Abandoned for Forty Days

Synopsis

After three years of a secret marriage, I showed up at work with my three-year-old son, Charles Miller, burning with a 104-degree fever. Michael Brown, the chairwoman's newly hired assistant, slapped a suspension notice onto my desk, right in front of the entire floor. “This isn’t a daycare. Take your kid and leave.” I didn’t cry and argue. Holding Charles close, I walked straight to the chairwoman's office on the forty-second floor and kicked the door open. The conference table was stacked with papers and tea sets. I pushed them aside and gently placed my Charles on top. “Ms. Miller, your grandson is running a 104-degree fever. “Your precious son, Ethan Miller, has been missing for forty days. Are you going to deal with this mess, or not?” Charles shivered in my arms. His little face was buried against my shoulder, too weak even to cry. More than twenty pairs of eyes in the hallway were glued to us. Not a single person dared to say a word.