Too Good For You — The Lost Million Dollar Deal

Growing up, my childhood friend Luke and my friend Sophie had given me plenty of Piggy. Piggy? Chubby.

Chubby? Butterball. They said those were the kinds of names only the people closest to you got to use. Once, Sophie called me Fatty.

Fatty! In front of my co-workers while I was giving a quarterly presentation. The whole office burst out laughing. My director frowned at me, and I finished the presentation with my face burning red.

Luke ruffled my hair. She didn't mean anything by it. Don't take it personally. Then, as usual, he added, But you really should lose some weight. When clients see you looking like this...

At a company retreat, Sophie imitated the way I stammered whenever I got nervous in front of She mimicked me constantly, tugging down the hem of my blazer to hide my stomach. She even copied the squeak my chair made when I sat down. Luke laughed louder than anyone. Alright, stop. She's sensitive.

Then he turned around and saved the video of Sophie mocking me to his Instagram highlights. Last week, at a client appreciation dinner, I closed a million-dollar deal on my own for the first time. Sophie raised her glass. Wow, our fatty actually landed a deal?

The client didn't just feel sorry for you, did they? The client's expression changed. After dinner, they told me they wanted to reconsider the partnership. The million-dollar deal was gone.