Much Too Young

Hi. I'm recording this on my phone, just in case anything happens. I assume it will be you who will listen to it, Mum, but anyway... I left your flat at 10, as we discussed and I walked to the bus stop. There were only a few people about, but they looked at me really strangely. I wish you'd taken the day off work and come to the interview with me. It would have been far easier. Anyway, there was this old lady at the bus stop, otherwise quite harmless looking but you should have seen the look on her face when I sat on the bench! Honestly, if she could have called the police there and then, I'm pretty sure she would have done. Anyway, she has moved out of the shelter now and just keeps staring at me. So I thought I'd better just record this, just in case. God, I wish you would vaccinate the young people in this city, then there wouldn't be all this hostility.

Hell Mum, that was terrifying! So, the bus rolls up at the bus stop and I let the old lady get on first (giving her plenty of space, so she doesn't get 'infected'). Then I made to get on the bus and the driver was like, "No! You can't come on here. This is a clean bus." I explained where I was from, that I was visiting you, that I was going into the city centre for a job interview and that, in my part of the country, young people have been vaccinated. Then he's like, "Show me your locket then." So I fished it out from down the front of my top and he scanned it. He looked at the read-out for an uncomfortably long time. I was, like, sweating all over. So then he accused me of stealing the locket. I said if that was the case, then it would have someone else's details on it. Finally, he gave in and let me on the bus. Honest Mum, my heart is racing so fast and beating so hard, I think I'm going to have a heart attack. Not sure any job is worth this much hassle.

This is awful! I've only managed to walk 100 yards from the bus and I have already been stopped by two policemen. The first stopped me the second I stepped off the bus. He wanted to know who I was, where I was from and where I was going. Told he this was a 'clean' part of the city, not for young people like me. He looked at my ID card and scanned my locket and, though I know he didn't want to, he let me carry on to the interview. I was walking along, thinking about all the young people I had seen from the bus walking into town, when I heard a shout ahead of me. I was literally just around the corner from the bus station and this other policeman was shouting at me to stop. He asked all the same questions, I showed him my ID and heart-shaped locket, which he scanned as well. By then I was getting annoyed and told him, "I'm almost late for my interview. If you want to follow me to my interview, then please follow me but I need to go. Now!" I think I appeared assertive, but I was like jelly inside. He let me go, but now walking at full speed to get to the interview in time but recording this to try and calm down. I'm not sure it's working though. Think I just look like a mad woman, speaking to her phone!

Well, this is great! I'm stood in the plaza, in front of the building where Seabase have their office and according to my watch, I should be having my interview right now. I got to the front door, big glass and brass revolving door, and the security guard was like, "Where are you going?" So explained myself again, showed my ID, he scanned my locket as well. I showed him the email on my phone with the interview details and he has called to security inside the building. I need to be cleared before I can enter the building. I hope if I get a job her, that getting to work every day will not be like this. Otherwise, I don't think I'd last more than a week. And you know the weirdest thing? I've been stood here for about half an hour and everyone who has walked past has been 40 or older. It's weird. It's like the land of the old people.

Hi Mum. Seeing I've done all these other voice recordings on my phone, may as well do one final one. The interview went well. They seemed to like me and were impressed by the placement year I did. Think they were impressed that I had actually been able to do a placement year. The lady said the company should start thinking about running them again themselves. They were very apologetic about me not getting into the building. Said they hadn't realised quite how young I was. Think they were a little embarrassed about how many times I'd been stopped by the police and had my locket scanned. Anyway, I think the interview went well and they said they'd let me know. Will try to make my way back to your flat without getting stopped by the police or causing anyone to have a heart attack. Wish me luck!