“Karen Ames?” Helen questioned. “She works for Dana Sue at Sullivan’s. What’s she doing here?”
“She didn’t tell me, just said it was urgent she speak with you. You had a cancellation for this afternoon, so I called her yesterday and confirmed her for that slot. If you can keep it short, maybe you can catch up a little.”
“Okay, then, let me get started. Apologize to Mrs. Hendricks when she gets here. Give her a cup of tea and some of those cookies from Sullivan’s. She’ll say she’s on a diet, but I know better. I caught her diving into a strawberry sundae at Wharton’s the other day.”
Barb nodded. “Done.”
Helen stepped into her office, with its antique furniture and pale peach walls. Karen was seated on the edge of a guest chair, nervously biting her nails. Her blond hair pulled back into a ponytail that emphasized her fragile cheekbones and large blue eyes. She didn’t look much older than a teenager, though she was, in fact, in her late twenties with two very young children at home.
“I’m so sorry I kept you waiting, Karen,” Helen said. “My court case didn’t start on time and then it took longer than I anticipated to agree on a new hearing date.”
“It’s okay,” Karen said. “I appreciate you seeing me at all.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I think Dana Sue’s going to fire me,” Karen blurted, her expression tearful. “I don’t know what to do, Ms. Decatur. I have two kids. My ex-husband hasn’t paid child support in a year. If I lose this job, we could wind up on the streets. The landlord’s already threatening to evict us.”
Helen’s heart went out to the pale, obviously frazzled young woman seated across from her. There was little question that Karen was at the end of her rope.
“You know Dana Sue and I are friends, as well as partners in The Corner Spa,” Helen said. “Why did you come to me? I can’t represent you, but I’d be happy to recommend someone who could.”
“No, please,” Karen protested. “I guess I was just hoping you could give me some advice because the two of you are friends. I know I’ve bailed out on her way too often lately, but it’s only because of the kids. It’s been one thing after another with them—measles and then their babysitter quitting. I’m a mom first. I have to be. I’m all they have.”
“Of course they’re your first priority,” Helen said, even though to her increasing regret she’d never experienced the need to juggle kids and a career.
“The thought of being homeless with two kids scares me to death.”
“We’re not going to let that happen,” Helen said decisively. “Have you sat down with Dana Sue and explained about your ex and the threats of eviction?”
Karen shook her head. “I’m too embarrassed. I think it’s unprofessional to bring my financial problems into the workplace, so I haven’t talked to her or Erik about this. When I call to say I can’t come in, I tell them the truth, but hearing about one problem after another involving the kids has to be getting old by now. I made a commitment to be there, and Dana Sue has every right to expect me to honor that commitment.”
“Then you can understand her position,” Helen said.
“Of course I can,” Karen replied at once. “It’s not as if she has a huge staff to take up the slack. In fact, it’s almost too much for us when we’re all there. I’ve been trying to find another sitter for the kids, but do you have any idea how hard it is to find someone willing to take care of two sick kids under five during the hours I need to work? It’s almost impossible. And day-care programs don’t run late enough and wouldn’t have taken them when they were sick, anyway.”
Her shoulders sagged with defeat. “Until all this happened, I was a good employee. You can ask Dana Sue or Erik how hard I worked. I love working at Sullivan’s. Dana Sue gave me a fabulous opportunity when she hired me away from the diner, and I hate that I’m blowing it.”
“You haven’t blown it yet,” Helen consoled her. “I know Dana Sue thinks the world of you. But you’re right. She needs staff who’re reliable.”
“I know that,” Karen said miserably. “And she deserves it, too. I guess I’m just feeling completely overwhelmed right now. Is there anything you can do to help? How should I handle this?”
Helen considered the situation. Though employment issues were not her area of expertise, she was fairly certain Dana Sue could legally fire an employee whose absenteeism was intolerable, especially if there’d been repeated warnings about the absences. At the same time, she also knew that her friend would never kick someone when they were down. Sullivan’s was a huge success in part because Dana Sue had always thought of the relatively small staff there as a family. It was one of the reasons she’d been reluctant to expand.
“Why don’t we sit down with Dana Sue and see if we can’t brainstorm some solutions?” Helen suggested. “Dana Sue is a compassionate person. I’m sure she’s no happier about the prospect of firing you than you are. In addition, I know she’s invested a lot of time in training you to become her sous-chef eventually. Compared to the man who had the job when she first opened, you’ve fit in perfectly. I also know you’ve taken a lot of initiative in creating new recipes for Sullivan’s. And you were there when she had a family crisis of her own. Maybe I can mediate some kind of compromise to buy you time to pull things in your life together.”
“That would be incredible,” Karen said.
“Unfortunately, it only solves part of the problem, not the part about finding a reliable sitter,” Helen reminded her. “But between Dana Sue and me, we know a lot of people. I’m sure there’s someone out there who has time on her hands and would be thrilled to be needed.”
Hope sparked in Karen’s eyes, but faded quickly. Clearly she was someone who’d come to accept defeat as the norm.
“I’m so sorry if I’m putting you in an awkward position,” she said.
“Nonsense,” Helen returned. “If it were a matter of you wanting to sue Sullivan’s for wrongful dismissal, I wouldn’t be able to help you because of my close ties with Dana Sue. This is just three reasonable women sitting down for a little heart-to-heart. I think being straightforward and honest with Dana Sue is the only option here.”
Karen gave her a worried look. “I have no idea what your fee is, but I promise you I will pay you as soon as I possibly can. You can check my credit. As tough as things have been since my husband left, I’ve worked really hard to pay my bills on time. I got behind one month on the rent and the landlord went ballistic, even though he got his money a week after the due date. He’s just waiting for me to slip up again so he can kick us out and charge more rent to the next person.”
“Let’s not worry about any fee right now,” Helen said. “As I said, we’re going to look at this as an informal chat among friends, okay?”
Tears welled up in Karen’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She swiped at them impatiently. “I don’t know how to thank you, Ms. Decatur. I really don’t.”
“First, call me Helen. And before you thank me, let’s wait and see if we come up with some way to make this a win-win situation for everyone, okay?”
Helen didn’t think there was going to be any problem once Dana Sue understood the whole story. Sullivan’s was successful enough that she could afford to hire someone else part-time, if need be, to fill in when Karen had another of the inevitable family crises that came with having kids. If worse came to worst, Helen herself could step in to help out. She’d done it before when Dana Sue had a crisis that took her away from the restaurant.
Helen