IHM- XXVIII

ELISA SMITH

"Excuse me, did you just refer to me as a thing?" The words escaped my lips before I could temper the heat rising within me. The room fell silent as the confrontation hung in the air. I wasn't about to let derogatory comments go unchallenged, even if it meant asserting myself on my very first day.

The silence that followed my retort was palpable. The office seemed frozen in time, everyone's attention now squarely focused on the unexpected confrontation.

The woman who had made the disrespectful comment raised an eyebrow, seemingly unapologetic. "Well, aren't you one? And we've never had someone like you leading the department. What makes you think you're qualified?"