Catering to a Whim - Francisco Mora

“Do you think I was catering to a whim?” Ace asked his boss Maggie, making his irritation now obvious.

“What I’m saying is…No. What I’m doing is giving you feedback on your approach in class yesterday. That’s all.”

“But wait. Maggie, you’ve never done that. And you know my methods aren’t conventional. Controversy, even, has been part of it all along.”

“I know. And you produce results that no one else does in the whole field of pain management and rehabilitation. That’s why I’ve stuck out my neck for you, literally, and why I let you teach on your own. We could both be fired if someone thought that you’re doing deep psychological work in your rehab program without proper certification yet”

Ace interrupted: “what’s this really about?” They were having their first argument. Maggie had heard from Jake’s orthopedic surgeon that he was turned off by Ace’s class yesterday, which he was checking out surreptitiously. Too weird, kinda freakish talk about shape-shifting, was the complaint. “That was at the tail end of three hours. I was doing the wrap-up and giving the homework.”

“Your methods are sound. The best. That’s why your classes have been oversubscribed. The waiting list is long. It’s why we want to expand big.” He interrupted: “the kid was sneaking around”

“Jake. His name is Jake.”

“Jake was sneaking around to scoop me out. I didn’t even know he was there.”

“You’re being observed closely.”

“By him?”

“Yes, and” she hesitated, “and,” Maggie looked around away from Ace.

“Maggie, this is bizarre. Why are you making such a fuss about what this kid thinks of the program. And me?”

“Jake, his name is Jake. He’s Frank Sylvester’s son.”

Frank Sylvester was the Physician-in-Chief of the national hospital network they were part of. He was on the board of one of the biotech giants in the area and his family the biggest shareholder. Maggie and Ace needed support to take their programs to the next level. They were currently stifled by management and only dealing with severe budget constraints.