Water Under The Bridge

Work the day after the party was…uncomfortable. I knew that pretty much all of the cast and crew had learned about what happened and were going to be watching me closely and that really bothered me but I also recognized there wasn’t much I could do about it. Before the cast and crew arrived, though, Zeke showed up and didn’t immediately brought it up.

“Are you okay?” He said sitting next to me in the booth as I reviewed the notes I needed to take care of from the previous performance.

“I’m fine.” I said coldly.

Zeke had been at the party, like all of the board members, but wasn’t there or at all involved with what happened but I expected he’d been one of the first people to hear about the incident and I felt embarrassed and humiliated at the thought that so many people knew what Tucker had done to me. Zeke picked up on my chilliness towards him and decided to address it.

“Hey, look, I’ll make sure he leaves immediately if he tries to show up to any shows, okay? You don’t have anything to worry about, Faith.”

I eyed him with a hard look and decided to stop trying to act like this wasn’t a big deal for everyone at work.

“Right.” I said after a long pause and turned back to my production book.

“Are…are you angry with me?” He asked.

I put my pen down and looked at him deliberately.

“Yes.” I said seriously.

He balked and became defensive.

“Whoa, I had nothing to do with what happened last night.”

“Really? Zeke, you made it possible for him to come and work here. When it was suggested that he come and direct for us you’re basically the one who got me to agree to it and swore it wouldn’t be a big deal. You’re just as culpable in this as Nick and Riley and Tucker are.”

“Faith, you agreed with the board.”

“You said we didn’t have any other choice!”

I realized I was yelling and lowered my voice.

“Zeke, I’ve always seen you as a friend who will have my back but you let me down.”

“Nick and Riley-”

“I haven’t had a working friendship with them for years like I have with you. Of course they weren’t invested in my ability to work with Tucker, but you should have been. You know I would’ve had your back if the shoe was on the other foot.”

Zeke looked at me in shock.

“Faith, I’m sorry that Tucker was being stupid, I know he’s difficult to work with but you know how he is.”

I narrowed my eyes. His words sounded like he was almost defending what Tucker did, or at the very least, excusing his behavior, simply because of who Tucker is…as if that somehow was a valid and fair excuse. I crossed my arms and decided that Zeke was not going to make excuses to me for Tucker’s behavior.

“Zeke, do you have any idea what if feels like to have someone you work with violate your body the way Tucker did with me?”

“No, but-”

“I do because this isn’t the first time this has happened to me. It’s not even the first time this has happened to me at work.”

I let that hang in the air between as realization spread across his face and I could see he instantly regretted what he said earlier.

“When I joined The Glass Penny, you were a huge part of why and I’ve always been grateful for this amazing opportunity you introduced me to. But one of the best parts about this collaboration has been the feeling of safety I’ve felt working with you. And I don’t blame you for what happened but I do feel like you supported decisions that made what happened possible even though I voiced concerns about this very thing being an issue with Tucker and that is what hurts the most, Zeke: that you helped play a role in creating an environment in which I could have a co-worker push me against a balcony railing and grope me while shoving his tongue down my throat.”

I knew it was harsh but I couldn’t help how I felt. I’d been thinking about this from the moment I found myself lying in bed after the party trying to fight off the flashes of memories of that day in the office with Kevin and the night in the bar where he almost...

There had been a breach of trust here and Zeke was the person I felt hurt my trust the most. I know a lot of you will think that’s unfair but it doesn’t change how I feel. Zeke put his hand over his mouth in deep thought and stared at me for a long time.

“You’re right.” He said. “We all sort of threw you under the bus when we hired him and that should not have happened. Your safety and your comfort-level, as an employee of The Glass Penny, was not prioritized and for that I really am sorry, Faith, and I promise you that I will do everything I can to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.”

I knew he meant it so I accepted his apology and we left it at that. When the cast and crew arrived, I called them all to the green room just so everything was out in the open and we could all move on. The last thing I wanted was gossip or rumors about what happened to start flying around. I found myself standing in front of my people with my clipboard. I had made the banal announcements about trying to tighten up timing, to make sure they check their props before the show starts, etc. and then I took a deep breath.

“Tucker will no longer be attending any performances or related events for the show. His relationship with The Glass Penny has been severed due to his behavior towards me at our most recent donor event.”

I swallowed hard and nodded with finality to signal that I would not be answering any further questions about that night with more detail and everyone seemed to accept it and went about their business. Molly gave me a supportive smile before heading to her costume shop.

The performance that night went off without a hitch and I collapsed on my couch as soon as I got home. Sasha and Murphy cuddled up with me and Molly sat next to me and handed me a beer as she took a swig from hers.

“I’m proud of you.” She said.

“For what?” I asked.

“For telling Zeke how you felt. That’s a big step, Faith. He needed to hear it.”

“How do you know about that?”

“I overheard you guys in the booth. The wireless mic was on and it was playing in the costume shop.”

“Did anyone else hear?” I asked, my eyes wide.

“No. Just me. But I’m proud of you and I think you should be proud of yourself.”

I sank into the couch and stroked Murphy’s back. His tailed went up and he kneaded my thigh with his front paws. I sighed contentedly and looked at my bottle of beer.