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and fall back into a state of past depression. “Somebody call the king. I can’t be bothered with all this foolishness. Rain down, Lord, bring back my peace. I fought for it; it was mine.” Esther, more upset than ever, stomped into the shower. “Shoot, now, I’m going to be late for work.”
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    The sun dazzled like small diamonds through the large-paned window, and the plants on the window ledge gleamed green and fertile as Esther looked over the reports on her desk. The Helping Heart Agency targeted the low-income population of Detroit; its mission to provide a hand up, not out, one person at a time. As director of Social Services, she wondered again why she ever wanted to be the “boss.”
    Esther sighed. “I must have been out of my mind.”
    She heard a throat clear and turned. One of her least favorite team members stood in her doorway. He was the manager of their home repair program. John Johnston sported a permanent scowl and a handlebar mustache. He once rode his Harley to work, wearing a bandana. As a result, to her, he resembled a pirate. Esther always thought it was an apt description since he appeared to be unscrupulous. Unfortunately, she was never able to catch him in anything.
    â€œHello, John, come on in.” She wondered why her administrative assistant, Simone, had not announced his presence.
    John stood at the door with a smirk on his face.
    Esther motioned for him to enter the room, “How can I help you this morning?” Can I slap you upside your big ol’ head? Forgive me, Father. This uncircumcised Philistine gets on my last nerve . If you asked me if I had an enemy in my camp, he would be it.
    â€œEsther, I received your changes on the vendors’ contracts. You made a really large cut in the amount of funds they’ll be getting, and you want all the bids to come through you now?” He frowned. “Will you even know what you’re looking at?”
    Don’t you curse him—stay holy—stay holy. She chanted in silence to keep calm. He had a habit of being condescending and after a restless night she wasn’t up to his attitude. She had recently learned that some of the vendors who had contracts with their agency also had personal relationships with some of the staff. In a nutshell, relatives and friends were getting rich off of the government contracts, and to top it off, they were doing shoddy work. She suspected John as the number-one violator.
    Esther leaned forward with her hands folded before her. “Let’s see—you want to know if I know what I’m doing? Is that really your question?”
    John squirmed under Esther’s poised, pointed look. “Maybe I said that the wrong way. You’ve always let me handle the vendor contracts. It’s worked well, don’t you think?”
    Esther’s eyes hardened. “Positive change is good. I’ve had several complaints from customers on the unprofessional way the vendors treat them and that the work never seems to get finished.”
    â€œOh, those people will complain about anything. They’re not paying a penny so they should be happy for whatever help they get. You coddle them too much and believe everything they tell you.”
    Esther’s neck muscles tensed. “John, may I remind you that those people are the reason you have a job? I suggest you learn a little compassion or you won’t last at this agency. Then you might actually become one of those people .”
    Cocky, John rolled back on his heels. “Naw. I’ll never beg for help. I chase that paper. I know how to make money.... So when will these changes start?”
    â€œIt’s effective immediately. Turn over all your case files to Simone. A letter went out this morning letting vendors know that there are new guidelines and everyone will need to rebid to keep their contracts.” Esther turned to her computer screen, effectively dismissing