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My mind started to wonder what was going to happen next. Would I be thrown in jail for fraud? Would Ezra step in and help me as he’d promised? What was I going to do if neither of those things happened, and I simply lost my job? My heart was pounding hard against my ribs, and I felt tears springing to my eyes.
This weekend had felt too good to be true, and like most things in my life, it turned out to be.
Sighing, I knocked on the door of the HR lady’s office. I couldn’t remember her name. I’d done some filing work for her, but she’d been snobby and hadn’t spoken more than hello and goodbye to me.
It pissed me off that this snooty bitch was going to be the one to fire me.
“Come in,” the woman said from the other side.
For a moment, I considered just not going in. I could walk out of city hall and just keep going. But the problem was that I had nowhere to go. I had no identification of my own, and without it, I wouldn’t be able to get another job. My only hope would be to return to my father, which wasn’t actually an option. He thought I was dead, and I intended to keep it that way.
“I heard you wanted to see me?” I asked, stepping inside the office. It was too warm and perfumed. It reminded me of when my Babushka would smother me between her breasts, and her perfume would engulf me. I tried my best not to gag.
The woman’s eyes roamed over me, and from the way she pursed her lips, I knew that she didn’t think much of what she saw.
“Yes, Ms. Smyth.”
She gestured to one of the chairs across from her desk. They were just standard office chairs, not nearly as nice as the ones that Ezra had in his office. “Please, have a seat.”
I walked gingerly and sat down. My back was ramrod straight as I prepared myself for whatever was going to happen next. My personal file was sitting on the woman’s desk, and I sat on my hands to keep from jerking it back.
“What is this about?” I asked, playing dumb. If I was here for some other reason, then I wasn’t going to give this woman any sort of ammunition against me.
“It’s come to my attention that you were not exactly truthful in your background check.”
So, I thought. We are cutting right to the chase. In some ways I appreciated that more. I wasn’t going to have to sit through a long, fake nice tirade.
“I can explain.” I really couldn’t.
The woman’s facial expression didn’t change. “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to keep you on.”
“Even if I can get you a copy of the correct ID?” I asked. It might have been stupid to admit to what I’d done so easily. My father would have been horrified. One thing that he taught me early on was that you never copped to a crime, even if they had you red handed. After all, a good lawyer could always get you off.
But I didn’t have a good lawyer, or the money necessary to make my crimes go away.
“Unfortunately, no,” she said. She didn’t look like she was too worried or sympathetic. Of course, that could have been the Botox in her face. “What you did was illegal, and the only reason that you aren’t being prosecuted is because it’s a minor offense. It’s something that we would like to forget.”
I bit the inside of my lip to stop from saying anything further. I had a feeling that she didn’t want to persecute me because they’d have to admit that they hadn’t vetted my paperwork.
“You’ll need to gather your things and leave the premises,” the woman said. I’d spaced out while she was talking wondering how I’d been able to fool myself into thinking that I might be able to get a stable job. “We will mail your last paycheck to the temp agency, and they’ll send it to your home.”
I nodded, saying nothing. It felt as though there was a frog in my throat, as I contemplated the predicament, I’d gotten myself into.
“I can have security see you out.”
I got up from my chair. The tightness in my throat was starting to get smaller, and I felt tears springing to my eyes. I blinked them back, refusing to cry in front of this woman, who obviously thought that she was better than me.
“There’s no need for that,” I said. “I will get my things and leave.”
For a moment, I thought this woman was going to insist, but after a minute of silence, she sighed and nodded. “I’m sorry that things had to happen this way.”
I gave her a weak smile. “Thank you.”
It felt ridiculous to be thanking the woman who was firing me, but it wasn’t her fault. I’d been so desperate for a job that I’d done whatever was necessary, which meant that I’d put myself in this situation.
Walking out of the woman’s office, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes in an attempt to calm myself. I hadn’t been in the office long, but people were starting to come to work. I refused to embarrass myself by making a scene of any kind.
Heading back towards my desk, I tried my best to keep a low profile, which was challenging considering that Tommy and I were the only ones in the office.
