Her words were sharper than talons and she could tear at a person’s very soul with just a few cold observations. It was suffocating working under her at first, especially when I noticed that she would let the male technicians pass with a warning if they made a mistake, but she held me to a higher standard of perfection.
One day, I had enough and I knocked on her door to pass her my resignation letter.
“Are you doing this because of me?”Betty asked, her voice cold and dry.
Since I was leaving and had nothing to lose, I decided to be frank.“Women make up two percent of this industry. I was excited to work for a female manager, but I didn’t expect you to be like everyone else and treat me differently because I’m a woman.”
“I treat you differently because I see something in you, Riley. Real drive. And this industry is hard enough on women without giving anyone extra room to doubt you. If I push you more than the others, it’s because that’s what the world is going to do. I want you to walk into the fire steady and unshaken—because you’ve already felt the burn. I want you to be confident with everyone else because those puffed-up lead mechanics aren’t scarier than me.”
Betty took me under her wing and while it was often a violent, unpredictable and sometimes miserable place to be, she did it.
She made me tough.
I even got a promotion, beating out several of my male seniors. The local newspaper came out and did a feature on me.
Of course, that feature was never published after… everything.
But I still feel proud of myself for making it that far.
Betty’s smile stretches from ear-to-ear and I start smiling too.
“I have something for you,” Betty says, darting around her sizable studio.
The Happy Go Lucky nursing home is surprisingly modern. I checked it out with Betty when she was considering this place and another nursing home closer to the city and we both agreed—this one felt like home.
Betty passes along a box and leans forward, practically levitating off the chair with excitement.
I pull off the top of the box to reveal a hoodie. “Thank you, Betty.” Unfolding the black sleeves reveals a logo with a foreign language under it. “Is it Chinese?”
“It’s Korean.” The grin threatens to burst off her face. “This is official Neon Veil merch.”
“I… I see.”
“Look,” she points to the foreign symbols on the shirt, “this is their name in Korean.”
“Wow.” I fold the jacket up and set it back in the box. “It seems comfy. Thanks, Betty.”
“It came all the way from Korea, you know.”
I freeze. “How much did it cost?”
The Happy Go Lucky nursing home has a hefty resident fee. Most of Betty’s retirement benefits are being funneled here to off-set the exorbitant costs.
“Don’t worry about the money. I wanted to get it for you.” She takes my hand in an uncharacteristic show of affection. “I keep remembering the past these days.”
My eyes widen. “How much do you remember?”
“I remember…” Betty tilts her head, concentrating.
I lean forward.
“I remember…”
My heart palpitations are about to make me unconscious.Please, Betty. What do you remember?
“… being so harsh with you. And I remember making you cry. A lot.”
Relief nearly sweeps me off my feet. That’s good. There are some things I hope Betty never remembers and, for now, she doesn’t.
