The Circle

about you, and after we get
     to know more about you, we can talk about ways that you might feel comfortable joining
     in a bit more in terms of the community. Does that sound good?”
    Mae nodded. “Of course.” She looked to Josiah, who hadn’t said a word yet, but who
     was working furiously on his tablet, typing and swiping.
    “Good. I thought we would start by saying that we really like you,” Denise said.
    Josiah finally spoke, his blue eyes bright. “We
do
,” he said. “We really do. You are a super-cool member of the team. Everyone thinks
     so.”
    “Thank you,” Mae said, feeling sure that she was being fired. She’d gone too far in
     asking for her parents to be added to the insurance plan. How could she have done
     that so soon after being hired?
    “And that your work here has been exemplary,” Denise continued. “Your ratings have
     been averaging 97, and that’s excellent, especially for your first month. Do you feel
     satisfied with your performance?”
    Mae guessed at the right answer. “I do.”
    Denised nodded. “Good. But as you know, it’s not all about work here. Or rather, it’s
     not all about ratings and approvals and such. You’re not just some cog in a machine.”
    Josiah was shaking his head vigorously, no. “We consider you a full, knowable human
     being of unlimited potential. And a crucial member of the community.”
    “Thank you,” Mae said, now less sure she was being let go.
    Denise’s smile was pained. “But as you know, you’ve had a blip or two when it comes
     to meshing with the community here. We have of course read the report from the incident
     with Alistair and his Portugal brunch. We found your explanation totally understandable,
     and we’re encouraged that you seem to have recognized the issues at play there. But
     then there’s your absence at most of the weekend and evening events, all of which
     are of course totally optional. Is there anything else you want to add to our understanding
     of all this? Maybe with the Alistair situation?”
    “Just that I really felt bad that I might have inadvertently caused Alistair any distress.”
    Denise and Josiah smiled.
    “Good, good,” Denise said. “So the fact that you understand makes me confused, in
     terms of squaring that with a few of your actions
since
that discussion. Let’s start with this past weekend. We know you left campus at 5:42
     p.m. on Friday, and you got back here 8:46 a.m. on Monday.”
    “Was there work on the weekend?” Mae searched her memory. “Did I miss something?”
    “No, no, no. There wasn’t, you know, mandatory work here on the weekend. That’s not
     to say that there weren’t thousands of people here Saturday and Sunday, enjoying the
     campus, participating in a hundred different activities.”
    “I know, I know. But I was home. My dad was sick, and I went back to help out.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that,” Josiah said. “Was this related to his MS?”
    “It was.”
    Josiah made a sympathetic face, and Denise leaned forward. “Butsee, here’s where it gets especially confusing. We don’t know anything about this
     episode. Did you reach out to any Circlers during this crisis? You know that there
     are four groups on campus for staffers dealing with MS? Two of them are for children
     of MS sufferers. Have you sought out one of these groups?”
    “No, not yet. I’ve meant to.”
    “Okay,” Denise said. “Let’s table that thought for a second, because that’s instructive,
     the fact that you were aware of the groups, but didn’t seek them out. Surely you acknowledge
     the benefit of sharing information about this disease?”
    “I do.”
    “And that sharing with other young people whose parents suffer from the disease—do
     you see the benefit in this?”
    “Absolutely.”
    “For example, when you heard your dad had a seizure, you drove, what, a hundred miles
     or so, and never once during that drive did you try to glean any information from
     the InnerCirclers, or from the larger OuterCircle. Do you see that as an opportunity
     wasted?”
    “Now I do, absolutely. I was just upset, and worried, and I was driving like a maniac.
     I wasn’t very present.”
    Denise raised a finger. “Ah,
present
. That is a wonderful word. I’m glad you used it. Do you consider yourself usually
     present?”
    “I try to be.”
    Josiah smiled and tapped a flurry into his tablet.
    “But the opposite of present would be what?” Denise