all your life you’ve been working for the wrong people and you really should have looked harder to find a job like this one in the first place.
I clear my throat so I can talk without that lump that just appeared messing me up. “I appreciate that. And trust me, my kids appreciate it. I think it would be better if I could work from home. I could come to the warehouse if you need me to, but any time I spend on the road is time I could be on the computer. This could get really tricky.” I look at Ozzie, willing him not to be offended at my next statement. “Do you know how many hours you were expecting me to work?” It’s going to take me at least ten hours to do this thing they’ve just described, but probably a lot more than that, and all I’ve been offered is five hundred bucks. It could easily turn out to be a less-than-minimum-wage situation, which I’d love to avoid, but I don’t want to come right out and say that in front of all these people.
Luckily, Ozzie picks up on my meaning right away. “The fee we offered you was just for a consultation from you, to do what you’re doing right now. You’ve already earned it. If you actually decide to do the work, we’ll just pay you your hourly rate, whatever it is.”
“Okay.” My face is burning red again. Should I admit the truth? That I don’t have any idea what my hourly rate is? When I look around at the people at the table and then hear my son giggling in the other room, I make my decision very quickly; the truth is always the best way to go, regardless of where you end up.
“I’ve actually never freelanced before, so I don’t exactly have an hourly rate.”
“You know what you’re doing though, don’t you?” This question comes from Toni, and there’s a hint of a challenge to it. But this is her house, and I’m in no position to come back with attitude of my own, so I answer with as much humility as I can muster.
I nod. “Yes, I’m fully qualified as both a computer engineer and software engineer. But if you’d like to see my diplomas and some samples of my work, I’d be happy to provide them.”
Ozzie sounds a little perturbed as he shoots Toni a hard look. “You don’t need to do that. You’ve already been fully vetted by Thibault.”
Fully vetted? What’s that mean? I decide to hold my tongue on that for now.
It’s possible there’s a little spark of rebellion in Toni’s eye, but then she looks away, and I can’t see how she feels about the situation anymore. She just got put in her place, so she can’t be very happy. May once described her as a little prickly, and now I know why. She’s like a little Bahia hairy dwarf porcupine sitting over there, ready to challenge anybody about anything, stick a few well-placed quills in their faces.
I don’t know if she means for this to be the result, but it makes me want to work even harder, so I can prove her wrong. So I can show her that I know what I’m doing. The stuff they want me to do is tough and more than a little time consuming, but I can do it. I haven’t met a computer problem I can’t tackle and wrestle to the ground. The world is lucky I use my powers for good and not evil. I could so be Lex Luthor if I wanted to be.
Thibault speaks up. “How about you just charge what you think is fair, maybe the industry average or whatever, and we’ll take it from there?”
“Okay, I can do that.” My heart is racing. If I do a really good job for them this time, maybe they’ll call me again when they need computer or software expertise. I have to be extra fair with my pricing and work as hard as possible to get this done right. If I could have a freelance career working out of my home, it would be a dream come true. Miles has health insurance that covers the kids, so I’ll never have to worry about them being sick again. I could hear “I have a tummy ache,” and instead of falling into a panic, I could just smile and say, “Go lie on the couch,” and not worry about having