Sunday, August 06, 2006

Defending My Honor

"People who work for Ford drive Fords," he says, punctuating the statement with his left-sided mouth twitch/eyebrow arch.

"You're saying you don't trust me."

"No, if I didn't trust you I wouldn't have brought it up."

"But my relationship with my former boss..."

"She works for the competition!"

"makes you..."

"just a little nervous." He displays the inch of space between his thumb and forefinger and squints through it, trying to be cute. "Just a little."

"She was my boss, my mentor, my friend. I knew her values, her vision for the program, her ideals. I knew all about her family...her troubles with her daughter. I lost her as my boss and mentor. I'm not going to lose her as my friend, too."

"I would never buy a Ford. " I continue. I'm on a roll and he steps back. "Not even if I worked for them. (he makes that damn half-face again) I don't think they're good cars. For better or for worse, I'm well-educated and I know my rights to choose and hold those rights as sacred. My choices are my own and I will not allow my family, friends or co-workers to limit those choices. Nothing I say can convice you of my loyalty. You have to decide to trust me. I will not cut ties. I am what I am and I hope you can work that because if you can't then we need to have more conversation around this."

"I get the message. I wouldn't have expected anything less."

Whoa! Girl on steroids! Watch out!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

JM - I am proud of you!!! I couldn't have said it better myself. Those are retorts that you play out in your head AFTER the confrontation (of sorts) and you wish you'd said this or said that. I don't think you have to worry about wishing and hoping for this one!!!

Good job!

aemelia said...

JM, you are good. Very good.