Chapter 9 Women Must Be Self-Reliance
Since Queenie found out that her parents had passed away, she hadn't left the house for half a month in depression. Only Timothy would spare time to come over to see her every day. He had also hired a housekeeper for her to help her with grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning up the house. He arranged everything for her. But he would return to his house at nine o'clock in the evening to help his child with his homework.
Queenie was both touched and sorry. She had been worried that his wife might get suspicious and follow him. If she found out about her, she might kick her ass. Even Queenie herself felt as if she had been kept by Timothy. Even the housekeeper who would come every day looked at her strangely as if she had been certain she was Timothy's mistress.
'Wait! I am not his mistress! I came first!' she thought to herself.
No, she wasn't going to fight for a man with another woman! She despised people like that! Although Timothy was a very nice guy and she had been obsessed with him before, she couldn't bring herself to become his mistress since he was now too old for her. Moreover, his son was fifteen years old now, she didn't want to be a stepmother to a teenager.
Queenie had to go through such struggles inside every day to keep herself from becoming more dependent on Timothy. She was an independent and well-educated woman. She wouldn't allow herself to degenerate into being kept by someone as a mistress, even if that person was Timothy! Besides, if her parents knew that she was being kept by Timothy, they would be so furious that they might come back alive to lecture her. She had to keep her decency so that she could one day meet her parents in Heaven with dignity.
Queenie was determined to pull herself together. She felt she should first find a job and get back to society. She asked Timothy to teach her how to submit her CV online, but for some reason they were all unanswered.
It wasn't until one day after she contacted one of her classmates that she managed to get an interview.
"I don't think you need to find a job in such a hurry." Timothy disapproved somewhat. He didn't want her to walk out of the house.
Queenie said as she sorted out her materials, "How can I make a living if I don't find a job? I don't want to rely on you all the time."
"Why not?" Timothy asked softly.
"You tell me? Timothy Carter, I'm not going to be your mistress. You have a wife, for God's sake! What, do you want to keep me as a mistress? Huh, don't even think about it!" Queenie glared at him and made her attitude clear. She wanted to keep a certain distance from him.
Timothy looked at her and clenched his hands with his lips tightly pursed. He suddenly asked, "What if I get a divorce? Would it work if I get a divorce?"
"No... No!" Queenie's heart skipped a beat and she panicked, "I... I don't want to be someone's stepmother."
"You don't like me because I'm old, do you?" Timothy smiled ruefully.
"No... It's not like this! I didn't say that!" Queenie denied it.
Timothy looked at Queenie. She was like this. When she lied, her voice tended to get loud. It was as if she thought that the louder her voice was, the harder it was for people to see that she felt guilty.
Timothy sighed and turned his head, "What kind of job do you want? I'll arrange it for you."
"No need, I've already found one," Queenie hurriedly shook her hand and said, "I graduated from Clariford University. I don't need your help to find a job."
Timothy looked at her with eyes full of worry.
"You remember my college classmate Anthony Bell, right? He runs a media company now and his company is recruiting. This job fits my major in university, so I'm going to go over there to check it out," Queenie said.
"You can't pull my strings, but you can pull your male classmate's strings?" Timothy said in an unpleasant tone.
"It's different," Queenie said.
"What's different?" Timothy asked.
"It's just not the same anyway!" Queenie exclaimed capriciously and turned her head to sort out her things for the interview. She packed up her things neatly, opened the door in anger, and headed out.
Timothy grabbed her bag from behind, "I'll drive you there."
"No need!" Queenie said stubbornly, "I'll go by myself."
"Do you know where it is? Buena is such a big city. What if you get lost again?" Timothy asked.
Queenie stood still.
"I'll give you a ride. It's not appropriate to be late for an interview." His tone softened. Queenie could never say no when he spoke to her in such a gentle voice. Therefore, she followed him to the car after his persuasion.
Anthony's company was located in an industrial park in the surburb in Buena City. Anthony was in the same class as Queenie and they didn't know each other well at first. But after they joined the school's debate team and had a few debates, they got to know each other. The two of them became friends when Antony had a crush on one of Queenie's roommates and Queenie helped him a lot to pursue the girl.
