From when she was 11, people told Julia she had a remarkable resemblance to singer Taylor Swift. Well, that is, when Swift was under the age of 20. Most people get somebody stuck in their minds the way they were when they last saw them. The older Julia got, though, the less she resembled the singer. With more wrinkles and pounds, the resemblance was closer to an overweight Swift.
For years Julia lived off of that reputation. It was her claim to fame, so to speak. She was a good programmer who happened to look like a famous singer.
Levi had heard about Julia’s reputation within the software industry and had heard her speak at a conference but he had never met her. After he did a job interview with her over the phone and was hired ten days later, he was overjoyed to finally be able to meet someone of her caliber in the industry and hoping it could turn into a small mentorship. Another colleague mentioned Julia’s resembling features but he couldn’t see it in her social media photos or the conference PR headshot.
When Levi entered the office, he shook hands and greeted her, “Pleased to meet you, Julia. I heard you speak at the East Coast Software Developer conference in Atlanta last year.”
“Oooo. Wasn’t my best speech,” Julia said. “I think that was when I had a bad coughing spree.”
Levi took a step back and said, “Yes, that was it. You handled it gracefully though. Say, has anyone ever told you look like…”
“I know, Taylor Swift,” said Julia with her profile now prominent for emphasis, a move she had done a thousand times before.
“No, no. I was thinking more like Ben Franklin,” he said with a wink.