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Throughout my nearly six years as a manager, I have always believed that I am fair. Fair, perhaps, but strict. Where does it end if I make an exception for one person? Rules are rules. When I fired Celia last week, I told myself that.<\/p>\n
For the third time this month, she was late. Three strikes and you\u2019re out is our unambiguous policy. When I called her into my office, she hardly spoke. Without protesting, she simply nodded, picked up her bag, and walked out. That ought to have been the first indication that something wasn\u2019t right.<\/p>\n
I heard two coworkers whispering later that afternoon. One person inquired, \u201cHave you heard about Celia\u2019s son?\u201d The other sighed, \u201cYes.\u201d \u201cWhat a bad child. He has been sleeping with her in her car.<\/p>\n
I felt sick to my stomach.<\/p>\n
I took one of them out of the way. \u201cWhat does\u2019sleeping in her car\u2019 mean to you?\u201d<\/p>\n
As it happened, Celia had been kicked out a month prior. With no family nearby and no child support, her ex vanished. She had been working double shifts when she could, but she and her six-year-old had been living in her car because most shelters were full. She had to drive across town to a church that allowed them to take a shower before dropping him off at school, which is why she was late those mornings.<\/p>\n
I was ill.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t stop thinking about it after I got home that evening. Because she was careless, she wasn\u2019t late. She was attempting to survive, which is why she was late. And I had just made things worse for her.<\/p>\n
I gave her a call the following morning. She didn\u2019t answer. I sent a text. Nothing.<\/p>\n
I therefore located the most recent address we had on file and took a car there. The manager informed me that she had been evicted weeks prior, but the apartment complex was dilapidated.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m currently sitting in my car looking up ways to get in touch with her online. Even whether she still has her phone is unknown to me.<\/p>\n
If she wants a job, I can give it to her. I\u2019d like to help more than that.<\/p>\n
However, what if it\u2019s too late?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure how long I sat there looking at my phone before I finally decided what to do. I had to locate her. I began making calls, looking through food banks, shelters, and any other places she might have sought assistance. While most establishments were prohibited from disclosing personal information, a woman at a downtown church paused when I brought up Celia\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
The woman said, \u201cShe was here two nights ago.\u201d She grabbed some blankets and food. All I know is that.<\/p>\n
Even though it wasn\u2019t much, it was something. I parked close to the church after driving downtown. Perhaps she wouldn\u2019t have been so far away if she had been here. I felt like a creep as I strolled the streets, peering into parked cars. I saw an old sedan in a grocery store parking lot just as I was about to give up. A tiny face appeared from beneath a blanket in the back seat, and the windows were obscured by fog.<\/p>\n
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\nMy heart tightened.<\/p>\n
I gave the window a gentle tap. Celia sat up in the driver\u2019s seat a moment later, her eyes cautious. Her face went blank when she realized who I was.<\/p>\n
I blurted out, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, Celia.\u201d \u201cLet me help, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a moment\u2019s hesitation, she rolled the window down a bit. \u201cAid?\u201d She spoke in a flat tone. \u201cAs you assisted last week?\u201d<\/p>\n
That was something I deserved.<\/p>\n
I acknowledged, \u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d \u201cI ought to have inquired. I ought to have noticed it. However, I chose to ignore the person in front of me and simply followed the rules.<\/p>\n
She remained silent. In the back, her son moved and curled up beneath the blanket.<\/p>\n
I said, \u201cGo back to work.\u201d \u201cPlease. If you want your job, you still have it. Furthermore, I want to assist you in getting back on your feet.<\/p>\n
A hollow laugh escaped her lips. \u201cHow can I help? with a salary that hardly covers the cost of housing?<\/p>\n
I took a deep breath. She was correct. I could not simply offer her a job and hope for the best.<\/p>\n
I said, \u201cI\u2019m capable of more.\u201d \u201cI have contacts. There is a unit available at the apartment complex that my cousin oversees. No deposit is required, and I can assist you in getting in. Additionally, there are programs that offer childcare and food assistance. I can make phone calls and inquire about available resources.<\/p>\n
She gazed at me. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I made a mistake,\u201d I said. \u201cBecause I forgot to be human because I was so preoccupied with the rules.\u201d Moreover, you don\u2019t merit this. He doesn\u2019t either.<\/p>\n
She glanced at me after turning back to her son. She shook her shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right,\u201d she muttered.<\/p>\n
The weeks that followed flew by. I fulfilled my commitment. She was let into the apartment by my cousin. I did everything in my power to get her access to assistance programs, and my employer agreed to give her a small pay raise. Although it wasn\u2019t a perfect solution, it was a beginning.<\/p>\n
She entered my office one afternoon. \u201cI wanted to express my gratitude,\u201d she said. \u201cNot only for the position. for observing me.<\/p>\n
I acknowledged, \u201cI should have seen you from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes met hers for the first time as she smiled.<\/p>\n
I reflected on how near I had come to making an unforgivable error as I sat in my car that evening. We forget that people are more than just numbers on a spreadsheet because we are so preoccupied with rules and regulations. Everybody has a story to tell, and sometimes they just need someone to hear it.<\/p>\n
If all of this taught me anything, it\u2019s that generosity shouldn\u2019t be conditional. Additionally, there are instances when it is morally right to break the rules.<\/p>\n
Have you ever made a snap judgment about someone? Tell me in the comments below. Click \u201cshare\u201d if you believe that more people should hear this.<\/p>\n
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