Just when you think it’s over…

This afternoon my supervisor came up to my department and pulled me out of my trial to have a discussion in the back hallway about the trainee. He wanted to know what I was implying on the phone to him yesterday. I told him in detail (minus the part about her email with another clerk about my being “rude”, as that’s hearsay anyway) what transpired between us in the first morning she was in here, but was clear that she more than made up for it in the next day and a half, proving to me that she’ll be fine as Judicial Assistant/Courtroom Clerk. I turned in my training report, he looked it over and noted my backhanded compliments. I told him that I had no problem telling him about our tiff off the record, but that I didn’t want it to come up in our meeting with the trainee on Friday and I don’t want it to negatively impact their assessment of her skills.

A few minutes ago, the trainee popped into my courtroom and handed me a small white envelope with my name on it. I opened it and it was a cute thank-you card that even matched my suit today. She wrote:

Cindy
Thank you for my experience in Dept. E. I really appreciate all you did for me and for the information/handouts you gave me. I know we didn’t start off on the right foot, but I’m glad we worked it out and I got the chance to sit in with you.
[trainee]

Now I feel like a shithead for even writing the backhanded compliments in her evaluation! And I already turned it in! Waaaahhh!!