Jane typed a new name onto the top of her CV: Cassandra Watts. At Education, she paused, and then typed the names of her children’s schools, and Reading University. She borrowed her own interests when detailing Cassandra’s hobbies: hiking, renovating houses, embroidery. Her husband wandered past, whistling; she opened a new tab and waited. The football went on in the other room. She looked at the job specification again and gave Cassandra work experience that roughly matched the minimum requirements: two years in the private sector and eight years in charitable organisations as a Business Development Manager. She typed quickly and fluidly. Cassandra’s CV was soon complete.
Having composed a suitable cover letter, Jane emailed both documents to the address stated on the job listing. She sat back in her armchair and stretched her arms above her head.
Two weeks later, Jane received an email, inviting Cassandra to an interview.
On the day itself, she put on her best suit — a grey shift dress and matching jacket — and black court shoes. She looked over Cassandra’s CV again on the bus into town. She gave Cassandra’s name at reception and took a seat. Once in the interview room, she fluently described Cassandra’s suitability for the role. When they asked how soon she might be able to start, Jane blushed and looked pleased. Warm handshakes were shared at the interview’s close, with the panel taking enthusiastic pains to lean over their desks to reach her. Jane glowed on the way out of the office, smiling at everyone she passed.
Once out on the pavement, Jane pulled Cassandra’s CV from her bag, crumbled it up and put it in the nearest litter bin. She got on the bus, went home and changed back into her jeans and t-shirt. She stroked the lapel of ‘Cassandra’s’ suit, and then put it away. She had about forty minutes before she needed to pick up her children from school.
As she walked to the school gates, she whistled.
Author bio:
Lyndsay Wheble’s work has appeared in Litro, Queen Mob’s Teahouse and The Oxford Writing Circle Anthology, amongst others, and on the shortlist for the Yeovil Prize. She won the Reflex Fiction Prize Summer 2018 and recently completed an MA in Creative Writing at Oxford Brookes.
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