Chapter 7 - THE JOB I ALMOST GAVE UP
Before Lily was born, I worked as a senior operations analyst for a medical supply company.
I liked my job.
I liked solving problems.
I liked finding mistakes in complicated financial reports and turning confusing information into something people could understand.
But Daniel had spent years describing my career as secondary.
“We don't need two ambitious people in one marriage,” he used to say.
At the time, I thought he was joking.
After Lily was born, he began suggesting I should stay home permanently.
Not because we'd discussed what that would mean.
Because it suited the image he wanted.
A successful husband.
A devoted wife.
A beautiful daughter.
A perfect family arranged for photographs.
Now, sitting in my manager's office, I felt the old fear creeping back.
“Jennifer,” my manager, Diane Foster, said, “are you sure you're ready to return?”
I looked down at my hands.
“Financially, I need to.”
“That wasn't my question.”
I looked up.
Diane was fifty-two, with short gray hair and a reputation for being demanding but fair.
She leaned forward.
“You're a good analyst. I don't want you making decisions based only on panic.”
My eyes filled.
“I'm getting divorced.”
“I know.”
“And Daniel emptied our savings.”
Her expression changed.
“I didn't know that.”
I swallowed.
“I need to keep working. But I also need flexibility for childcare.”
Diane nodded.
“Then let's discuss your responsibilities and what arrangements the company can offer.”
I stared.
“You're not going to replace me?”
She looked almost offended.
“Jennifer, you rebuilt our inventory reconciliation process. I'm not throwing away that experience because you had a baby.”
I began crying.
Diane pushed a tissue box toward me.
“Take your time.”
For the first time in months, I felt something I'd almost forgotten.
Professional confidence.
I wasn't only Daniel's wife.
I wasn't only Lily's mother.
I was someone who knew how to do difficult things.
That afternoon, I contacted a licensed childcare provider recommended by a coworker.
I toured the facility, asked questions, reviewed the policies, and made arrangements for Lily's gradual transition.
It wasn't easy.
The first time I left her there for a short visit, I cried in the parking lot.
Then I went to work.
And discovered I could miss my daughter terribly while still enjoying a job I was good at.
Both feelings were allowed.
Three weeks later, Diane assigned me to a new project.
Our company had discovered discrepancies in vendor billing.
She wanted an experienced analyst to coordinate the review.
I opened the preliminary report.
And froze.
One of the vendors was connected to Northbridge Advisory.
Daniel's company.
The account I'd discovered while preparing for divorce.
For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.
Then I closed the report and contacted our compliance officer.
I disclosed the personal connection before reviewing any further documents.
I knew I couldn't be the person investigating transactions involving my estranged husband's company.
The compliance officer thanked me and reassigned the relevant work.
But the discovery raised an uncomfortable possibility.
Daniel's private business wasn't just something he'd hidden from me.
May you like
It had dealings with my employer.
And someone would need to determine whether those dealings were legitimate.
Related Stories
