Queer Folks, Do You Have Favorite Virtues? Mine: Courage & Charity.
A Prism & Pen writers prompt
I’ll never forget Barbara, the fiercest and best boss I ever had. I’ll never forget sitting across from her at my second interview. “Yes, the salary is fine,” I said, “higher than I would have expected even with NYC cost of living.”
She stood up and paced, a middle-aged Manhattan social worker with a deeply etched face that belied her fashionable attire. “Oh, you’ll earn it,” she muttered to the window, “but it won’t be enough to keep you here.”
“Jim,” she sighed, facing me but pacing again, “this work is more than just hard. It will eat at you. Our clients with HIV are suffering, sometimes terribly. Many of them will die while you work here, and you won’t be able to relieve their pain.”
“I understand, and I …”
“No, you don’t understand … yet. Some of them will share stories that will rip you apart. You might not be able to cope, even with the group therapy we provide staff. Going by the numbers, you’re likely to quit within six months.”
“I won’t quit, seriously, I …”
“When you do, I’ll embrace you on the way out and thank you from my heart. The very least I can do in the meantime is pay you a decent wage.”
