Then came the thought I dreaded most.
Telling my mother.
She had been so proud when I got the job.
Even prouder when I began moving up.
How was I supposed to explain that after years of helping build the company, I was suddenly no longer wanted there?
By the time I arrived at the park where Richard asked me to meet him, I had already rehearsed what I would say.
I would remain professional.
I would thank him for the opportunity.
I would not beg.
I would not ask whether there was anything I could do to change his mind.
At least, that was the plan.
Richard was sitting alone on a bench near the pond.
He looked completely calm.
That annoyed me.
I sat beside him.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Richard looked straight ahead and said, “As of today, you no longer work for me.”
There it was.
Even though I had spent all week expecting those words, they still hit me harder than I thought they would.
My chest tightened.
I stared at the water.
“Okay,” I managed.
Richard turned toward me.
“That wasn’t quite the reaction I expected.”
I looked at him.
“What reaction were you expecting?”
“A question, maybe.”
I almost laughed.
“What exactly am I supposed to ask?”
He studied my face.
Then, strangely, he smiled.
That confused me.
“Richard, if this is supposed to make me feel better, it’s not working.”
He leaned back against the bench.
“I’m selling the company.”
For a moment, I forgot about myself.
“What?”
“I’m seventy-eight years old. My wife has been telling me for the last decade that retirement is a real thing.”
