I made my way through the small law office, picking up rogue staples embedded in the worn carpet fibres and praying I didn’t miss any. I quickened my pace and kept my eyes forward as I passed my boss’s office, but was quickly stopped by three simple words that, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t make my skin crawl: “Alex, come here.” I closed my eyes and threw my head back, taking a breath before peering around the door frame and offering my most convincing smile. “Yes, sir?” He shuffled through a stack of papers on his desk, not bothering to turn his head in my direction as he said. “The next time you get me candy, you need to buy a bag with a resealable top. When I took the bag out of the cabinet, candy spilled everywhere,” he told me. He finally stopped what he was doing and looked directly at me, which I assumed was a warning to take what he had said seriously. “You need to go clean it up.”I’ll never forget how I