Risk Management
By Alix Ohlin, first published in The Kenyon Review
A longtime dentist's receptionist accepts a dinner invitation from a new coworker and her boyfriend; as the evening unfolds, the women realize they both have traumas in their past.
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Plot Summary
Valerie, a longtime dentist's receptionist, accepts a dinner invitation from her new co-worker—a young Lithuanian nicknamed Little—and Little's boyfriend, Josh.
During the dinner, Valerie learns that Little catfished Josh in order to immigrate to the U.S. because life was difficult at home. However, Valerie senses real affection between the pair, perhaps because Little does not know anyone else in the country.
Little asks Valerie about whether or not she murdered her husband. Valerie deflects, even though she did. She has led a difficult life and is relieved to have achieved normalcy through her office work, even if it is monotonous and in proximity to sleazy dentists.
In the kitchen, after cleaning up, Little gives Valerie a kiss, full of understanding. The pair do not act any differently at work, and it is only after Little quits the job that Valerie allows herself to mourn her presence as a special person in her life.
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