I groggily opened my eyes who knows when, looking into a bright light surrounded by three dark shadows. I tried to sit up, but fell back, my head feeling like a brick.
“Jeff,” a deep voice called out. I shielded my eyes to see my supervisor & my boss himself.
“Sir?” I mumbled.
“Jeff, you ignored your duty recalling Luna Lily, age 7,” the supervisor scolded. “She was suffering from pertussis, & overcome by signs of hypothermia.”
“You don’t understand,” I moaned.
“No Jeff, it’s you who doesn’t understand,” the boss growled. “Do you realize what you’ve done?”
“I do,” I grunted, sitting up with enormous effort. “I kept a family together.”
“The girl had no family,” the supervisor interrupted abruptly.
”’Scuse me, sir, but she did. All she had was a cat for company. She sang angelically. I couldn’t bear to tear her away. I messed up once, I promised I wouldn’t again.”
The supervisor softened. The boss, however, remained cold. Handing me a rose slip, he spoke the harsh but freeing words: “You’re fired.”