" I need to talk to you, can I come over tonight?"
The message on her phone was weird, and it was not at the same time. Yes, she did live far from the city now, and this was a text from her boss, but at the same time, he used to be her teacher at the Deaf Institute, and helped her move some of her boxes when she moved into the property. There was a familiarity between them. Yet it was the weekend and she had been working till 11 at night sometimes to get his ambitious project going. Hours that would go unpaid, and she knew it, but that was fine. She felt grateful and honored to be given a job, and such an important one.
He teacher/ boss, wanted to invite an artist and take credit for it. He had a limited budget of 2000 euro, and she had to find ways to pay a venue, commercial spots, technicians, equipment and organize the whole thing in only 2 months, without a team.
It was challenging, and she loved it. It allowed her to lose herself and prove she could do it.
It also was creative in a different way, and with every milestone conquered, she was over the moon. He only problem was the partner. He teacher/boss had a partner of 10 years or so, an interpreter, a very dynamic woman, who seemed to be annoyed at her for everything she did or said.
"Maybe this is why he wants to come at this time" she thought.
She looked around, her home was a mess. Here goes my relaxation, she thought.
She called her boyfriend and told him to stay home, and started cleaning to make the house more presentable.
"My partner hates you" he signed. "I will pay you from my pocket, she doesn't want you there".
Her heart sank. "No, I cannot accept to be paid like this" she signed back, mouthing the words. Her sign language was not as good as it should be and she was conscious of that.
"She is jealous" he continued. "I used to have a relationship with her 10 years ago and she is still in love with me"
She felt uncomfortable and humiliated for her. She did not need to know this.
"She thinks you show off when you talk on the phone and walk around"
She felt herself getting red.
"oh no, I pace, it is a thing I do unconditionally" she mouthed. She was confused.
"She also doesn't like that you have this flashy ring, she feels that you do it to show off"
The consecutive feelings of outrage, surprise, sadness were too much to handle.
She stood there, numb, realizing she was going to lose her job. The only job she had left and the only salvation during this time of crisis.
He must have read her face and mind because he added.
"I want you with me. I think you are smart and beautiful. From the first time I saw you in my classroom, I felt you are the woman for me. I chose you. She feels it and she knows how I feel, that is why she hates you."
She felt the color draining for her face. She was not chosen for her abilities, but because he wanted to sleep with her. She was put in a triangle, and she was going to be the victim, no matter what.
"I love you" he continued.
She pretended she did not understand the sign. Behind her stress, sadness, disappointment and shock, another feeling was forming. Anger.
He not once asked her if she was involved with someone. He came in her home, to confess his love, with no way to run. He annulled any professional relationship with him and his partner, in just a few words. What did he expect? For her to become the third hearing woman he would add to his collection? For him to brag about as he did with the others?
Or did he assume she was so desperate she would spread her legs to him for 300 euro per month?
Or was it something else? Was it the arrogance that made him assume that it's ok for her to work 12 hours - unpaid, and that he was irresistible?
She never had tact, so she mastered all her will to smile and say it was late, and she had a long day tomorrow, to organize the dancers, the musicians, book the hotel, find toilets for the walking impaired, book them, book the parking space, create the posters, talk with the bus company to put them in bus stations, negotiate dates, record the spot for the radio, call radio stations and negotiate hours and so many other things he took for granted. Of course, she stopped herself at "long day tomorrow".
Things at the office were weird.
The partner was more and more delighted to see the teacher boss being rude to her.
When she managed to get him an interview with one of the most prestigious magazines in town, he answered: " yeah, I could have done that by myself".
She calmly responded: " Why did you not?"
"You needed a job".
She could sense it was all because of her rejection, and instead of helping and supporting her, he was creating more problems.
The partner had issues from the start, such as making sure she could not "steal" their stamp, insisting she only uses pdf's, meaning that valuable time was wasted. As if someone could not change a pdf in doc. But the partner did not know much.
Just like the incident with the Facebook page. Seeing there was none, she created one, and a blog, to work with social media. The partner went insane, and made a new one.
But now things were worse.
She had been using her personal contacts in the press and the celebrity world to bring some clout and recognition for the event, and the partner got in her face for not using the company's mail.
The thing with that company is that it was a non profit, who would use the funding from the EU, to fund their school. A school that was charging the students. They were at war with other deaf institutions and getting that particular artist was a win. The conversations were always antagonistic and suspicious in the office, always trashing other deaf organizations.
She tried not to get involved in it and hid her annoyance when the teacher boss lectured a deaf mother who sought help for her son, telling her he was acting out because she failed to provide a male role model.
He was not an authorized counselor or psychologist, and the message he was conveying was horrifying. But she kept her mouth shut to all the things she was now noticing.
And now they wanted her contacts.
The whole situation became toxic.
The stress to meet the deadlines, to organize the deaf students who would "dance " a sign language choreography- and anyone working with deaf people knows they have no sense of time and punctuality, at least in that part of the world- with the real dancers, and the musicians was too much.
The last straw came when she organized- finally- a meeting, and the deaf students did not show up.
She called to find out where they were and she was told her boss told them to not go.
She texted him:
"Thank you for the opportunity and a job that paid 300 euro for a 72 hour work week. Thank you for bringing me into your relationship and for expecting of me to pull off a 3000 people concert in September, when you hired me in May. Thank you for your help, your partner's help, but I quit"
She bust into tears. Now what? Where will she go? How will she feed her child?
Should she have stayed?
Her heart was saying no. Her mind was telling her maybe.
PS: in the end, she found out she had left behind her agenda which they used without her consent to contact all her friends and acquaintances to promote their show. She got it back but it was too late. The show was a success, she never got credit for. And her teacher boss was "very disappointed in her, because he really wanted to help her, and she broke his heart".
She quit the deaf institution one year prior to graduating and never looked back.