Apart from Timothy, she didn't get through to any of her friends. But when she logged on to Facebook, she unexpectedly saw Anthony who was online. When Anthony saw that she DM-ed him, he had thought her account hacked. After all, her disappearance was quite a sensation at the time. When he heard of what she had gone through, he was quite shocked. Therefore, when he heard that she was looking for a job, he asked if she was interested in working for him.
In fact, he wasn't very close with Queenie. After all, she was one of his classmates from twenty-three years ago and his memory had long since faded. He only vaguely remembered that there was such a person. Sometimes people would mention her at class reunions, and they always just bemoaned her. But it was really quite a mystery. So after he made an appointment with her, he arranged for his secretary to wait downstairs early in the morning.
When Queenie arrived at the industrial park and looked at the spacious and bright office building, she couldn't help but marvel, "Wow, Anthony has made a big boss now. His company looks pretty big."
Timothy looked at the size of the company and said indifferently, "Given his age, it would be strange if he didn't make it this far."
"Wow, You make it sound like that your company is even bigger than his, isn't it?" Queenie asked.
"I don't have a company," Timothy said.
"Then why did you say that?" Queenie said in an unpleasant tone.
Timothy wasn't angry at her backhanded words. He said breezily and confidently, "Even though I don't have a company, I'm not doing any worse than him."
"Fine, you're all doing well. I'm the loser, okay?" Queenie said discouragedly.
"You'll do well someday as well," Timothy said in comforting tone.
Queenie looked up at him and then lowered her head again. She thought to herself, 'Damn it! Why being so gentle to me?'
"Miss Jackson?" As soon as Timothy's secretary saw the two of them enter, she greeted them from afar, "Mr. Bell has been waiting for you in his office. Please follow me."
"You can wait for me downstairs!" Queenie whispered to Timothy.
"Okay." Timothy responded nicely and pointed to a sofa in the lobby, "I'll wait for you over there."
"Okay." Queenie nodded her head and followed the secretary into the lift. When the lift doors closed, she could still see him standing outside the doors. He kept looking at her, melancholy and silent.
Queenie suddenly remembered that he used to be like this when she was out looking for a job.
Timothy would always take the time to accompany her to the interview. At that time, they had both just graduated and had no money, so they took the bus to every interview. The bus was crowded and they were always squeezed tightly together. Timothy would always pull her into a corner and let her stand in it while he held the bracelet with one hand and enclosed her in it with the other. She always leaned her head gently against his chest and rested her hands on his waist. Whenever she peeked up at him, she would wonder why even his chin looked so good. She could never resist standing on tiptoe to kiss his chin, while he always looked down at her with a smile on his face. The sparkle in his eyes was so wonderful that she still couldn't forget it. When they arrived at the station, he would hold her hand tightly and lead her through the crowd. He would walk her all the way to the door of the company she was interviewing with before letting her go. Then he would fix her hair and clothes even more nervously than she did. At the end, he would clench his fist and cheer her up in a loud voice, while she would nod her head energetically. During the interview, she was not nervous at all when she thought of him downstairs. By then, she managed to get offers from several big companies.
As Queenie lowered her eyes, she smiled and recalled those things that seemed like yesterday. The lift arrived on the fourth floor and the secretary led her to Anthony's office. As soon as she opened the door she saw that a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a pot belly stood up and looked at her with a shocked expression, "Queenie Jackson!"
"Anthony Bell?" Queenie struggled to find the once-familiar features on his fat face, which was squeezed together.
"You really haven't changed at all!" Anthony walked over excitedly and shook her hand hard, "You're still as beautiful as before!"
"You've changed quite quickly. I can''t even recognize you anymore." Queenie found it both funny and annoying as he held her hand. She really couldn't recognize him anymore. The Anthony she remembered was a tall, thin, somewhat dark-skinned big boy. At least he used to have decent features and a clean-cut look. Why did he look like this now?
