After my lupus follow-up with my rheumatologist yesterday, I’d gone to IOI Mall for lunch. As I drove in and made my way to the basement parking area, something I’d not thought of in years suddenly came to mind. I used to come to the office section of this mall to work on multi-media presentations at a supplier’s office. I used to work through the night and the car would be parked in the outdoor area. In the mornings when I left, there was no parking charge and the boom gate would go up for me to leave.
One memory led to another, having in common the location, this mall. One day, a few of us had come to the supplier’s office for a meeting. The head of department drove. After the meeting, I’d gone to the washroom and when I came out, I was told they’d left. I rushed outside, looked around and saw the car at the exit boom gate. I made my way over, they waited. Whatever made my HOD decide to leave me behind? Finally a chance to remind me who’s boss? In her first month as HOD, I’d spoken up at an internal meeting and told her she shouldn’t have done something. Ever since then, I was given the cold seat.
Here comes another memory, this time having a person, the HOD, as the “link”. A few years after the above incident, HOD was diagnosed with breast cancer. In her absence, our department came under the head of another department, as none of us were deemed suitable as acting HOD. Every day, some of my colleagues could be found going often to the other department, to be “seen”. As for me, I stayed where I was, minding my own business.
