Three weeks into my new job, I found an envelope in my desk drawer with my name on it and three words written across the front. $40. First of the month. Don't ask. I laughed, thinking it was a prank. Then I looked up. Forty people sat across the open floor, staring at their monitors. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. One woman two desks over glanced at me, then quickly looked away. My neighbor, Priya, kept her eyes on her screen like she hadn’t noticed the envelope. I held it up. “Who put this here?” A man two rows over slowly turned his chair so his back was to me. Priya finally leaned over. Her voice was low. “It’s just something we do here.” “What’s the money for?” She looked at me for a long moment. “Just bring the forty dollars on the first. Please.” That last word bothered me. She sounded frightened. I left the envelope on my desk. I’m not against helping people. I’ve donated to coworkers’ baby showers, bought birthday cakes, and covered lunch when someone forgot their wallet. But my mother taught me never to hand over money when someone refuses to explain where it’s going. So when the first of the month arrived, I came to work without the forty dollars. Nothing happened immediately. People avoided my eyes more than usual. Conversations stopped when I walked past. At 12:15 p.m., the entire office stood up and walked toward the supply room at the back of the floor. Forty white envelopes. One closed door. I sat alone at my desk, listening to the printer hum. Twenty minutes later, they came out and returned to their seats without looking at me. That evening, I stayed late. At 7:40 p.m., I walked past the supply room and saw the door ajar. Inside, Lorna, our office manager, sat under a desk lamp with a laptop, a paper ledger, and several thick bundles of cash. She wasn’t counting coffee money. Her screen showed a spreadsheet titled R.D. FUND. Forty names filled the first column. Beside each name was a monthly payment of $40. My name sat at the bottom, highlighted in red. Next to it, someone had typed: New employee. Hasn't paid. Do not tell her. I took a step closer. At the bottom of the spreadsheet was a note that made me forget about the envelope. TRANSPLANT FUND: $38,600 / $75,000. DEADLINE: MONTH-END…..