My Internship

So there I was; no job, home, money, or prospects. The future looked determinately bleak. But it all turned when I was approached by…the devil. Now, before you jump to conclusions, I’m compelled to clear up misconceptions. Nearly all the stories you’ve heard of him are fabricated. First off, he’s a gentleman (a criminally handsome one at that). He’s also very intelligent, wears great fashion, and is quite the historian. I couldn’t actually find anything threatening about him.

Anyway, he respectfully asked if I wanted to work for him as an intern in exchange for room and board. It’s true he saw potential in my predicament and sought to capitalize on it; This was mutually understood without words. I appreciated he didn’t insult the obvious. Besides, “Beggars can't be choosers” applied. I accepted his offer, albeit, reservedly. He was nonetheless pleased.

It’s curious how situations and circumstances influence our ways. I know, not all decisions leave us contemplating whether or not we’re walking away with our souls, but we’re loudly judged for the choices we make without any consideration over the options we had during those times.

The devil immediately chauffeured us to a skyscraper in midtown. Upon entering, I was impressed with the decor. Well, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Not this elegance anyhow. We headed up to the floor I was to work on and he gave me a brief tour. Not much time was spent talking, then again, I didn't ask many questions. I knew the deal. The professionalism of the employees did stand out. This could very well suit me better than I anticipated. He then left me at the front of my office. I began straight away.

My duty was to service complaints from the devil's new clients. It wasn’t difficult per se. I took reports and re-confirmed contracts said clients agreed to. More often than not I found myself perplexed by the deals. They seemed, well, desperate, maybe irrational. Contracts read as either a superfluous solution or were outright unnecessary arrangements—not accounting for their lengths and compensations. Clients called to gripe, forgoing it was they who accepted the terms. The devil simply provided requested services in exchange for a settled cost. I explained this repeatedly, merely reminding callers that they negotiated these for themselves. Many quieted down at this, some would abruptly hang up.

It didn’t take long for me to ponder how and why people make the devil to be much worse than what he is. I won’t go as far as saying he’s friend material, but it’s likely we’re equally as “evil” as he is, yet we leverage him as a scapegoat for our calamities. My job never called me to defend him. You can’t preach how life is unjust or unfair when what you wanted didn’t yield desired results. Perhaps the real devil lingers beneath our surface and he’s just some superhuman plutocrat. Why else would we regularly admit we’re are own worst enemy? We’re fine with that acceptance. It’s hypocritical.

Employment there had certainly put things into perspective. I’ll confess it was a pleasure working in such a professional and sophisticated environment throughout my three months, but my time eventually came to a close. In the end, the devil didn't thank me, though, offered a permanent position in the department along with generous pay. I told him I would consider it. He knew it was a polite “no.” But the offer would remain open if I ever changed my mind. The weight of all those anguished voices I spoke with the past months had aspired me to pursue an alternative direction in life. Still, it was an internship I will never forget.

At the very least I know if things ever go poorly, where I end up with no job, home, money, or prospects…there’s always a deal with the devil.