By lunch, people had decided my love life was old news. New gossip always arrives on schedule. Still, the looks stuck. Ohhhhh look, who’s late again. How was your “compliance chat” look? The "I wish it were me" look, which is the saddest one. I kept my head down and my clinic full. Work is the best revenge. That and fries.
At 2:20 my manager pinged for a quick sync. “Leadership got your response,” he said in a huddle room that smelled like dry-erase fumes. “They’re satisfied with the guardrails.” They want to see the recusal letter.
“Ifeoma has it,” I said. “Ask her. Or ask Angela. I’m not ferrying my boyfriend’s paperwork. That’s the whole point.
He actually smiled. “Good.” Also, the Director wants your clinic to continue indefinitely. It’s killing ghosts.
“I like killing ghosts,” I s
