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"U with human resources"

Panic unfurls insideball of snakes "I do? Since when?"

"Since now," she replies through gritted teeth She spins on her heel and strides away before I can ask anyhealth insurance? and How did you get that stick stuck so far up your ass?

Being the steadfast friend she is, Shasta focuses on the i fired, I call dibs on your new chair"

I frantically search ht lead to my termination but come up with zilch I’m always on time, I never miss a day or a deadline, and if I’enerally tolerated

Except by Portia, ould obviously like to suspendhot coals until I’m dead

"You better hurry up, Joellen Portia looked like she was about to bust a nut"

Ignoring Shasta’s oddas h the cubicle maze toward the human resources department, which is on the other side of the floor, past the executive offices I notice Michael isn’t in his office, which is lucky because I’d probably throwfor et fired and can’t find a job right away, I’ll be sleeping onwhich suicide method would leave the least amount of mess for the coroner to clean up

"Coer, when I arrive at her open door

A wo was invented for, Ruth is voluminous Next to her, I look slim But she dresses in lovely feminine outfits and always has her nails and hair perfectly done, and pulls off the whole Rubenesque look with grand style If she has any qualreyhound-skinny Portia, she doesn’t show it

Skinny body, skinny heart, skinny love

Cam’s words echo inside my head as I take a seat opposite Ruth’s desk I sh love inside her heart to heal the world, but Portia’s love is as thin and dry as a stale cracker, crury teeth

"Are you all right?" Ruth’s brow creases with a frown as she watches s

"Yes, sorry," I say, e out, and I’ular exercise is the best way toacross from us in the small office, makes a sh, dripping with disdain When Ruth glances at her sharply, I know I’ a h a stack of papers "I understand you’ve just passed your ten-year anniversary with the firm, Joellen" She looks up at oes back to perusing the file "And in that tith of one page, stopping at a figure at the bottoain "One day"

"I had uterine fibroid surgery!" I blurt, freshly panicking that I’ "I scheduled it for first thing in thebecause I wanted to coeon wouldn’t allow it, so I hadto" I look back and forth between Ruth, who has her hand to her throat, and Portia, who has recoiled in disgust "Ulasses, Ruth’s brown eyes are owl round "Of course you had to take the day off," she says, horrified "Joellen, that’s ery! I had fibroids removed in my thirties--you should’ve taken a week off!"

I’m relieved I’m not in trouble, but also confused Do I have too much accrued sick leave?

Portia interrupts, her voice as dry as bone "Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?"

When Ruth turns her incredulous gaze to Portia, it’s met with an indifferent stare "I don’t have all day"