CHAPTER 39 MINA
Work yesterday was uneventful, thankfully. I didn’t run into Jason at all, which is always a bonus. Now I just have to get through today and tomorrow, and then tomorrow night is Halloween. The scheduling gods smiled on me and gave me the next day off, so I’ll be able to party with Katie to my heart’s content.
I arrive at work and head straight into the lounge. There’s staff grouped around the room, all talking in hushed tones. When I enter, all chatter ceases, and all eyes are glued to me.
“Um, good morning everyone,” I greet the unusually crowded room. “What’s new?”
“Is it true?” a first year resident pipes up from the corner of the room. She’s starting at me with wide eyes, her hands clasped in front of her.
“Is what true?” I have no idea what’s happening, but I can guess.
“About Dr. Visera,” she continues. “Is it true what they’re saying?”
“Uh, I guess that depends on what they’re saying?”
“He’s been suspended pending the results of an HR investigation. Something about sexual assault,” one of her friends chimes in, his voice tinged with disbelief.
“Oh. Really?” I manage to squeak out. It takes all my willpower not to fist pump and howl triumphantly.
“Yeah,” the young man says, “we figured you’d know. Aren’t you guys like… together?”
My jaw drops. “Oh… Oh god no.” I can’t help but laugh at this point. “That’s insane. No. I have a boyfriend who I love very much, and who is most certainly not Dr. Visera. He and I have never been, nor ever will be, involved romantically. No. hard no.”
“So he lied?” the young man is incredulous. “He said you were his, and to stay away from you.”
My laughter has taken over at this point, and in between cackles, I manage to squeeze out, “Oh, he wishes!”
The young woman is still staring at me with those big doe-like eyes. “Can I ask you something? Privately?”
My mood shifts immediately. I can tell she’s nervous. “Of course, come over here.” I lead her to the restroom and we enter. I do a quick scan of the stalls. We’re alone. “What’s up?”
“Well, I didn’t want to say anything because I thought you and he were together, but…” her voice trembles and trails off.
“What is it, hon?”
“Well, he is always hitting on me. Making weird comments and perverted jokes, especially when we were alone. He said he’d like to see what I looked like bent over the surgical table.”
“Oh my god, that’s horrible.”
“Yeah, it made me feel so dirty. I’m here to learn, and it felt like the only way he would teach me was if I let him say or do things to me that I didn’t want.”
“Well that’s what the HR case is all about. I’m one of the original ones who filed the report and got the ball rolling, with help from my boyfriend. If you don’t want to, no pressure, but I would encourage you to go on record with HR. The more of us that speak up, the stronger this case becomes.”
“What if it doesn’t work though? What if he comes back and is angry with us all? He scares me.”
“He scares me too, sometimes. But I have to believe that the system will work. It has to.”
“Ok. I’ll do it.” She wrings her hands in front of her. “Will you walk with me?”
“Of course.” I take her hand and lead her out of the bathroom. “We haven’t formally introduced ourselves yet. I’m Mina.”
“I’m Hope.”
“Nice to meet you, Hope.”
Lunch time comes and I can’t wait to download Alex on my interaction with Hope. He listens intently, nodding along with my story. I finally finish and sit back expectantly.
“So, he’s suspended?”
“That was your take-away?”
“It’s a pretty big piece of the story, baby. It explains why we haven’t seen him.”
“Yeah, it does. But the bigger picture is that word is spreading somehow. And it might embolden even more victims of his harassment to step up and speak out about it. Who knows how many there actually are? The case already feels pretty airtight with how many we have, but more can’t hurt.”
“You’re right, baby.” He takes my hand in his. “The more, the better. I’m glad HR seems to be taking this so seriously. It’s nice to see the system work for the good guys, for once.”
“It really is.”
We finish our lunch in peaceful silence, and the break time moves by all too quickly. We kiss goodbye and make plans for me to stop by his place before the party tomorrow night so he can see my outfit. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m on top of the world, and everything is going right.
Finally, Halloween night is here. One of my favorite nights of the year. The shift today was surprisingly not terrible, and soon, I get to see Alex, then party with Katie. All in all, it’s a pretty perfect way to spend the holiday.
“Mina, babe, wait for me!” Katie calls, running after me. “Where are we meeting up?”
“Well, I’m going to head to Alex’s so he can see my outfit. Honestly, I’ll probably just get ready there.”
“Do you think he would care if I went too? I was just going to get changed here, but I’d rather avoid it if I can. And I brought the pregame stuff with me, that way we don’t have to go all the way to my house for it.”
“Let me ask,” I say, whipping out my phone and shooting off a quick text. A few seconds later, the reply dings in. “He says that’s fine.”
“Sweet. Let me grab my stuff and we can go.”
“Sounds good! I’ll meet you downstairs. You going to drive?”
“Yeah. I’ll meet you out front in a few.”
I head downstairs and wait for Katie, excited for what the night will bring. I haven’t been to a party in ages, and it’ll be nice to see some of my coworkers in a more relaxed setting. This should be fun.