you said that gal pulled some crazy things out of her hat and flipped the party in a week.”
“Yes, well I’m going to be her assistant, my title is Assistant Brand Designer, I got a raise,” I explain.
“Carly! I’m so happy for you! Are you happy?”
“Yes, mom, it is unexpected but I’m really happy, I just hope that I don’t work myself up too much. I start tomorrow.”
“I’m sure you’ll be just fine, just be you,” she assures me.
“Well, I’m going to grab my lunch now but I love you.”
“I love you too honey, call me tomorrow and let me know how it goes.”
“I will, thanks, mom”
“Bye, sweetie.”
“Buh bye.”
After I got my lunch the rest of the work day went by so quickly because I was trying to finish and offload all my projects. Before I know it, it’s time to go home. I went back to my tiny apartment, watched some reruns of The Bachelor then went to bed and hoped for the best tomorrow.
