“Excuse me?” Veronica asked, her eyes narrowing. She looked at my name tag, then at my dirty sneakers. “Did the janitor just offer a technical opinion?”
A few engineers snickered. My face burned hot. I gripped the mop handle so tight my knuckles turned white.
“I… I just said it looks like the coupling alignment, Ma’am,” I stammered, trying to keep my voice steady. “If you adjust the torque on the lateral bolts, it might settle the vibration.”
The silence stretched for a painful five seconds. Then, Veronica threw her head back and laughed. It was a harsh, dismissive sound.
“Well, gentlemen,” she said, turning back to her highly paid team. “Apparently, we’re overpaying you. The guy who cleans the toilets thinks he knows more about aerodynamics than you do.”
