Since this is my first incident, can’t you just make a small notation in my permanent record or something like that?

  I feel as if you’re just using me. Not that I’m complaining, of course. I like the idea!

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  Ok, but this won’t become an ongoing payment arrangement, will it? I know how you are. Grrrrrrr.

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  ((((How do I keep getting myself involved in capers with this guy in the first place?))))

  Ok, fine! I’ll comply with your demands, I’ll leave, but since you’re kicking me out of San Diego, out of my home city, out of the only place I can hang my hat, you’re leaving me with the only other alternative: your place in Minneapolis (Livvie’s place is completely out of the question, I don’t want to deal with New York accents or I’d bunk with Spunky or NYAD, Ansley still balks at contract negotiations, Neelie dropped out of sight a couple of years ago, Grill Cheese Girl has been missing since the AnswerBag days, Honey Dew has a man, Jaimie is across an international border, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera).

  In your case, however, I already have detailed diagrams and scads of photographs of all the locations you frequent, so I’ll take your bedroom and I’ll let you have the couch in your front room, at least until I warm up to the idea of you and I snuggling up next to each other stark naked. (Shivers violently.)
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  It’s probably just as well; all the sneaking around you and I’ve been doing trying to keep everything hush-hush it’s probably not working anyway, I’m sure everyone at your company knows what you’ve been doing to me during those so-called “late night work assignments”. Now that I’m no longer your employee, you and I don’t have to worry about prying eyes and wagging tongues and we can meet each other to kanoodle with utter freedom.

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