So a lot has happened in my professional life over the past few months.

First, we’ll reestablish the canon that the manager I started under in Westerville hated me. I left that first day of work with the impression that she was the type of girl that bullied me in 6th grade. I just also assumed she had grown out of that type of behavior.

I was wrong.

She has never outgrown that behavior and I was clearly an easy target. Working with her was miserable.

Luckily? This past December she got promoted to district manager and another woman was brought in to manage Westerville. The new manager is lovely and I assumed with the bully being promoted, I’d deal less with the bully and more with the new manager.

I was wrong again.

I came back from rescuing Iris to a meeting with the new manager and the new regional manager, aka the bully, to be told I was not nearly good enough at my job for Westerville to want me. Now to clarify, the new manager in no way felt this. She likes me a lot and knows I work really hard. But she did not have a say in any of this. This was the bully, and the bully is officially her boss.

Luckily!

They didn’t want to outright fire me. They wanted to trade front desk help with another store instead.

So I’m now at a location we’ll call west. I’m doing the exact same job, but the office isn’t as busy and there is less pressure on me.

I think, the bully accidentally made a great move in my favor.

The new store likes and appreciates me. I really like my new manager and she likes me.

Further! I’m allowed to go by Max. I don’t have my new scrub tops yet, but my embroidered name on them will be Max instead of my dead name. All the official paperwork and such will still read my legal name, but I’ll be Max around the office at least.

So really, this is a good move. I’m actually happier and less stressed. Plus I’ve cut my travel to and from work in almost half.

I’m happy!