“And it’s not that I don’t want to improve Pembroke’s ‘diversity problem,’” she said with air-quotes. “It’s just that this work always ends up on a few people’s backs. I tried this when I was first hired on. Back then, I didn’t know how the hidden cost of invisible labor worked. How they take your desires and twist them around like you’re asking too much to have more women of color alongside you. You end up having to give and give just to fix their mistakes. Four years ago, I was young and gung-ho about making Pembroke woke A-F. Oh my god, I sound like our students. Does your niece say things like that? Jesus, this woman wouldn’t take no for an answer either. She just kept hitting reply and coming back with a new reason why I should pile more stuff on my plate. Finally, I just told her ‘Laurie, please eff-off.’ But of course, I was way more polite than that because Laurie’s feelings would have been hurt and I would have been the aggressor. But I ended the email with ‘Best,’ so surely, she’ll know how pissed I am...” She ended her speech with a smart shrug.

“Whew chile” was a phrase that he’d often heard his stepmother, Sandra, use and he had never quite understood how appropriate those words were until now. On the one hand, John did not know what words could be offered to let Victoria know he felt bad about the situation with Laurie from Admissions. On the other hand, he was pleased that she felt comfortable enough to share this with him. He would take the same approach he had with Becca: sympathetic but candid. “Your labor is important,” he finally said. “And you did good by rejecting this woman. Someone once told me that ‘no is a sentence too.’ You shouldn’t have to explain yourself to the Lauries of the world.”

Victoria’s brow creased slightly, as if she were thinking about his words. “Yeah,” she murmured, more to herself than to him. “Yeah, you’re right. No is a sentence too. But this is a daily occurrence. Pembroke’s team player cult mentality makes it difficult to say no.”

John nodded as he leaned forward. “But will the cult pay your therapy bills?”

“Visits to a therapist are included in my health care benefits,” she said with a dismissive shrug.

John dipped his head to hide his grin. “How about this: Is Pembroke University going to pay for your inevitable mental breakdown?”

Victoria’s eyes flew to his as she let out a shocked laugh. “I guess not.”

“What are you currently doing to alleviate the stress?” John asked.