While Wazzer has her misadventures, the party continues. Among the IT geeks and policy wonks, two ambitious women talk to each other. The pretty retro one says to the sleek and heedless tomboy, “…so I applied for the writer job at that internet discount coupon place – the cool one!”

“Oh! I applied for that, too.”

Both eye each other sidelong, both thinking: Damn. Each of them ardently wants that job. It’s at one of the most prominent IT companies in the country, one that still provides lavish employee perks.  It would be like one of Wonka’s Golden Tickets, opening the door to new opportunity and all the chocolate you wanted. Writing sassy special offer ads seems like pure fun compared to stock-taking, washing glasses at a bar, or wrangling government administration.

The first one lowers her lashes. Diffidently, she murmurs, “I have a friend there already. I don’t know if it will make any difference.”

“Yeah, no, I used to work there before I went to graduate school for a while.”

It’s a draw, basically.  “How many other people do you think applied?”

“Heaps. Heaps and heaps. More wine?”

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