No More Free Rides

Yeah. Looking back, I felt kind of ridiculous.

Three years of being a generous fool, and in the end, what did I get? A five-thousand-dollar fine and a label that said I was "profiting off others."

I did not come from nothing. However, no one at the company knew that.

My father had always taught me to start from the bottom and to learn how to work with people instead of relying on family connections right away.

Three years ago, not long after I joined the company, we relocated our office to a remote tech park.

It was several kilometers from the nearest subway station. There was barely any public transportation, and ride-hailing services were almost impossible to get.

I saw how hard the daily commute was for everyone. Some people had to carpool, while others ended up taking unsafe, unofficial rides. So, under the excuse of "helping the company coordinate resources," I contacted a friend's car rental company and arranged for two shuttle vans.

To everyone else, I said it was a benefit I had helped secure for employees. I never mentioned that I was the one paying for it out of pocket.

As for Selena, she happened to live in the same apartment complex as me.

When she first joined, she used to stand by the roadside every morning waiting for a ride. Since we worked in the same department, I offered to take her along.

This went on for three full years.

She often ate breakfast in my car, leaving crumbs everywhere. I let it slide.

She would take off her shoes and do her makeup in the passenger seat. I did not say a word.

Sometimes, she even asked me to make a detour to pick up her boyfriend, who did not even have a stable job. I did not bother arguing.

Until last night, during that heavy rainstorm…

"Jennifer, swing by the Elmwood Mall, okay? Ryan forgot his umbrella," she said like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Selena, the rain's too heavy. That road is already flooding. My car isn’t built for tackling floods. I can't make it through, and I need to get back to bring medicine to my mom."

"It's not like giving her medicine a little later will matter," she said impatiently, waving her hand. "Jennifer, why are you being so stingy? You get all those transportation subsidies anyway. What's the big deal about helping out once?"

That was the moment I snapped. "Transportation subsidies? When has the company ever given me that?"

"Cut the act," she sneered. "Everyone knows you have a company fuel card."

The more I listened, the angrier I got. I pulled over right then and there, told her to get out, and drove off without picking up her boyfriend.

The next morning, that complaint letter landed straight on the administrative department's desk.

It accused me of using my position to take advantage of coworkers, of asking for benefits in exchange for rides, and even claimed I had misused company resources to run unauthorized operations.

The truth was, in those three years, the most Selena had ever given me was a box of nearly expired cookies from the office pantry.

I went back to my desk and slowly started packing up my things.

Not quitting. Just preparing to "make adjustments."

At five-thirty in the afternoon, it was time to get off work.

The sky outside was dark and heavy. Strong winds pushed the clouds low, and it looked like another storm was coming.

On any normal day, both shuttle vans would already be parked downstairs by then, lights on, waiting to pick people up.

However, today, the space outside was completely empty.

Selena rushed downstairs with her bag, looked around, then hurried back up to the office. Her voice was loud enough for the entire floor to hear.

"Jennifer! Where's the shuttle? Why isn't it here yet?"

I was finishing up my last email and did not even look up.

"Selena, do you not understand plain English, or did you just forget? I said this morning that the shuttle service is canceled."

"You can't just cancel it!" Selena snapped. "That's a company benefit. You don't get to decide that. What? Do you think you're the one calling the shots?"

Other coworkers gathered around, all talking at once.

"Yeah, Ms. Smith, it's about to rain. We can't get a ride out here."

"Even if you're upset, you can't mess with everyone's commute like this."

"Exactly. Selena reported you, not us. Why are we the ones getting dragged into this?"

I looked at their familiar faces.

Teresa, the sales rep who was six months pregnant. I had asked the driver to reserve the front seat just for her so she could sit more comfortably.

Carson, the new intern fresh out of college. He often worked late and missed the last shuttle, so I told the driver to drop him off right at his door.