Liberation Day: Stories

Genevieve (Gen) and Brenda are in the break room at their workplace. Brenda complains about how her two adult children have moved back in with her, then talks about how overworked and unappreciated she feels. She tells Gen that their boss, Tim, is a “dodo”; just as she says this, Tim enters the break room, and Gen wonders whether he overheard Brenda’s comment.

Back at her desk, Brenda thinks about her habit of stealing from the office. Recently, she has taken to stealing coffee and paper towels because she is in financial trouble after spending some time in jail. She thinks about how her theft is okay because employees like Gen and Ed steal from the company all the time by billing work hours when they are really having an affair.

At her desk, Gen receives a text from Ed, asking her to meet. However, Gen is preoccupied by Brenda’s comment in the break room; she worries that Tim might have heard and thought that Gen was complicit in Brenda’s complaining about their boss. To clarify, she goes to Tim’s office and tells him about Brenda’s “dodo” comment, saying that she disagreed with Brenda’s sentiments. Gen is surprised when Tim suggests that the employees not tell on one another in this way anymore. In response, Gen shows Tim video footage that she has collected, which shows Brenda stealing coffee, paper towels, and Sharpies from the company kitchen and supply room. Tim decides that, while he will not fire Brenda, he will demand that she stop stealing from the company.

After Tim meets with Brenda, Brenda is furious with Gen for telling him about the stealing. In retaliation, Brenda gathers Gen’s receipts, which detail the amount that Gen has billed, on behalf of the company, to Kodak—a client represented by Ed, who is Gen’s lover. Brenda knows that these receipts represent falsified billing and that Gen has been stealing money while she dines out and stays in hotels with Ed. Brenda places Gen’s receipts on Tim’s desk, and he calculates that Gen has stolen almost $9,000 from the company. Tim shows Gen the receipts, and Gen immediately knows that Brenda supplied them to Tim.

Soon after, Ed calls Tim to explain a lucrative but complex deal that he and Gen have been working on together. Tim knows that Ed is lying to protect Gen; then, Ed demands that he fire Brenda for her theft, as the stealing isn’t good for the company’s finances. After contemplating his options, Tim fires Brenda for the thefts.

Gen apologizes to Tim for that day’s events. She says that she broke things off with Ed and that she is appreciative for Tim’s holding her accountable for her dishonesty in company billing. As Gen speaks to Tim about how his behavior has positively impacted her and her home life, Tim wonders why Gen is telling him any of this to begin with.