Hypothetical. What do you do if someone is excellent at the work but ignores protocol?
Three dots appear instantly.
Nadia
Define protocol.
Site access. Pre-hire.
Liv:
Is this the photographer?
Nadia
Obviously.
Liv
Was it dangerous?
Sam
No.
Priya
Then stop building a case file in your head and ask him.
Priya is right. She usually is.
Priya
He’s still cute though, right.
Not helpful.
I set the phone face-down.
She's always right in the specific, annoying way that means she's identified what you've already half-decided and won't let you avoid it.
So why am I shopping around for another answer?
If I ask him and he shrugs—if he tells me the shot was worth it, if he laughs it off—then I know I can't trust him. I know he’s the kind of person who thinks rules are suggestions, and I know I’m going to spend the next six months cleaning up his mess.
And if I ask him and he has a good answer?
Then I have to decide if I believe him.
I pick up the phone, but I don't unlock it. I hit Print on my laptop.
The machine in the corner whirs to life.Chk-chk-chk.Paper slides into the tray. One page. Two.
I walk over and pick them up. The paper is still warm.
My phone buzzes against the wood of the desk. It’s loud in the quiet office.
Tom
