River City Connections — 2026-01-06 (Patreon)

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SO IT ENDS by Roman Lenox

This is the hardest letter I’ve ever had to sign. But it has to be done.

About half an hour ago, I looked up from a call with a client in Denver to find Claire Marton, one of the other partners, standing at my door. She waited for me to get off the call, then came in and closed the door.

“Lydia Markel called me last night.”

I took it from her tone and body language that Claire was unhappy. “And?”

“Roman, you cannot date your assistant. That’s it. You’re a partner in this firm, and we need you. You know that. This is an HR nightmare. Other employees will have complaints. Employment laws… the power imbalance means automatic legal exposure. It inherently gives her grounds to claim coercion. For all you know, she already feels like she has no choice… For all you know, she already feels like she has no choice… And anything Hayes earns will be seen as favoritism, whether it is or not. Roman, you know all this…”

I didn’t say anything. I know all that. I helped write the policy manual.

“Where is Hayes today, anyway?” Claire asked.

“She took the day off. She’ll be back tomorrow.” I replied—she had told me her mother called to berate her about us, convinced we were officially a couple just because we spent New Year’s Eve together.

Claire went through it all several times using different words with the same meaning, then she said, “Surely you agree?”

“Claire, you’re not wrong.” That was all I said.

“Then…” she frowned and shook her head. “…something has to change immediately.”

So I’m signing this letter, putting it in my desk until tomorrow, and leaving. It’s supposed to be a nice day. I’ll drive up to Shelby Forest and find someplace to sit. By myself—I’m going to need to get used to that.

The Storylines are the heart of Ailana Geven Imagines, and they are found in the Collections section of the site.

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All characters in this story are fictional characters, their images generated with AI for AGI Stories. They do not represent any real person, nor is their appearance based on any real human.

PERSONAL SPRINT LIST by Cindi Curtis

If you don’t know what a sprint list is, it’s a concept from the Agile project management approach. Big tasks are broken down into small, clear pieces called sprints. Well, I sort of think of my own life management in that way.

You can too, by the way.

The big project is for me to buy a house and move out of the hotel. Some of my sprints are 1.) prequalify for a mortgage [done] 2.) Locate prospective houses 3.) Look at houses 4.) Formally arrange mortgage

You get the idea. There’s another different sprint list for selling the house in Woodland Park. Fortunately for me, Mom and Dad are working that list. I know I am a grown woman, but I have to say life is so much easier with my parents’ support!

Today we had our “Tuesday Touch-base” meeting, which is like an extended Scrum meeting, so I had to work today. Tomorrow, I’m taking PTO and getting a lot of my… ahem… personal sprints knocked off.

I’m also letting you know I won’t have a post tomorrow so I can free myself of thinking about what to say and when to say it. Don’t worry! You know I try to keep things going here, and that won’t change.

Let me close with the devotional idea Michael and I shared this morning over coffee.

Philippians 4—“6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ” (WEB).

Here’s the thing… This isn’t about rubbing the gennie’s lantern and getting a wish. The prayer, petition, and thanksgiving are meant to align you with God’s will.

Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (ESV).

When we learn to really delight in God, something shifts. Our hearts start wanting what God wants for us. That is—God gives us the DESIRES. Our wants align with God's will, and—back to Philippians—we find peace.

Be your best you!

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