The Fury and The Insanity

 Most of the time, when people say "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", they're speaking of matters of the heart, but Kate  could think of no better word for the look on her boss' face. Maybe there was a hint of a smile, but Stephanie always had been able to hide her feelings well.

   "So, am I being sued?" Kate asked, biting her lip. Her emotions were not on her side right now. She wanted to give in to the side that was yearning to laugh until she hurt at the impossibility of what she was hearing. That side, had she not been biting her lip, would have caused her to giggle uncontrollably as she tried to explain how she sometimes responded inappropriately during stressful times. The other side, naturally, wanted to collapse in tears at the situation she was now facing. Focusing on the pain in her lip helped control the tears.

   "You're not, but the company is. I can't discuss the terms of any legal discussions with you. If you had responded to my letter sooner, maybe we could have proceeded differently, but as of right now, you are terminated without possibility of rehire."

   "But I didn't get your letter. I was on vacation. Why didn't you send me an e-mail, or call, or send me a text telling me to have someone check my mail? I thought after ten years with the company I would at least get some notice." Kate was incredulous. Stephanie knew she had been on vacation. They shared an office, for crying out loud!

   "Legal said I should only contact you by mail. I'm sorry. I really wish I could have done something different" Stephanie said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. The motion spoke volumes. Stephanie was well-versed in the study of body language, and used it in business. It was one of her self-professed "special skills". In crossing her arms, she was shutting Kate out of the world they had both struggled to occupy for far too long. Right or wrong, Stephanie had her in the proverbial corner. Not even twelve months after her new boss' arrival, Kate's dreams of a life-long career with the company were shattered. The worst part was, there hadn't even been a good reason.

   Kate had always said that if she were going to steal from the company, which she wouldn't, that it would have to be enough to get her and the kids out of the country and on to a well-funded life somewhere - and there just wasn't ever that much in the register. The point was, if you're going to break the rules, it had better be worth it, and it almost never is.

   That's what was bugging her about this. Well, that, and the "N" word issue. Two things. Three. Three if you counted the fact that she had been in an open office, with her ex-fiancee in the waiting area. She simply hadn't done what she was accused of doing. The fact was, if she had broken the rules to that extent, she would remember. It would have been worth it. If she had physically harassed a man, he would have been so handsome, so charming, so intelligent, and so funny that she wouldn't have ever forgotten him. Then, according to the accusation, she had proceeded to try and impress this man she was so taken with by using vulgar language? Besides, Kate hadn't ever used that word. Ever. Sure, she had said it, matter-of-fact, to explain things to her children. But never in the hateful way it had been suggested.

   Kate wasn't hateful. She had some unusual ideas for this small town, and some people might not have liked the way she chose to live, but she didn't judge them based on skin color. It was below her, really. If Kate wanted to dislike a person, she could find so many, better reasons most of the time.

   No, this was a lucky break for Stephanie. Kate had told an angry client that the company wasn't going to pay him what he wanted, in all likelihood. He had filed a complaint against her, which Stephanie had sent to Kate's home, knowing she was visiting friends. Stephanie had gotten rid of Kate without even trying.

   Kate didn't break the rules any more. Not much anyway. Not at work. There was too much on the line. She was clinging to this career like it was all she had, because it felt like it was. She dated a client once. Once. He pursued her for three years first, and even went to another professional in the firm to make it happen. It ended well, in agreement that neither was right for the other. But Kate had learned a lesson when she realized what could have happened if it had gone less easily. And once, she had let her heart say a client didn't owe a tax when her head knew they did. It hadn't gone so far as the IRS. Hadn't even left her desk. She'd told the clients she thought they were getting a nice refund before checking her facts. They weren't. The result was disappointed clients and a tax adviser who knew that her heart and her emotions could never be a part of her job. That's how she had continued working for all the years she was at Wright & Paul. And now it didn't matter. Stephanie had found a way around the rules and Kate was finished.

   After putting on her best "I'll be better off without you" face, and graciously thanking the bitch for her time, Kate gathered her things and set off for the parking garage. It was a weekend, so there was no one in the office to say good-bye to, and she had cleared out her desk before leaving on vacation, as a convenience to whoever needed to use it. She settled into the driver's seat and reached for her purse. Digging the cell phone out would be the easy part, she thought, as she tried to figure out how to break the news to her best friend. Jacki had been transferred to Kate's division at Wright & Paul just over a year ago. The two had clicked almost instantly outside of work, although Jamie brought a little more of her carefree side into the office, which had made Kate uncomfortable at first.

   As she dialed, she remembered there was something she had always wondered about her friend, but never knew. When Kate had asked Jacki if her name was short for "Jacqueline", she has said "no". When pressed, Jacki had refused to give her full name, saying it was "crazy". Now Kate had a bargaining chip. Jacki was dying to know why Kate had been fired. Kate had gotten the phone call while she and Jacki were out to a late dinner and some drinks, but Stephanie would not disclose why except in a scheduled face-to-face meeting. So they'd had to wait.

   Jacki picked up on the second ring. "How'd it go?"

   "First, you tell me how you got your name. It's been bugging me since..."

   "Oh My God" said Jacki, cutting Kate off mid-sentence. "You can't be serious. If I had known it was that important to you I would have told you for a fuckin' Miller Light. My dad likes to ski. When he met the guy who introduced dad to my mom, they were skiing at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I'm named Jackson, because dad insisted and mom thought it was "cute". Do I look like "cute"? Hell, no, but here I sit, Jackson Charlotte Pierce. Call me Jacki. Now for God's sake please, what happened at the meeting?"

   Kate caught Jacki up on the meeting. Jacki naturally agreed the whole thing was ludicrous, but knew as well as Kate that it was air-tight from a legal standpoint. Firms like Wright & Paul didn't hire cheap lawyers.

   "Where are the kids this weekend? Let's go out and have some adult beverages and you can badmouth Stephanie all you want."

   "Beth and Toby are at mom's. Lee couldn't take them - again. He says he's working all the time, but I'm not seeing the child support to back up that claim." Kate giggled as she said this. Jacki already knew Kate supported her two kids on the small intern's salary from the firm. She also knew that Kate's ex was an on-again-off-again kind of dad, popping up when convenient, then moving away for a year and not once coming to visit. "He's not a bad guy," Kate always said. "He's just not my kind of good guy. He never grew up."

   "See if your mom can keep them. You need a night out. I'm buying the first round. And who knows, maybe we'll run into your jackass client and you can give him a piece of your mind."

   "Hahaha. I don't even remember what the guy looks like. I only remember the appointment at all because he left angry that I wouldn't promise him his money back. I'll talk to mom when I get to her house. I hate leaving the kids to go out, but they haven't stayed with their grandma in a few weeks, and they might want to."

   "Let me know. I think I'm going to Stirrups tonight anyway, so you can meet me there if you can."

   After hitting the appropriate button on her wireless earpiece to end the call, Kate turned up the radio and the tears started to fall...