The macroeconomic outlook looked bleak, an unprecedented crisis was taking its first steps in the newly begun leap year, and it foreshadowed changes that were not at all favorable for the majority.

Barbara, a mature woman who was about to turn sixty, as usual, met with her sister Gloria to talk about their plans for this year, just as they had done since they were little girls. They daydreamed and established strategies for such purposes.

“Sister, what do you expect for this year?”

“Gloria, I don’t know! You know… I’m tired of my job.”

“Why? If a year ago, on this very day, you told me you were delighted with that job!”

“It’s because that stupid boss of mine makes my life impossible!”

“Who? That kid!”

“He may be a kid compared to us, but he has very bad habits!”

“Who told you that to be a rascal you have to be old?”

“You’re right. I’ve caught him in one or another trick, in which he harms the company.”

“Report him!”

“It’s not that easy. Without tangible evidence, it’s my word against his. And you know where the balance will tip. Besides, it’s frowned upon among employees who report each other. They, especially those of his rank, would make my life even more impossible.”

“What a joke sister! So, then, quit and look for another job, where they value you!”

“I wish I could! But tell me, honestly, at my age, who would hire me?”

Gloria gave Barbara a hug in the face of the dilemma of not knowing what to advise her younger sister. She understood the emotional pressure she was undergoing to work always on the defensive, not knowing what to expect from a malicious boss, who openly saw her as a threat.

“God will give you the victory,” sealing the meeting with a kiss.

The days passed relatively calmly for Barbara at work. She even thought that David, her boss, had decided to leave her alone, but she was wrong.

“Mrs. Barbara, when you’re free, come to my office!”

She thought naively that it was to discuss the details of the new protocol for rearranging products on the shelf, but she was wrong.

“Mrs. Barbara, how long do I have to put up with your incompetence?” he said in a mocking tone and with a provocative gesture.

“What incompetence, Mr. David?”

“In the opening audit, I detected that several products were missing. And you, you closed yesterday.”

“It must be a mistake! You approved the closing!”

When she saw the veiled smile, she remembered that David had not signed the approval, claiming to have forgotten the forms in the office and that he would sign them the next day.

“Please read the reprimand and sign it!”

"Look, Mr. David! Where am I going to sign!" she replied immediately in a harsh tone, in a fit of rage to show that he did not intimidate her, and signed, half-read, the letter in which she accepted the supposed mistake.

“Remember, the loss will be deducted from your pay at the end of the month!”

Barbara blushed, feeling her face burning. She restrained herself from cursing David and instead recalled Gloria’s advice. She realized she had been wrong to trust a rogue.

That same afternoon, after leaving work, she called Gloria to vent. She needed to drain, or she would get sick with nerves. She considered quitting, but that would be giving her boss the pleasure. In the end, reason told her: he should be the one to go, of course, but first he had to pay for his misdeeds. But how?

“Sister, I can’t take it anymore, I’ll quit tomorrow!”

She told her what had happened in great detail.

“Barbara, first calm down. Don’t fall into that kid’s game.”

“You mean rascal!” she interrupted.

“You shouldn’t have signed without reading the reprimand carefully.”

“You’re right, but I was so angry.”

"If you don't like the job, quit. But if it's because of that guy... think it over. We'll see what we do, maybe we'll start a business together, something that will entertain us and give us enough money. Just like we planned it a few days ago.”

"Okay, Gloria.”

A week passed, and the tension had subsided. But Barbara kept her guard up at work, while at the same time, she and her sister searched and evaluated business opportunities.

At the end of the month, the news of Barbara's boss's dismissal spread through the store and the rumor that she would temporarily replace him in the position. Although she was relieved to see that justice had been served, she declined the offer because she had decided to start a business with her sister which excited her. Although the economic outlook was bleak, it was no less true that this opened a gap where they had a competitive advantage, and that added value to their environment beyond the financial.

Thanks for reading me. I hope this fiction is to your liking. I would very much like to read your comments in this regard to enrich myself with your criticism.

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