Rejected at 9, Hired by 11

The rejection arrived at 9:04, while I was literally in the building's lobby for the final interview. 'The position has been filled internally, we apologise for the late notice.' Four months of unemployment had taught me to read those emails standing perfectly still, so I stood perfectly still, then walked to the station and boarded the 9:40 home, defeated in a good suit.

The train was empty except for a man at a table seat wrestling a spreadsheet, tie loosened, radiating deadline. I sat diagonal to him because it was the nearest seat to the door and I wanted to be near exits generally, as a life policy, that morning.

Somewhere past the river he swore at the spreadsheet with quiet sincerity, apologised to me on reflex, and — because misery seeks company — explained: their hiring had collapsed that morning. A candidate they had been counting on for a data role had taken a counter-offer overnight, a client deliverable was orphaned, and he was now attempting the analysis himself, badly, on a train.