Page 55 of An Irresistible Force (Vancouver Vice)

Q: Did you continue to do your job to the best of your ability?

A: Yeah. Before, I really loved my job. It was like the best job I’d ever had. The pay was good, I had benefits, and I thought I was doing a good job. Mr. Richardson would tell me what a good job I was doing and everything. He was the one who promoted me in the first place. And besides, it wasn’t really sex, it was just, I don’t know, weird stuff. I didn’t know if boob-grabbing was like, a crime.

Q: Did you fear that you would lose your job if you reported this?

A: Well, yeah. He was the General Manager and owner, so there wasn’t anyone higher than him. He could fire me at any time. So, for a while I figured, if the old guy wants to get his jollies by touching me, it was no big deal.

Q: What made you decide to quit?

A: He invited me for a weekend at his cabin in Whistler. I figured that if I went he’d make me do more stuff. Like have sex.

Q: Were there any other reasons?

A: Yeah, I started feeling real bad. I gained weight and I felt lousy. I was crying a lot and I couldn’t sleep. I started drinking at night to help me sleep. Then I would wake up late and be late for work, you know, because I was tired and because I didn’t want to go in. Then I’d have to stay late to finish my work, and everything would happen again.

I looked up from my reading. Adam was right. I should never have read this. Everything that Stella said sounded so plausible. Every woman in this place had a great rack. It was almost like the person who hired them had a breast fetish.

When I came to work here, I had never doubted for a moment that Uncle Thomas was innocent and I was doing the right thing. But what if I was only helping to prop up someone who was both a crappy manager and a pervert? And he was my uncle, someone who had given me birthday gifts and school advice. Someone I loved.

But just because people loved and respected you didn’t mean you were innocent. The only thing I knew for sure was that I felt nauseous and utterly confused. Once more, I longed for my father to be here. He was always the moral rock I could count on.

24

Daddy Dearest

Amanda

Somehow,I managed to get through the day, but I left right at 5:00 and went straight home. My mother was outside, doing a little gardening.

“Hello, dear. You’re home very early.”

“I know. I really need to talk to you. Can we go inside?”

“Certainly.” She peeled off her gardening gloves. “You look very concerned.”

We sat down in the living room. “Today when I got to work, someone had left part of Stella Laird’s deposition on my desk. And it details exactly what happened to her.”

“The woman who is suing Thomas?”

I nodded.

“Why would anyone do that?”

“I’ve had all day to think about this, and I think that someone at work has taken me at my word. I promised that I would make the Vice a sexual harassment-free workplace, and they wanted to make sure I knew who the worst offender was.” Although I would never ask her, I suspected Nancy. She had been friends with Stella. Either Nancy had left the envelope or encouraged Stella to do so.

“But that’s ridiculous. Why do you suddenly believe the testimony of the woman who is suing Thomas? We know she wants money.”

“Her testimony is only the last straw.” I got up and began pacing the room. “The whole atmosphere of the Vice is sexualized in this creepy way. In the office, there are women who had no previous experience in their jobs. It’s like if Uncle Thomas had a choice between two women, he always picked the more attractive one. Then in turn, some of the women treat the players like sex objects, and vice versa. And when I looked at the player files, we have a guy who was charged with spousal abuse, and others who were investigated in a sexual assault, although nobody was charged. Who hires people like that?”

I motioned with my hands. “I don’t think our employees are bad, in fact most of them work extremely hard. It’s more like there’s a low-grade infection there, and it’s gotten to the point where people don’t know what’s right anymore. They think that sexual harassment is the norm.” I now wondered if Stella was the only one who had been harassed, or if she was the only one to speak up against it.

My mother stared at me. She was clearly trying to take this all in. “Should I read this document?”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t if I were you, especially if you want to maintain a civil relationship with Uncle Thomas. I’m glad I read it so I can understand what’s going on, but it will taint how I feel about him.”

She sighed. “Thomas was always the weak one. I know your father tried to shield him to some extent. When Thomas and Beatrice divorced, I suspected there was some unpleasantness.” My mother was typically understated. “What do you think we should do now?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about this all day. I really wish Daddy were still here. He always knew exactly what to do.”

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