Would time really turn people into pigs? She couldn't help but think of Timothy, who was still handsome and elegant. Fortunately, he still retained his face even after twenty-three years!
"Oh, I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse for you. Look at you, you're still so young. It's really enviable!" Anthony lamented.
"You have twenty-three years to spend with your loved ones, but I only have one moment." Queenie said, "Why should you be envious of this?"
"You're right too. Sit down, sit down, I haven't seen you for a long time. Let's have a nice chat. We really should find a time to gather all our old classmates out for a reunion!" Anthony hurriedly asked her to sit down.
Queenie asked, "Haven't you guys gathered over the years?"
Anthony instructed his secretary to pour tea for Queenie, "We're all busy. How can we have time to get together when we are so far away from each other?"
"How are all the students in our class doing? You're not the only one who's doing well, are you?" Queenie smiled.
Anthony said modestly, "That's not true. The people I know who have stayed in Buena City are all doing well. Martin Wood is now a leader at National Television!"
"Wow, that's awesome! You're all leaders and bosses now. I'm the loser, still a rookie in the job market! You have to look after me more."
"That's for sure!" Anthony assured her with a pat on his chest.
The two of them chatted for a while and finally talked about work. Queenie majored in advertising design and communication at university, and Anthony's company happened to be a publicity company, so she thought the job was in her field of study. However, when she asked about the company's field, she didn't understand it at all.
What was Internet marketer? What was Twitter? What was Instagram? What was Facebook, Reddit, Youtube, TikTok, Amazon Video, Netflix, and Disney+? What was Influencer economy, live commerce? What software was mandatory to know editing software such as EDIUS, ADOBEPREMIERE, etc?
What, what, what? She couldn't understand. Sorry to interrupt!
She probably went to college for nothing!
"Indeed, the knowledge we learned back then is basically obsolete now." Anthony puffed on his cigar, "How about this, why don't I find someone to show you the ropes and you learn first?"
"OK, I'll study hard. I do not have to be paid!" Queenie nodded her head in agreement.
"What you're talking about? Can I not pay you? How about this, one thousand dollars per month for the internship. I'll raise your salary when you turn full time." Anthony looked generous.
"One thousand dollars? Not bad. My salary last month was only six hundred dollars! That's double! This is still the internship salary. I'll get at least three thousand when I'm regular! He's not bad for being my old classmate. He really takes care of me!" She thought.
When Queenie joyfully went to report the good news to Timothy, he looked at her silently. "Is she happy even though she's working for free?" He thought.
Never mind. He couldn't bear to discourage her when he saw her eyes shining, "All right. Consider it a learning experience."
"Yes! I'll work hard!" Queenie said happily, "Then you should go back now. I'll start my internship today!"
"Okay. When do you get off work?" Timothy asked. "Six o'clock." Queenie made a gesture of six. Timothy nodded, "I'll pick you up in the evening." Queenie looked at him and wanted to refuse, but in the end she nodded and agreed. After all, she wasn't quite familiar with this new world.
"You should go inside now!" Timothy said.
"Aren't you leaving?"
"I'll watch you go in before I go."
"Okay!" Queenie nodded and turned to trot off to work. Timothy watched her back enter the lift before he lowered his eyes and turned to walk out. He walked to the entrance of the company and paced hesitantly. Finally, he turned back and walked to the sofa in the corner of the lobby of the company and sat down. It was her first day at work, so he was worried. It was better to wait for him here than to be distracted in the lab.
Just then, a man in a suit came in from outside. The man, who was handsome and tall with a cold face and a distinguished aura, looked straight ahead. He was in a hurry and did not notice Timothy in the corner. He walked straight into the lift and pulled his tie impatiently, which was a little tight. He just heard his subordinates report on the road that the boss had personally sent someone over to their department and told him to take good care of her. Nathanael's eyes were cold. He hated this kind of connected people most, who were hardly qualified and were always complaining. He didn't want to serve such people who liked to snitch whenever things didn't go their way.
