Group Eight...Cinderella

Not too long ago there was a young lady named Ellie. She lived and worked with a kind old man and his two miserable sons. Ellie got up every day at the crack of dawn and cooked and cleaned and took care of the old man while the the two men went to work. They worked in an office somewhere in the city doing some kind of financial work. They clearly hated their well-paying jobs and took their frustration out on Ellie by treating her horribly and paying her a pitiful salary. By "horribly" I mean that they constantly harassed her...she was expected to dress provacatively and cater to their every whim. This behavior upset the old man, but he was too old and feeble to knock some sense into his children. One morning, while Ellie was reading the newspaper to him (as his eyesight had deteriorated long ago) the old man asked her to stop. He looked her straight in the eye and said,

"You can do better. Go out and find a new job, a better paying one that shows you the respect you deserve."
The old man smiled and pulled a thick wad of cash from him pocket,
"Take this, I've been hiding it from my sons in case I needed it for something. This is that something. I'll make sure that the boys don't find out you've been gone during the day, just make sure you're back by 5pm."
Reluctantly, Ellie took the money and agreed. Later that day she browsed the classifieds and found several jobs that interested her. She called one up and scheduled an interview for the next day. That evening she went out and bought a beautiful black suit.
Little did she know that the job announced in the newspaper was that of a law firm. Not just any law firm though, it was New York City’s top law firm. As a child Ellie had always dreamed of one day becoming a lawyer but was never motivated to follow her dreams because she didn’t have anyone’s support. Besides, taking care of the old man was the only job she thought she’d have for the rest of her life. Ellie arrived an hour early to the interview and waited patiently while four other women were interviewed for the same position. She was nervous but full of hope. After half hour of her waiting, she began to panic. Three of the 4 women interviewed came out with angry faces, shouting foul words. Finally, it was Ellie’s turn. At this point Ellie had no idea what to expect. As she went in the office, she realized that the person interviewing her had another man in the room. As she answered questions the other individual seemed to contradict everything she said to a point of great frustration. He made harassing comments towards her. He said she was too pretty to work for such a powerful law firm. He even said that she didn’t dress sexy enough. Ellie got fed up and decided to stand up for herself. She was tired of holding things back in life. Therefore, it was her time to speak her mind. She calmly entered into a feminist debate with this man explaining why she was right, and why she should be taken seriously despite her clothes. She was then dismissed from the room. Ellie went back to the house feeling pretty good about herself. She explained to the old man what had happened and continued working for him in hopes of getting called for more interviews in other places.
Two days later Ellie received a phone call from the law firm offering her the job. She was shocked! They explained that the other person in the room was there to test each interviewee. She, unlike all the other people, had fought back and spoken up to what she thought was right, a highly desired quality for a law career. Not only would she be making more money than she ever imagined, but they offered to put her through law school if she ever wanted to go. Ellie was so excited! She accepted their offer and told the old man about her success. He was also excited, but a little sad. He didn't want Ellie to leave him, as he had grown very fond of her over the years. Ellie promised to take care of him for the rest of his life.
A few years later Ellie had a successful law career and was living in a beautiful home in Manhattan along with the old man and his well-paid, live-in nurse. As for the old man's sons, the same good fortune could not be said of them. They continued to work at the same jobs, and continued to be miserable for the rest of their lives.