miigwech past the wind rattled the old windows as the call tried to connect. he glared at them, wondering if the noise would interfere with the interview, be that one small thing that results in someone else getting the job. his face went from annoyance to wonder as he saw a name and date etched into the single paned glass "james may 17th 1897. he was sitting in the lounge, in a floor that didn't exist when the building went up but that was wedged in by some intrepid builder some years later, well after james's time to be sure. in the same moment the frown curled around to a smile he was shaken back to the present by a disembodied voice "good morning! or is it afternoon over there?" "afternoon, yes, thank you for meeting with me!" flustered he grasped for small talk, a skill he never quite developed, "the wind here is really testing the windows. i wonder if they're originals?" the man an ocean away laughed, "the ones here too, though i bet original means at least a century newer than yours. now tell me, what interests you in this opportunity?" the shift to the business at hand was welcome. he could grasp onto these direct questions and lean into his experiences and expectations. it was a short call. it turns out they were looking for someone quick, and his coming flight home would align perfectly. at the end of the discussion, the interviewer clasped his hands together and bowed "miigwech" he said, then smiled, "although how ridiculous is it for one settler to say this to another, especially one sitting in the heart of empire?" 220512 what's it to you? who go blather from