Her seminar case used anonymized data.
Students had to decide which controls to implement.
Some overcorrected.
They proposed banning supervisors from any time edits.
Naomi challenged.
“What happens when employee forgets clock out?”
Silence.
“You need discretion.”
“Goal is not zero discretion.”
“It is visible, reviewable discretion.”
Another group proposed all complaints bypass local management.
“What happens to minor issues corporate cannot understand quickly?”
Students adjusted.
Governance is tradeoffs.
Not morality slogans.
At seventy, Naomi retired more fully.
Adrian did too.
They moved closer to his daughter.
Travel.
Gardening.
Naomi was terrible gardener.
Denise would have laughed.
One morning her step-grandson, Miles, age twelve, found the famous gray striped apron in storage.
Naomi had kept it.
She did not remember why.
Maybe evidence bag returned after investigation.
Maybe sentiment.
Miles put it on.
“Grandma, is this the undercover outfit?”
Naomi looked.
“Yes.”
He grabbed yellow gloves from kitchen.
“Do the pose.”
“No.”
He laughed.
“Please.”
“No.”
Adrian took picture anyway.
Naomi threatened divorce.
Family group loved.
Then Miles asked:
“Can I take for school history day?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“It’s not costume.”
He looked confused.
She softened.
“You can tell story if teacher wants.”
“But apron belonged to real sanitation uniform.”
“People still wear this kind of thing.”
“It isn’t funny disguise.”
Miles understood partly.
“Okay.”
Naomi looked at apron.
Then decided.
She donated it.
Not to museum.
To community theater costume closet? That might trivialize. Better simply used as cleaning apron at home until worn out. That's grounded.
She wore it while painting garage.
Adrian laughed.
“CEO apron.”
“Paint apron.”
A year later strap tore.
Naomi threw it away.
No ceremony.
Good.
The story did not require artifact.
At seventy-two, she received news Linda Marsh had died.
Heart disease.
A former Dayton employee emailed obituary.
Naomi stared.
Linda had family.
Two sons.
Four grandchildren.
Volunteered at food pantry late in life.
The obituary said nothing about Carter Manufacturing.
Of course.
A life is larger than termination.
Naomi sent no public statement.
She mailed condolence card to family:
I worked with Linda many years ago. I am sorry for your loss.
True.
Enough.
Did not tell them how.
They likely knew.