The Unexpected Hire: An Interview, a Rivalry, and a Lifetime
She had a calm confidence that I envied, clutching a file just like mine. She gave me a brief, polite smile before taking a seat opposite me. We were rivals, competitors for the same coveted position. The tension was palpable.
Her name was Priya, I learned, when the receptionist called her in first. I watched her go, feeling a strange mix of relief and anxiety. When she came out twenty minutes later, her expression was unreadable. Then it was my turn.
The interview was a blur of technical questions and personality assessments. When it was over, I walked out feeling drained but hopeful. Priya was gone. I figured I'd never see her again.
A week later, I got the call. I had the job. The relief was immense, but a small, strange part of me felt a pang of disappointment, thinking of the confident girl from the waiting room.
A few days into my new job, my manager mentioned needing to hire another person for a similar role in a different team. Without thinking, I said, "I might know someone." I described Priya, her calm demeanor, and the impressive way she held herself. My manager was intrigued. I didn't have her contact information, but on a whim, I found her on a professional networking site and sent a message.
To my surprise, she replied. She was gracious and thankful, and agreed to be referred. She aced the interview and joined the company a few weeks later.
Our waiting-room rivalry quickly transformed into a workplace friendship. We became "lunch buddies," our conversations shifting from project deadlines to our favorite books, our dreams, and our ridiculously similar taste in music. I learned that her calm exterior hid a wonderfully quirky sense of humor. We started exploring Lucknow together after work—sharing chaat in the bustling lanes of Hazratganj, taking long walks along the Gomti Riverfront, and discovering quiet little cafes.
The lines between colleagues and friends blurred, and then, one rainy evening under the pretext of waiting for the downpour to stop, I told her how I felt. To my delight, the feeling was mutual.
Our professional rivalry had blossomed into the most supportive partnership I could have ever imagined. Two years later, I took her back to that same corporate building. In the garden outside, where we had once walked as nervous competitors, I asked her to be my partner for life.
She said yes.
I went into that interview hoping to get a job, a step up in my career. I walked out with something infinitely more valuable: the first chapter of a story that would lead me to my wife. It was the most unexpected, and wonderful, hire of my life.