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My Chivalric Fiasco, George Saunders, Tenth of December

Ted, main character, sees his boss having sex with Martha, a married co-worker. Boss calls Ted in and basically bribes him to keep silent by giving him a raise.  Ted agrees, but then in a performance he puts on as part of his job, he takes on the language of chivalry (sort of) and tells the audience of the boss's philandering.  Martha humiliated, boss fires Ted. Ted is financially in trouble.

Why did he do it?  It's as if the chivalric language has captured his mind, sort of. Least satisfying of the stories.

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