Synopsis
I was just about to book my flight home for Christmas when a notification lit up my phone. It was from a group chat I’d never noticed before—“Skip Christmas Shift.”
Curious, I opened it.
“For the lottery later, same as usual,” one message read. “We’ll all submit off-duty slips in advance and mark the rest as on duty. No matter what Anita draws, hers will say on duty.”
A flood of OK-hand emojis followed.
“LMAO. Two years in a row it’s been her.”
“She thinks she’s just unlucky. Doesn’t realize the boss is choosing her on purpose.”
“Well, she is outstanding. Always outshining him. She deserves a little lesson.”
“I can’t wait to see him comfort her with that fake sympathy.”
My fingers froze over the screen.
For two straight years, I had missed Christmas with my family, believing it was just terrible luck. I had trusted the fairness of the system. Trusted my colleagues. Trusted my boss.
Now I understood.
It was never bad luck.
It was deliberate.
