“Do you want me to come over and tongue you?”Janice asked on the phone.
Giselle laughed, the first time she had done so since Nigel fired her.Janice’s straightforward demeanor had lifted Giselle’s spirits—whether the girl had been kidding or not.More than likely not, which made the comment all the more humorous.
“Tempting, but I’ll have to pass,” Giselle responded.“I…I need a favor, Janice.You mentioned your mother is a lawyer.Is she available for a consultation?”
“Sounds serious,” Janice said.“Where did you hide the body?”
Giselle laughed again.“Nothing like that.I was fired from my job, and a friend believes I have a shot at a wrongful termination case.”She briefly explained the circumstances of her firing.
“Sorry to hear that, babe, really.I’ll text you my mom’s email address, and I’ll give her a heads up.Send everything you have.”
“Thank you so much, Janice.I really appreciate it.”
“Sure thing.This dirtbag will get what he deserves.You going to be okay for now?”
No.But I need to keep my head up so others won’t worry.“Yeah, no biggie.I’m keeping busy with physical therapy and stuff.”
“And banging the line judge, no doubt.”
Giselle blushed despite being alone in her living room.“That too.”
“Glad to know,” said Janice “It’s a good way to burn off stress.Listen, you contact me if you need anything, understand?”
“I will,” Giselle replied, feeling a surge of warmth for her friend.“Thanks again, Janice.I’ll see you around.”
After hanging up, she opened her laptop and plugged in the thumb drive.She surfed through the work documents and chose the more critical ones depicting Nigel’s abuse, belittling, or threats.Thank you again, Ralph, for advising me to save these.No doubt Nigel already deleted my accounts, files, and emails at the dealership.
After Janice’s text arrived showing her mom’s email address, Giselle created a zip file and pasted all the documents into a blank email draft.She then spent the next thirty minutes typing up a solid narrative explaining the history with Nigel, incidents at work, and her current situation.
Hitting send, a powerful relief washed over her.She had accomplished an agonizing first step in her search for redemption.Court cases could be nightmares of physical and emotional stress, but she had nothing else to lose.This case might stretch on forever and I probably won’t eat or sleep much, but all my friends’ support has been everything.I love them, and I couldn’t do anything without their help.
As if reading her mind, her phone buzzed from Tony’s incoming call.Since her firing, he had also provided a mountain of love and bedrock of support.Giselle smiled as she pressed the phone to her ear.
“I’m taking over your physical therapy,” he offered.
“What do you mean?”she asked, intrigued.
“Let’s be honest, you need to cut way back on expenses until your situation improves,” Tony began.“Medical co-pays can be expensive at a clinic.I’ll do your PT for free of course, and we can use the facilities on campus where I train and study.I’m not licensed yet, but I know what I’m doing and can help you through this.”
The idea seemed fantastic, but anxiety held her in an icy grip.“Won’t you get in trouble?I don’t want to put you in a bad spot, Tony.”
“Don’t worry about that, love,” he replied.“I have a key to the training area, and we can do sessions after hours when no one is around.”
Giselle closed her eyes.Indecision tore her heart.She had already emptied her savings to pay the month’s rent, and as predicted, the job search proved slow and unproductive so far.She had fumbled through creating a budget, but at the moment, things looked grim and anything would help.
She sighed into the phone.“Okay.But let’s please be careful.I don’t want you to get caught sneaking around.”
“At the first sign of heat, we’ll pull the plug,” he suggested.“Sound good?”
“Yes!And thank you, Tony.This means so much to me.You, Janice, and Ralph have been amazing.”She brought him up to speed on Janice’s mom possibly providing aid.
“Hang tight, hun,” Tony said.“You are not alone, and we’ll get through this together.”
The next morning, Janice confirmed that her mother, Elise, would take the case.Later in the evening, Giselle awaited the lawyer’s call for a consultation.Nervous, she paced her small living room and chewed on a nail.The ringtone made her jump when it flared to life.
“Giselle, darling, it’s finally good to speak with you,” Elise said over the phone.“Janice told me all about your situation, and I’ve reviewed the documentation you sent me.We have the groundwork for a case, but the justice system can be unforgiving to all parties.I’ll explain the terms of law, then you must tell me how you feel about everything.”
“Thank you, I admit this is nerve-wracking,” Giselle confessed.“But I certainly appreciate your time and assistance.Please describe the process.”
