Barb Goffman has won the
Agatha, Macavity, and Silver Falchion awards for her short stories, and she’s
been a finalist for national crime-writing awards nineteen times, including for
the Anthony and Derringer awards. Her book, Don’t Get Mad, Get Even, won the
Silver Falchion for the best short-story collection of 2013. When not writing,
Barb runs a freelance editing and proofreading service. Learn more about Barb
and her stories at her website and the Sleuth Sayers blog. Today we’re turning
the blog over to one of her protagonists.
Heading for Retirement—or the Slammer?
By Myra Wilkinson
It can be hard to say
good-bye, even when you’ve been looking forward to leaving. I knew that was
true for family (love to visit; love coming home more). But I’ve found it also
applies to my job.
When this week ends,
I’ll be retiring from the large Washington, DC, law firm that I’ve called home
for the past forty-five years. For most of them, I’ve worked as the secretary
to Douglas McPherson, who now runs the litigation department. Douglas was fresh
out of law school when I was assigned to him during the Carter administration.
We’ve been quite the team all these years. Leaving him will be hard.
Some of you might
think I’m a little loony. Who’d miss typing up timesheets and arranging
couriers? But it’s not the minutiae of my job that’s leaving me melancholy. Rather,
it’s the bigger picture. Taking care of these tasks makes me feel
important. I play a key part of a
team doing vital work. I doubt I’ll get the same feeling of satisfaction
playing shuffleboard as I cruise the Caribbean.
And I’ll miss Douglas.
Sure, he’s my boss, but after forty years he’s also my friend. No, scratch
that. He’s more like family. Like my little brother. Sure he tries to order me
around sometimes, but he also cares about me. And I him.
Of course family can
sometimes annoy you, and Douglas is no different. I’m focusing on that as this
week wears on. Looking at Douglas with a jaundiced eye will hopefully make it easier
for me to leave on Friday for the final time. And to my surprise, Douglas is
making it especially easy this week.
He’s hired this
twenty-something bimbo named Jessica to take over for me after I leave. I’m
supposed to train her this week, but it’s painfully obvious Jessica isn’t
interested in learning the ins and outs of the job. All she cares about is
landing a rich husband. I’ve tried to tell Douglas he’s made a mistake with
this hire, but he won’t listen to me on this point.
It’s aggravating beyond
belief that Douglas thinks a job so important, a job I’ve devoted my life to,
can be done by this self-centered airhead.
But Jessica isn’t my
only grievance. On Thursday night I’m going to learn something—I’m not saying
what; I don’t want to spoil your surprise—that’s going to make it painfully
clear that Douglas has been taking me for granted. At a time when I’ve been
mourning the loss of seeing him most every day and being part of his team, it
appears he hasn’t been giving me a second thought. That hurts. It makes me
angry. And it leaves me wanting to teach Douglas a lesson before I retire—about
the importance of caring for other people as much as you do yourself, about the
pitfalls of vanity, and about the dangers of getting so wrapped up in work that
you forget what’s really important in life.
When I planned my
retirement, I hoped I’d leave with my stamp on the firm. But I hadn’t expected what’s
coming. Anger and melancholy can be a dangerous mix. The question now is, have I gone too far? Will Douglas survive? And will
my retirement be spent seeing the world or the inside of a prison?
~*~
To find out what
happens to Myra and Douglas, read “Whose Wine Is It Anyway?” in Fifty Shades of
Cabernet.
Fifty Shades of Caberet: A
Mysterious Anthology
In vino mysterium is the theme
for this anthology of short stories, each blending a baffling mystery and a
glass (or more) of cabernet.
When eighteen mystery writers combine their talents, the result is the
perfect “flight” of stories that range from light-bodied puzzles to sparkling
cozies to darker, heavier tales of deceit and murder. While cabernet is the
featured wine, this anthology will appeal to connoisseurs of all varietals—in
both wine preference and mystery style.
Buy links
