Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
“THREE MONTHS?! Are you crazy?!”
“It will be in writing by the end of the day, sent to your email address.” The bastard threw her a smug look. “It’s being typed up as we speak. Honey, this isn’t what I wanted, despite how you feel. Honestly, I’m so disappointed in you. So much potential down the drain.”
“I’m disappointed in you, too… but not surprised.”
“I don’t know what that means, and I refuse to give it any energy.” She waved her off then shuffled some papers around and took a sip of her coffee. “The problem is of your own design. You insist on being the daredevil of this company. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove. We don’t need daredevils, Honey. We need trained professionals who don’t cause havoc everywhere they go. If you want thrills, get on a broken roller coaster with no brakes.”
“Teresa, I stand up for what’s right. You don’t hire me, one of the best photojournalists in my graduating class, and try to dumb me down to garden gnome shows and senior center Pokeno games. And speaking of what’s needed: what you need is decorum,” she pointed an accusing finger at her. “Some sensitivity training wouldn’t hurt, either … oh, and a backbone, too. Make sure to ask Santa for that come Christmas time.”
“Insults are not the way to get back in my good graces.”
“I don’t give a damn about you and your graces. I thought you had my back, but you’ve been the one holding the knife this entire time. You’re a liar, a brown-noser, and a—”
“Watch it, honey! I am warning you.”
“You have all of this energy for me, another woman, but won’t part those lips to put any of the men here in their place.” On second thought, she will part lips with a man… just not the ones on her face.
“Once again, you’re playing the victim.” She took another sip of her coffee, but she wasn’t as calm as she’d have her believe.
“I don’t have to play a role when it’s the reality. No costume needed. What I don’t need is you being patronizing, elitist, and selectively ignorant. You speak out of both sides of your mouth, and you pick favorites. I said what I said.”
“Oh, come on! That’s childish. You’re reaching.”
“When Karen or Thomas does something that gets this kind of attention, suddenly it’s no problem. They’re rooting for the underdog, yippee! When I do it, the exact same thing, like join a protest while simultaneously doing my job, then it’s a crisis!” She threw up her hands. “Y’all have been playin’ in my face and showing favoritism and I’m not puttin’ up with it. So, you go ahead and do what you need to do, but I will be going over your head about this.”
“Not this again!” Teresa rolled her eyes and slumped down in her chair. “I have had it with you and this, Honey. Take accountability. You went to that protest in Crenshaw and instead of standing back and taking photos like you were supposed to do, you inserted yourself into the mayhem.”
“Do you think people will allow me to get close to them, to talk to them and get their side of things without me being somehow involved?! That’s not how this works, and you of all people should understand that!”
“You are not to talk. You are not to get concerned about these issues. You are to be impartial. You took an oath. We hired you to snap and shoot, that’s all!” She waved her hands about, getting riled up. “So now, not only is your photo and the pictures you took of that event smeared all over our biggest competitor’s front page, The L.A. Journal, but so is your name and your affiliation with this newspaper.” She yanked a crinkled paper from a desk and shook it.
“Have you been on any major social media outlets this week? I’m a hit! That means so are you. People are cheering us on because of my actions.”
“I don’t care what a bunch of teenagers say on Twitter and TikTok that aren’t subscribed to our paper! I care about the opinions of the shareholders and endorsers!”
“Fear was not an option. What is wrong is wrong! They released over twenty teachers and school staff from the school with no notice, and now those children, those elementary school students, are being shipped to crowded schools that have no space for them. The budget cuts were—”
“THAT’S NOT OUR PROBLEM! We’re in a bad light and you’re to blame. You are too well versed to keep making these rookie mistakes!”
“It wasn’t a mistake. It was on purpose. I am the same woman who has won countless awards for my work! For this paper! I am the same woman who did that piece in Brooklyn, New York—last minute, mind you—and my photos got this paper thousands of new subscriptions because I captured the fear and concern of late-night subway drivers and riders after that crime ring robbery cost those people their lives! I am the same woman who spends hours researching, interviewing, and putting my all into everything I do—all for the perfect picture and this is what you do to me?! You take away what matters to me most?” Her chest warmed with a new flame. Her eyes watered and she blinked back the pain.