I met with the employment attorney, Ms. Ward, in a narrow office above a hardware store. She asked me to tell the story from the beginning and interrupted only to clarify dates.
When I finished, she set down her pen.
"You have two issues," she said. "The family's handling of the incident, and the terms of your employment. Those may overlap, but don't assume one automatically proves the other."
"I don't want to sue my parents."
"You don't have to decide today. But you should stop relying on verbal promises."
She gave me a list of documents to request. Payroll records. Job descriptions. Written conduct policies. Any messages about the suspension. She explained what I could ask for as an employee and what I had no right to access.
"Keep it boring," she said. "Dates, documents, names. Do