When he saw the newcomer who was already standing in the office, he couldn't help but frown.
"Hello, Mr. Foster. I'm Queenie Jackson, the new intern who came in today." Queenie introduced herself.
Nathanael didn't even bother to look at her. He walked straight to his seat and sat down, turned on his computer, took out a bottle of mineral water from underneath the drawer, and opened it to take a few sips. He seemed to be getting busy with his chin on one hand. The situation was awkward for a while. Queenie waited for a while and couldn't help asking, "Mr. Foster, is there anything I need to do?"
"Go to the personnel department and ask." Nathanael said, "There' s no shortage of people in my department."
She pursed her lips at a loss and said, "But Mr. Bell said that I should come here."
Nathanael raised his eyes and asked coldly, "You're pressuring me with Mr. Bell?"
"No, no, I wouldn't dare!" Queenie smiled sheepishly, "I just thought that since Mr. Bell had asked me to come here, you could take it for free! Even if there's no shortage of people in your department, it's good to have one more gofer to do the tiring chores and the trivial tasks, right?"
"Although I can't help you with too much work, it's fun to have another staff. How can you drink cold water so early in the morning? I'll make you some tea, or would you like a cup of coffee?" Queenie said as she walked over to his desk. She picked up Nathanael's teacup and turned around, quickly went to the pantry to make a cup of tea and at the same time brewed a cup of instant coffee, then put the two cups together on his desk.
Finally, she concluded with a shameful smile, "You can just treat me as an extra waiter!"
Nathanael looked at her as he leaned back against the back of his chair. He couldn't help but sneer, "You're quite cheeky."
"Thanks for the compliment. I don't have any other merits either, just this one." Queenie said.
"Fine!" Nathanael nodded. She kept such a low profile, so it's not appropriate for him to make it more difficult for her, "You can learn from Coke first!"
"Thank you, Mr. Foster!" Queenie happily followed the young boy called Kola. Kola led Queenie and assigned her a workstation. Then he asked her, "Our department mainly shoots short videos for clients to put on various platforms for promotion. The more clicks, the more traffic, the wider the spread, and the more we get paid for publicity."
"Platforms?" Queenie was a bit confused by the word, "What platforms?"
"It's TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc." Kola looked at Queenie, who looked confused, as if she had come out of the mountains, and asked, "You have even tried these, haven't you? You do have a Twitter account, right?"
"Twitter?" Queenie asked as she was thinking, "Are you talking about Links? I do, I do."
"Links?" Kola asked, "What's that?"
"Isn't it the Links you're talking about?"
"I'm talking about Twitter." Kola couldn't help but say, "No one use Links anymore? No one used it more than ten years ago!"
"Oh!" Queenie puffed out her face and said pitifully, "I haven't used Twitter!"
"What about TikTok?" Kola asked again, "Facebook? You used Tumblr, right?"
Queenie still shook her head.
Kola covered his face for a moment and took a deep breath, "Then you usually play games, right?"
"Games?" Queenie nodded her head in a hurry, "I play SimCity."
"What?"
"It's the game!" Queenie made a gesture of tapping the keyboard.
"I haven't heard of it. What else do you play?"
"Need For Speed! Red Alert! Super Mario Bros!"
"What?" Kola looked puzzled because he thought all these games were basically off service. "Didi, when exactly were you born? Those games you're talking about were obsolete a long time ago."
"I was born in 1975." Queenie replied.
"Are you kidding? You look like you were born in 1995 at most." Kola rolled his eyes.
Queenie took out her social security card and said, "I was really born in 1975."
Kola looked at the social security card and then at Queenie's face: "It is impossible! Are you really from 1975? This is not a fake social security card, right?"
"How can it be fake? It's illegal to make fake social security card!" Queenie just went to the Public Security Bureau to get this new social security card.
"Wow, it's actually real." Other colleagues also gathered around. Some female colleagues said, "You are wearing very well!"
"What kind of skin care products do you use?"
"LA MER?"
"LA MER is not enough. I think she must have had hyaluronic acid treatments!"
