The room went silent.
“You’d throw away everything I’ve done because of one incident?”
“No. Because you repeatedly lied to my employees, ignored my instructions, and mistreated customers. Today was simply the day I finally saw it.”
Kyle looked around, perhaps expecting someone to defend him.
Nobody did.
He collected his belongings and left without another word.
I watched through the window as he crossed the parking lot.
I’d expected to feel victorious.
Instead, I felt embarrassed.
Kyle had done the damage, but I’d given him room to do it.
After the staff returned to work, Amber stayed behind.
“Can I say something?” she asked.
“Please.”
“When I started here, everyone told me stories about you.”
“What kind of stories?”
“How you used to remember customers’ birthdays. How you’d bring meals to people who were sick. How you knew everybody’s name.”
I smiled faintly.
