Harassment Doesn’t Always Roar. Sometimes It Whispers. Sometimes It Laughs. And Sometimes It Just Watches

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

He said I was a real asset to the team but the way he said “asset” made me want to wash my hands.

Twice.

You said thank you.

With a smile so dry it might’ve caught fire.

“There is nothing you can throw at me that I cannot metabolize, no matter how painful or unfair or unjust."

-Maggie Nelson

They asked if I wanted to file a complaint. I said no I’m trying to stay employed, not enter The Hunger Games.

Say it with me now:

You owe your employer NOTHING.

How Abusive Workplaces Mirror Abusive Relationships 

When she reported it they told her she was brave

Then they made her remote

Falling Through The Floor

I took the cheque home and folded it in half. Then again. Then again. Until it was a sharp little square I could press into my palm. It didn’t feel like money. It felt like silence.

The job was good. Rare these days for someone like me. And when he leaned too close and said too much - breath hot and stale with knowing - I only smiled.

Afterward, I kept working. Of course I did.

At the end of the week the cheque came, same as always. it felt heavier this time. Like hush money.

And I took it anyway. Because that’s what you do when the alternative is falling through the floor.

"They're not harassing you. That’s just how they talk." Oh okay. I’ll just rewire my nervous system so it understands context.

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