My dad and I work at the same hospital—he’s a nurse, I’m in social work. We grab coffee, vent about long shifts, normal family stuff.
One exhausting afternoon, I ran into him near the elevators and gave him a quick hug. Nothing unusual.
Someone thought otherwise.
By the next day, whispers followed me. A new nurse had assumed the hug meant something inappropriate. A rumor spread fast.
Then both of us got called into HR.
The complaint was read. The reporting nurse was brought in. When HR asked how we were related, the room went quiet.
“That’s my father.”
The complaint was dismissed immediately. Apologies followed, but the damage lingered.
The rumor faded. The lesson didn’t.
Assumptions grow fast. Gossip can hurt. We still hug—just with the awareness that kindness can be misread when no one asks first.
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