From Rags To Silk

Daniel Lane stared long and hard at his reflection in the mirror. He'd spent a week putting his outfit together. He needed to look the part and dress the part if he wanted to cement a job with the Biopharm Tech group of companies after graduation.

He was still in university, a bioengineering student while working part-time. He was determined to secure a permanent job.

He wasn't a suit type of guy, but more of a casual or work suit type of guy. However, today was different and a suit was required. He had a big presentation for a new blood pressure prototype device, and to top it off, it was also his birthday. He wore his late father's old brown suit, which contributed to his lack of confidence. It appeared outdated, out of style, and saggy.

He had no option; the suit was his Sunday best. Clothes were the last basic necessity he purchased with his limited money. He had to rely on his late father's clothes for the most part. The clothes didn't fit perfectly, but wearing them to work made him feel like he was carrying a piece of his father with him, though he wasn't.

He also kept staring at his hair, it was dark, cheek length, and giving him a more tense look. He examined himself once more, debating whether it was too late to get a new haircut. He tried to hold it all back, hoping for a more neutral expression, but he wasn't feeling it.

"Breath in, you'll be fine," he whispered as he scanned himself one last time.

The sound of his phone beeping from across the room jolted him out of his slump.

"Shit," he muttered, covering his mouth with his hands.

He'd completely forgotten to text his aunt; she was the only living relative he had. He picked up the phone, and a lovely birthday and good luck message popped up. He smiled; the message was just what he needed to lift his spirits.

He responded as he checked his watch, realizing he was going to be late. But first, he grabbed the money that he needed to renew her card for the free insulin program. She was a diabetic patient.

He dashed out of the dorm, double-checking that he had everything before entering the cab. He was fortunate in that the company was only a few minutes away from the university.

He arrived, knowing he had a few minutes to kill, and prepared himself. Unfortunately, he found his supervisor waiting at the door, anger evident on his face.

"You're an hour late!" Simon, his supervisor, yelled.

Daniel looked at his watch, perplexed.

"The presentation was scheduled for 8 a.m," he replied.

"No, I said 7 a.m., get in there before the man snaps!"

Daniel entered the conference room quickly and noticed two men seated at the far end of the massive table. Josh Hamilton, CEO of the Biopharm technology group of companies, was one of them.

"You have 18 minutes," the CEO said coldly. He already seemed quite impatient.

Daniel looked at his watch again, then at his supervisor, who walked in and took a seat in the front row. They were all waiting for him to begin his presentation.

He nervously opened his bag and moistened his dry lips, unsure whether to make an introduction or dive right into the presentation.

"Time," the other gentleman urged more impatiently.

"My name is Daniel Lane, and my device is called the Egon Pressure Monitor (EPM)," he said as his gaze fell on the CEO, who abruptly raised his head and goggled back at him, half in rage, half in disbelief.

"What now? Did I say anything wrong?" he thought to himself.

Daniel froze at the point, his hands sticky with sweat.

"Wait... wait...what did you just say the name of your device is?" The CEO inquired.

Daniel responded, "Egon Pressure Monitor (EPM), as in Blood Pressure Ejector."

The veins on the CEO's side of his head became visible, making his face pale.

"GET OUT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Par ... Pardon?"

"Get out of here before I split your brain!"

Daniel cast a glance at his supervisor. who, much to his surprise was smiling wickedly.

The CEO stood up and stormed out of the conference room, cursing and pounding on the door.

As the other gentlemen approached, Daniel froze in his stance. "Are you a moron?" Why would you insult the CEO? Is this some sort of prank? "

Daniel sank dryly, unable to moisten his parched throat. He stood rigid with terror, unable to move. He had no idea what went wrong.

Irritated, the gentleman stormed out of the conference room as well.

"You stupid fool," the supervisor smirked, in a voice that only he and Daniel could hear. "Why on earth would you steal a device that was once stolen from our boss and claim it as your own?"

"What?"

Daniel couldn’t believe what he heard! Is he being plotted against? But why?

"Sir, I left the entire project for you to review. And didn’t you …" He finally found his voice "And didn't you read it? Didn't the CEO read it before agreeing to meet with me?"

"And, why would I check it for you?" The supervisor laughed lightly.

"But ... but you were the one who suggested I make the adjustments," he pointed out angrily.

"So you are blaming me for your cheating?" The supervisor mocked, his lips twisting.

"Yes, you did. You set me up. You set me up! "

"You moron, get your ugly face out of here! It is an engineer's responsibility to conduct extensive research in order to avoid copyright or trademark infringement! Did you want me to spoon-feed you?" The supervisor burst out, his voice was now so loud that it bounced down the hall.

Chatter and laughter from the working area could be heard.

Daniel’s face went pinched red

Before he could say another word, the HR arrived, clutching a letter.

"Daniel Lane, clear your desk within five minutes! You are fired and should not be seen anywhere in this building!" The HR didn’t care about lowering his voice at all.

And hearing this, Daniel’s colleagues held their mouths in shock.

"But... This is not right. Let me speak with the CEO!" Daniel requested "I've been set up!"

"Just start packing, if you ever show up on the upper floors again, I personally will make sure you are arrested," the HR warned as he walked away.

Daniel tried to follow him but was stopped by two security guards, who stood firm.

"Defeated and frustrated, Daniel walked to his workstation and quickly began packing." He could hear their chatter and laughter. None of them looked sorry for him or comforted him as he walked by.

He clenched his fists as he walked down the building, rage burning inside him.