I'd been unemployed for so long that I could no longer afford to be picky when choosing jobs. I was a qualified sports journalist, but with all the local newspapers shutting down it was a bit of a dying industry; the only work I could find was voluntary stuff online. I had to swallow my pride and start looking elsewhere.
Even that was difficult. Places I'd assumed I'd get a job at, like fast food restaurants, wouldn't touch me. 'Overqualified', apparently. Building sites didn't some snobby little journalist on the site struggling to move bricks. It really felt like there was no option.
That was until one job advert popped into my inbox one day. Personal assistant, for the boss of a local men's fashion outlet. Seemed easy enough; make the coffees, shred the papers, that sort of thing. I quickly applied, and sure enough I'd managed to bag an interview.
With it being a shop for men's fashion, I summised I better look the part. Luckily for me I had a sharp, tailored navy suit that complimented my decently-toned frame quite well. It was bought for me a few months prior, as I was a groomsman at a friend's wedding, and I knew at the time it'd eventually come in handy. As I combed my short, brown hair and made sure my stubble was even, I admired myself in the mirror for a couple of seconds before making my way to the interview.
The shop itself was a street or two off the high street. It looked quite old from the outside but had a certain rustic charm, with mannequins in the window dressed in skinny-fit shirts and tight trousers. The sign on the front was meant to say 'Ultra Menswear', but the U, L, T of 'Ultra' had fallen off, as had the last five letters of 'menswear'. I briefly considered making a joke about noodles in the interview, but quickly thought better of it.
As I walked in I noticed the shop was completely devoid of customers. The only person inside was a young guy behind the till. I was 22, and this guy was younger than me, possibly only 18. He was wearing an ill-fitting t-shirt sith some unknown band logo on it, and he was chewing a piece of gum, smacking it loudly every few seconds.
"Scuse me," I said, suddenly feeling rather overdressed. "I'm here for the PA interview, is Mr. Graham around?"
"He's through the back there," the lad said, in a highly pitched, feminine voice. "Early aren't you? The interviews don't start till 1."
"Thought I'd come early, make a good impression, y'know?"
"You've already made a good impression sexy," the lad said, taking me slightly by surprise. "Go on through..."
The main desk was so narrow that I had to edge my way past the young guy to get to the back of the shop. He made no effort to move, and smiled as our midriffs rubbed together when I edged past. When I did get past, I was greeted with a cold, barely-decorated corridor, with a fire exit ahead of me and a door to the right that had 'T. GRAHAM' written on it. I cleared my throat, and knocked once on the door.
"Who is it?" a much gruffer, masculine voice called from the other side.
"Uhh, it's David Thomas here...I'm here for the PA interview?"
"Ahh yes," the man replied. "Come in then..."
I opened the door, to be greeted with the sight of quite a nice, modern office. It was a far cry from the rest of the building's old, wethered look, with a slick, metallic look to almost everything. The walls were painted grey, recently it looked like, and behind the desk to thr back of the room sat Mr. Graham.
Even though he was sat, I could see he was easily taller than me. When he stood to shake my hand, that was confirmed. He was around 6'4 I'd say, about half a foot taller than myself, and he was broad with it, not in a fat way but more in a stocky, rugby player way. If I'd had to guess I'd say he was late 30s, the brown hair on his head receding slightly, and greying stubble on his face. He was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and some grey trousers.
"Pleasure to meet you son," he said as he shook my hand. "I'm Terry. Don't give me none of that Mr. Graham shite, we're all mates here."
"Pleased to meet you," I replied, finishing up the handshake and taking the seat in front of his desk.
"Do you know Dave, I can call you Dave can't I?" he said.
I nodded.
"Eight people applied for this role. You were the only man."
I didn't really know what to say. "Uhh," I stumbled, "I know a PA job is traditionally more for a woman but I think-"
"I don't want no woman!" Terry interrupted. "This is MEN'S fashion. MEN'S. Should be men working here, no women, no thank you."