was wrapped in layers while she shivered against stone. Before doubt could argue, I unzipped my jacket and placed it in her hands. She slipped it on without drama and pressed a rusty, heavy coin into my palm, telling me to keep it and that I would know when to use it. Moments later, my boss stepped outside, saw only a “private horror” bad for business, and fired me on the spot, erasing ten years of loyalty with a single sentence.
The two weeks that followed were a “legacy of
