Chapter Nine (1)

Terrence was about to leave Canada. Five years of memories would soon become neatly archived in the shelves of memories behind his actively acquired educational knowledge in mathematics and finance. The process of extradition is typically a very heart-gripping one, and this one was no exception. He would soon be breathing his last breath of fresh winter air, shooting his last glances at the wild squirrels darting between trees, walking his last steps on this home and native land...

Of course, there were inconveniences in his daily routines that he would be happy to leave behind, like chores and other administrative responsibilities resulting from being the sole resident of a household, but at the same time he realized that it was precisely these occupations that had helped him develop into a stronger person. Would it be that his return to a sheltered family environment cause his years of independent livelihood to degenerate back into a state of decadence? Would his lack of intellectual companionship in Hong Kong initiate a steady decline of the healthy mental activity that had been so strongly promoted in his academic education? Terrence was determined not to let that be the case, but he was still worried. Change is usually a cause of anxiety for the human mind, and Terrence was obviously human.

Before his departure however, there was still one duty that Terrence felt obligated to perform. That is, write a letter of gratitude to his closest friends in Canada - the house of 309 Karen. This was a house that had protected him from adversities in numerous occasions; be it a desire for suitable clothes for an occasion or an outright basic need for shelter, 309 Karen had been a hospitable host that managed to address all such concerns. Terrence had already finished packing all his luggage, so it took him a few minutes to rummage through his bags to retrieve an ink pen and a decent piece of paper to start writing.

"Dear 309 Karen,

So strong is the propensity of the human mind to experience emotions of isolation and desolation...

Chapter Eight

Terrence was checking his email, and after having sifted through a series messages from his family and friends, the daily news updates and the word of the day from dictionary.com, he was surprised to find a remaining unread message from someone by the name of Amy Chu. Terrence did not know anyone called Amy Chu.

Thank you for your job application for the position of Advisor – Global Wealth Management.

After reviewing your resume and cover letter, your educational background and working experience are fulfilled to our requirement. Therefore, we would like to invite you for a phone interview....

Regards,

Amy Chu

Terrence, having completed his last semester of undergraduate studies less than a month ago, had since become a statistic in the Canadian labour unemployment numbers, so this was a timely email which presented the opportunity for him to claw his way back into the respected ranks of society. Terrence had undergone several full-time job interviews before, so he wasn't particularly shocked or astonished at a third party's recognition of his credentials. What had most caught his mind about the email was the way that it was written. It somehow seemed very awkward, he thought.

He read the email again.

"After reviewing your resume and cover letter, your educational background and working experience are fulfilled to our requirement."

Did that mean that prior to them reviewing his resume and cover letter, his education and employment experience did not fulfill their requirement? Did the act of them conducting such a review somehow add or detract from his qualifications? Did they only have one requirement?

None of these were questions that Terrence had any answers to, so he thought it was perhaps best that he accepted the interview opportunity graciously and cast aside his doubts on corporate communications language for another day, a far and distant day when he would actually have a job and these confusing recruitment processes would be behind him.