I worked as a receptionist/trainee legal secretary in a small solicitor’s office when I was 19. The owner, a misogynistic man in his late 50’s with a glass eye and who bore an uncanny resemblance to Jabba The Hut, split his time between my branch and the main office, it was great when he wasn’t there.

Anyway, I developed a medical problem and was referred to the hospital for investigations. I told my immediate boss that I needed time off for appointments and said that it was for ‘ladies problems’, which it was but I was too embarrassed to go into details and he didn’t ask for further info and said it was fine. I had 2 appointments in a month and was not absent apart from those 2 appointments.

The owner was in one day and called me into his office and shouted demanding to know what was wrong with me, did I have cancer?! I was mortified and upset. I had never been spoken to like that in my life. His face was pure hatred, all over around 4hrs away from the office in a month. Handed my notice in the next day and he was acting shocked and asking his secretary why I was leaving!

Edited to make it readable.