Instead, we poked at the subject and kept sliding it off to the right more and more. Mr. Dullberth called twice more, but I didn’t answer. Fuck him, I thought. Just fuck him for wanting an answer. I went to work, but being a regional manager meant that, more often, I could visit my stores rather than spend much time in my office at corporate. I didn’t want to be there; I resented what was happening and didn’t want to deal with it. I had one week to make a decision. Regardless, I needed to clean out my desk, so I made short trips to the office at odd hours to accomplish the task piecemeal. “Nice to see you in the office for a change.” It was Jackie, my best coworker and friend. Jackie and I had both started at Huntington’s on the sales floor. When we worked together, we were often paired to design and set up sales displays. Over time, we became close, going for drinks after work or hiking and camping together. At that time in our lives, Jackie and I talked nearly daily and helped each other with everyday struggles, including, at times, the frustrating parts of working the sales floor at Huntington’s.
