Page 152 of Good Sisters

At half-time we were down by three points. Harry was chewing his lip. The teams trooped off the field and we all sat back in our seats, breathing normally again.

‘How are things in work now, Louise?’ Sophie asked.

‘The video trended for only a day, and then it quietened down, thank God. But I’ve been told I have to go on an unconscious-bias training course.’

‘What? That’s ridiculous! You called Zoë out on being a lazy, incompetent employee. That’s your job as a boss,’ Sophie said.

‘Believe me, I agree with you, but HR said I have to do this. It’s more for optics than anything else, to show I’m willing to grow and learn.’ She made a vomit face.

‘What happened to Zoë?’ Gavin asked.

‘She’s been reprimanded for videoing me and posting it online, which she denies. Apparently, her “friend” took her phone and posted it. She’s been moved to a different department, permanently, but Walter won’t get rid of her.’

‘That’s crazy,’ I said. ‘But at least you won’t have to deal with her.’

‘Well, I bumped into her in the kitchen yesterday and she was as cool as you like, “Hi, Louise, how are you enjoying your notoriety?”’

‘She didn’t?’ Sophie was shocked.

‘Oh yes she did. I wanted to punch her smug face.’

‘I don’t know how you controlled yourself. I’d have walloped her,’ Marion said.

‘Louise, you don’t need that stress in your life.’ I felt really bad for my sister. Although she was putting on a brave face, I knew she was really shaken by the whole fiasco. Louise had spent her whole career building up a reputation as unflappable, tough and formidable. This video of her had tarnished all of that. The triplets said the pile-on was unreal, threats and everything. I know she was trying to stay off social media, but it had to have had an effect.

Louise sighed. ‘It’s made me reassess working there. Let’s be honest, my position and my reputation have been badly damaged. There are some people who will no longer speak to me. They’ve sided with Zoë, think I’m a bully and refuse to acknowledge me. Even people I got on well with before. It makes it very difficult. I need to think about my next move.’

‘Would you consider leaving?’ I was surprised. Louise had worked so hard and was a senior partner at the firm.

‘Maybe. And not just the firm, but from securitization.’

I was never totally sure what ‘securitization’ meant, but I knew Louise was good at it.

‘What would you do instead?’ Sophie asked.

‘I don’t know, to be honest.’

‘Legal aid?’ Christelle suggested. ‘You’d be brilliant.’

‘Maybe.’

‘Or something completely different?’ Kelly suggested. ‘What would your dream job be?’

‘I’ve only ever wanted to be a lawyer,’ Louise said, ‘but the shine has gone. I’ve achieved everything I wanted to achieve. But if I’m not a lawyer, who am I? I also have a daughter who may never be financially independent. It’s a lot of responsibility.’

‘Marco can help with that now,’ I said.

‘No. He’s not giving Clara one penny. If he does, he can claim rights. No, I’m her financial stability. I just need to figure out what I want to do next.’

‘I think you’d be brilliant in academia,’ Gavin said. ‘You do like to lecture people.’

‘I can totally see that,’ I said. ‘A law lecturer.’

Louise paused. ‘That’s not the worst idea. Maybe.’

‘The hours would be much better and you’d have more time with Clara and great holidays,’ Sophie said.

‘Speaking of jobs, I’m going to work part-time with Shania,’ Gavin announced. ‘I’m getting some help with Lemon in the mornings. Shania is out-the-door busy and she needs my input. I’m actually looking forward to it. I love Lemon, but the days are long and I know everyone says things have changed and stay-at-home dads are the norm, but they’re not and we’re still treated like pariahs.’

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