Two brief things, one both exciting and anxiety-inducing, the other less exciting than it might have been, but more worrying. It seems that everything is settled for Arthur: he will begin working with his father on the first of the month and continue there until the end of the semester. He will not get school credit, but his guidance counselor will remain involved, and she has suggested some structure to the arrangement—for example, Arthur will interview both his father and…
Inca called me away from a phone conversation with Ted and Cole today to tell me that Gabrielle was on her way to visit Nick. I was surprised, as I had not been aware that she had such plans. “As far as I know, she didn’t,” Inca said with a sigh. “But she skipped work today, packed a bag, and was on the road in minutes. I did warn you that we would need to be light on our feet…
News, news, and quickly too—Grace has a doctor’s appointment and then she and Con are going out to dinner, so I want to be there for both. Grace is doing well, still no sign of increased blood pressure. Pressure of other kinds is on her, though—she is at thirty weeks, three-quarters of the way through her pregnancy, and according to Con’s app, little Truman is as big as zucchini. He is making his presence felt, which is a joy to…
At first, when my seniors summoned me today, I thought that they were going to reprimand me for my continued heaviness. Well, no, reprimand is not the correct word. I knew that they would be very concerned and have much advice to offer. They would ask me if there was anything that they could do, their sole desire to help me through my pain. Still, I was not looking forward to such an interview. But that was not why they…
Today was a day of joy, one that I badly needed. I think my seniors knew that; while I was only supposed to get a few hours on my own today, this morning Danit told me that I could take the entire day as a Sabbath, that she would see that my charges were taken care of. I was grateful for that, though I could see the pity and concern in her gaze. I can’t help but feel that I…
I have to admit, I am a bit worried about this. Harrington’s first few days have gone well—he has hired both an assistant and a mechanic and is pleased with both choices. Michael Davies is the son of a friend from church who has been looking for work outside of food service and is delighted to take on the somewhat menial tasks of driving Harrington around town, making phone calls, and filing paperwork. And Joseph Stint started today and has…
Today Harrington started his new job, officially. As I have said, he has been busy before this, but today was the first day that he was able to go into an office. It is a temporary space that he and Jared are renting for a few months, bland and without personality, but it is good to have a place where he can meet with clients and possible employees. He arrived early, well aware of how long it takes him to…
Let this be my public apology, just as I spoke it to my seniors. I regret going against their wishes, and I meant no disrespect to any of them. But I do not regret what I did. I cannot, because I simply had to say goodbye. I spent this afternoon visiting my other charges, checking in with them and seeing how they fared. I did not spend much time with any of them, though—I feared that they would sense my…
I went to see Zezette today. It made me feel terrible, as if I were going behind Danit’s back, but I had to do something. I could not let matters stand. She knew precisely what I wanted as soon as I arrived, I could see that in her aura. She greeted me with an embrace, and the depth of empathy and compassion radiating from her nearly made me weep. “Is there nothing that I can do?” I asked when I…
I am hurt. I am hollowed out, I am…I do not know what I am. I should have known this day was coming, but I refused to believe in my own failure. Would it have hurt any less, if I had known it was coming? I cannot say, but it hurts a great deal regardless. I have been removed from Shannon’s case. Danit called me to her just as I was going down to check on Shannon, and the moment…