They thought I’d cry. They thought I’d argue. They thought I’d just leave like he wanted—but after three years of being overlooked, I had learned a lot more than how to pack boxes. When I found…

They were all watching me, waiting to see what I would do. Would I cry? Would I argue? Would I just leave like he wanted?

I had been there for three years—three full years in a place so small we all knew each other’s birthdays. When the busy season hit, we stayed late and helped one another without being asked. The owner used to come to the back where we worked and ask how we were doing, genuinely caring about the answer.

But everything changed when his son-in-law, Greg, took over the day-to-day running of the place.