"That's true. Which hospital did you do it in? How much is an injection? Do people have to inject hyaluronic acid from the age of twenty to maintain themselves like you?"
Queenie was surrounded. She hurriedly waved her hands and said, "No, no, I didn't get any injections. I just use Nivea to skin care. The supermarket sells it for about forty dollars a pack."
"You're lying!"
No one believed her, "You must have injected it!"
"I really didn't have..." Just as Queenie wanted to explain, she saw that Nathanael walkd out of the office and reprimanded, "Why are you all gathering around? Don't you have to work?"
The group of people surrounding Queenie instantly scattered. Nathanael walked over and picked up her social security card to look at it. His eyes darkened slightly as he raised his eyes to her and said, "You're so old? Can you stay up late? Can you work overtime? Do you have a husband and children? It's hard to work in our department. This is not a place for you to be a couch potato."
"Mr. Foster, don't worry. I'm a workhorse!" Queenie quickly assured, "Besides, I don't have a husband or kids. Nothing will get in the way of my work."
"Okay," said Nathanael. He glanced at her and gave her back her social security card. Then he took his laptop and went out for a meeting.
After Nathanael left, Kola secretly whispered beside Queenie, "Mr. Foster has a bad temper. Don't mess with him."
Queenie quickly nodded her head. Then she thought, "I'm forty-five years old, and I'm being reprimanded by a boy who's about thirty years old. What a shame! I'm going to work hard and get promoted!"
Queenie was frantically indoctrinated with new media knowledge by this group of young people from the company all morning. She registered a dozen software accounts and watched countless short promotional videos that the company made before. She was absorbing the knowledge swiftly just like a sponge. She also took note of a few editing software that she had to learn and planned to teach herself at home.
Kola registered a Twitter account for her. Queenie tried to use it and found that it was something like a news application, social platform or something like that. There used to be an application like this, which was called Alumni, but it wasn't as convenient as Twitter.
When Queenie was swiping Twitter, she suddenly found Timothy's picture on the trending topic. She opened the news in surprise and saw a piece of video news. The text of the video said: Timothy Carter, a young biological scientist in America, led a team to develop a new drug that has a significant effect on degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, and the scientific research achievement has won the International Lasker Award. Queenie clicked on the video and saw that Timothy, who was dressed in a proper suit, received the trophy on the stage and delivered a speech in skilled English. He expressed his gratitude to the country and everyone in the team and hoped to make more contributions to mankind.
When Queenie looked at the mature and stable man in the video, she felt that she didn't know whether this was the Timothy she knew. How did he grow up to be so outstanding? She didn't even dare to think that he could become like this twenty-three years ago. This was too impressive.
When Queenie typed "Timothy Carter" into Wikipedia, the awards and titles shocked her. "The youngest medical biologist in China, the winner of the Lasker Prize, the winner of the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and one of the special talent pool personnel of the National 'Hundred Talents Program', the names of the drugs produced" were lined up in a long list in French. She couldn't understand it, but she thought it was awesome.
Then she swiped down, and there was actually a group photo of him with an important national leader...
Queenie's eyes widened and she couldn't help but sigh, "What a big potential stock I chose back then! What a vision I have! Unfortunately, I haven't got a cut of the profits yet! I suffered with him back then!"
Queenie was so angry that she hit her head on the table!
When Kola saw her banging her head, he curiously came over and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing." Queenie replied with a look of despair.
Kole looked at her computer screen and saw Timothy's picture: "Oh, Professor Carter, he's great."
"Do you know him?" Queenie asked.
"Yes, my friend's grandmother is taking the new medicine he developed. I heard that the medicine is very effective. Her grandmother suffered from Alzheimer's for several years, and now she can urinate and defecate on her own." Kola said, " The family of my friend admires him."
"Yeah, that's pretty impressive." Queenie said, "He's awesome."
He was so awesome that she wanted to cry. He really was successful. If she was still his wife now, she would really feel great. Unfortunately, someone reaped what she sowed and he even had a kid. Queenie was so angry!