The alarm clock sounds like a train rumbling through her head as she springs from her bed. Agitated from the previous evening by a gent not of her liking, only aids her disdain for the wake up alarm. Pounding on the off button, she rolls over not wanting to face the day at work.
Arriving at work Betsy tries to engage herself immediately in the daily events. She fears running into Benson again, the gent from the night before and a fellow employee. Drama begins to swell in her chest as her head thumps from her pulsing heart. Her breathing is forced, and her distraction enforced by fear.
All morning her efforts feel half-hearted. Her production is tense and she feels like she failed the morning test. Benson has yet to show. The drama builds with each minute. Her drama builds stress, fear, self-doubt, and a number of other self-defeating feelings.
How will she react if confronted by Benson? What will she say without raising attention to the very thing she wants to forget. Should she speak to the boss? Maybe not, since it was away from the office. Maybe it was just a one-time thing. A mistake. Maybe she created the situation. Maybe she in fact initiated the problem.
She inhales her lunch, never tasting the first through last bite. Her knotted stomach feels like it will never pass the food. She worries all through lunch Benson will pay her a visit.
Finally, half way through the afternoon she decides to speak to her boss about the previous evening events. Benson literally groped her at the bar and made it known his not-so-subtle intentions. She feared he would try his advances again.
Calling her boss aside and asking for time to speak, she mentions Benson by name. Lilly, her boss, immediately responds and informs Betsy Benson resigned the day before. He will not return.
Betsy nearly falls to the floor. Her anxiety bubble deflates. Her entire body aches from almost an entire day wrought with fear and tension. But, the evening lies ahead. Hoping Benson stays away.
What if he did return? What would you do for Betsy? For Benson? For your organization and employees?
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