“And you have a great one. Remember what I said, things are going to be just fine.”
Three
MIA
I was cameto Phoenixville University during the fall after I graduated from the University of Miami with my physical therapy degree. Although PT was my major, becoming a therapist was never part of my plan.
I always thought I’d be an Olympic volleyball player and then playing in professional tournaments in other countries, maybe later becoming a coach. I never imagined that I’d be stuck in a building all day helping other promising athletes with their rehabilitation at twenty-five years old. But I don’t have the luxury of being a whiner, and so I had to make an adjustment to my goals and dreams.You do the best with the hand you’ve been dealtis another Grandma Taylor gem and jewel I try my best to live my life by.
“Morning, Mia.”
“Morning, Jacob.”
“Can I see you in my office?”
“Sure.”
I take a seat in my supervisor’s tiny office and rub my knee while we talk. It’s not unusual for us to go over the client schedule for the day on a Monday, which is why I brought a pad and pen with me into the office.
“Who’s on deck for today?” I ask.
“Mia, this is hard for me to say.”
Jacob clasps his hands and sits them on the desk in front of his chest.
My face drops.
“What’s hard to say?”
“I met with the folks in the financial office last week and they crunched the numbers over a dozen times.”
“What numbers?”
“For our department, our therapist-to-student ratio is low compared to our budget. It’s one of the lowest in the state and we’re a small university. We have four therapists on staff when in reality two therapists could serve the same amount of students if we restructured our therapeutic model.”
“So you’re going to move two of us somewhere else in the athletic department?”
“No, Mia. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to let you and Addison go.”
I unconsciously clench my jaw.
“You’re firing me?”
Although I’ve been on the PT team here for four years, I realize that I still am one of the last people hired. All the other therapists have been here much longer than me, including Addison.
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t even give me a heads up, Jacob.”
“I’m sorry, but the decision wasn’t finalized until over the weekend. I was instructed not to say anything to you until then.”
“But you had to know they were thinking about doing this. I could have looked for another position. I have rent due. I have bills.”
“All I can say is that I’m so sorry. It’s tough working for a small institution like ours. Change happens overnight, and it often isn’t pretty.”
He stares at me massaging my knee and I can smell the pity coming off of him.
I hurry my hand away.
