Chapter 4 - The Gym Floor
Three weeks later, the gymnasium at Chesapeake Community College was deafening.
It was the annual Regional Workforce Apprenticeship Fair. Fifty companies had set up folding tables and bright vinyl banners, vying for the attention of hundreds of students clutching plastic folders and nervous aspirations.
At the Whitaker Energy Solutions booth, a recruiter named Dave was handing out branded pens and glossy brochures about high-voltage safety.
Rachel stood twenty feet away, smoothing down the front of her only professional blouse—a navy polyester top she had bought second-hand three years ago. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Beside her, Caleb sat cross-legged on the gymnasium floor against the concrete wall, completely absorbed in coloring a picture of a wind turbine with a box of eight Crayola crayons.
She had rehearsed her pitch a hundred times while folding sheets in the hotel basement. “I have a 3.8 GPA in my electrical technology coursework. I can read blueprints, I understand load calculations, and I am reliable.”
She stepped up to the table just as Dave looked up from his clipboard.
“Hi,” Rachel said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her fingers. “I’m here about the apprenticeship program. What are your class requirements?”
Dave gave her a practiced, polite smile, handing her a brochure. “We require a high school diploma or GED, a clean drug screen, reliable transportation, and full-time availability for our field rotation schedule—meaning 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on-site, plus mandatory Tuesday and Thursday night labs.”
Rachel’s smile tightened at the edges. Reliable transportation. She took the bus. Full-time availability. She worked forty hours at the hotel.
“What about the night labs?” Rachel asked. “Can those be shifted to weekends or online components?”
Dave shook his head regretfully. “Strictly on-site. The insurance mandates direct instructor supervision during high-voltage live training. It’s tough for parents, I know. We lose a lot of good candidates that way.”
Rachel felt the familiar, crushing weight descend upon her chest. The door was open, but the threshold was three feet off the ground, and her hands were tied.
“Thank you,” she whispered, turning away before he could see the moisture gathering in her eyes. She reached down to gather Caleb’s crayons. “Come on, buddy. We’re heading home.”
“Wait, ma’am!”
A voice cut sharply through the gymnasium din.
Rachel turned. A tall, sharply dressed man in a tailored gray suit was pushing his way past a cluster of vocational students. It was Marcus Hale. He looked flustered, holding a tablet in one hand and a folded piece of paper in the other.
Marcus stopped a foot away from her, looking down at her, then down at Caleb, who was blinking up at him with wide, curious eyes.
“Are you Rachel Carter?” Marcus asked, his voice breathless.
May you like
Rachel froze. “Yes? Who’s asking?”
Marcus didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he tapped his earpiece. “Grant, I found her. She’s right here at the Chesapeake Community College fair.”
