Bradley appeared beside them as if summoned by the possibility of losing a fee. "Everything good over here?" he asked. "Once you sign, we activate everything and get you on your way."
"What exactly am I signing?" Nathan asked.
"Standard protections," Bradley replied. "Our customers like having the peace of mind."
"Mandatory?"
"Absolutely, for customers in your account tier." Bradley glanced at the work boots again. "Entry-level banking."
"I see," Nathan said. He set the pen down and folded the unsigned papers. "I'd like to think about it."
"Nothing to think about," Bradley answered. "You walk out now, and I can't guarantee approval when you come back. Bank policy."
Nathan looked at Grace. She did not smile, and she did not lower her eyes. Her finger was still resting beside the sentence that called the products optional. He thanked her for explaining the account and told Bradley that he would make his decision elsewhere. Then he gathered the papers, slipped his valid check back into its envelope, and walked toward the exit.
He had almost reached the doors when he heard Bradley say, "Grace. My office."
Nathan slowed. He did not turn around, because if he had turned around, the manager might have recognized something in his face that would change the next few minutes. Instead he moved to a bench beyond the lobby window, opened the account brochure, and stayed where he could see the office door. He had come to Branch Twelve to learn how an ordinary customer was treated, but he could not leave without finding out what happened to an employee who refused to mislead him.
Inside the office, Bradley laid the unsigned form on the desk. "What did you tell him?" he asked.
"I explained the account. That's all."
"You told him not to sign. You told him those products were optional." Bradley's face grew red. "You undermined your manager in front of a client."
"You asked me to lie to him," Grace said. The words surprised even her by how clearly they came out. She had spent months searching for a gentler phrase, an alternative that might make the truth safe enough to say aloud. There was no gentler phrase left.
"I asked you to sell."
"Selling isn't lying," Grace replied. "In a bank, that's exactly the difference."
Bradley rose behind his desk. The office was small enough that when he stood, Grace had to tilt her head back to keep looking at him. He offered her one last chance to say she had been wrong and promised he would note her cooperation if Nathan returned. She told him she would not apologize for explaining the actual terms of an account.
"Think carefully," Bradley said. "You need this job."
"Needing a paycheck doesn't make lying okay."
Bradley held out his hand. "Your badge. You're fired, effective immediately."
Grace stared at him. She had prepared herself for a warning, another schedule change, a written reprimand. She had not prepared herself to lose her job before lunch for refusing to add two hundred dollars in unwanted products to a stranger's account. She unclipped the small badge from her cardigan and laid it on his desk.
"Because I told someone the truth?" she asked.
"Because you forgot who you work for."