Have you ever felt like something was terribly wrong? A sinking feeling that twisted your gut — like animals before a natural calamity strikes. Lizards and snakes grow restless, birds flock away en masse, creatures from the depths surface to herald the coming disaster.
But even so, as an ordinary worker, life goes on. The same old repetitive routine most people would eventually grow sick of. I guess it's not that bad.
With my senses screaming at me to do something — anything — I decided to just ignore it and get up quickly.
I opened my tired eyes and marched toward the bathroom sink, doing my best not to be defeated by the warmth and comfort of my bed. Having a boss fight first thing in the morning is truly a draining experience, I must say.
At the sink, I let the water run, the noise helping me gather my thoughts. Washing my face, I didn't even seem to notice the deep, dark circles under my eyes — or rather, I chose to ignore them. Maybe I'd just gotten used to it.
After putting on my suffocating office outfit, I drank a glass of sweetened milk and ate some of that famous cereal — rainbow loops. Why do they add so much sugar to it?
Once I finished breakfast, I reluctantly brushed my teeth while checking how long it would take for the next bus to arrive.
Four minutes!? - 'This will be a close call!' - I thought as I rushed out so I wouldn't miss it. The good news? I made it just in the nick of time! The bad news? Well... where do I even start?
Not only was the bus so packed it reminded me of those Indian train videos I'd seen before — I swear I saw a fat middle-aged uncle looking longingly at the driver's lap, as if seriously considering just going for it. And I'm not gonna lie, after thinking it through, even I got a little tempted. The driver had quite a bit of free space. Too bad I'm so shy… count yourself lucky, driver. But the worst of it all had to be the smell.
God. How could something smell that bad? It was a strange, and very unholy, mix of rotten eggs and vinegar. The driver's lap looked more attractive by the second, as his head stayed suspiciously close to his open side window. Is driving with that posture even safe?
Anyways, as if to make matters worse, the driver handled the bus like it was a bumper car. Each turn felt like an Olympic event, every stop a new surprise attack. A kid's juice box went flying, someone's phone slid across the aisle, I even heard some old lady in the back mutter something about brakes only being optional back in her days. I could only pray he wouldn't take the next corner quite so enthusiastically.
After finally managing to get off that wheeled security hazard, I had to resist the urge of falling on my knees and kiss the solid ground beneath my feet.
Then I was off to work, a quick visit to the bathroom in order to fix myself up, and I was once more good to go. At my desk, I turned my company laptop on and logged in, starting my daily routine as an IT tech support slave.
Or at least that was how things were supposed to be. But not anymore. Before I could even do a single thing, I got interrupted by my boss, calling me into his office. I could only sigh helplessly at what was to come... another ass-whipping? Great! What a way to start the morning.
Before long, I arrived at his office. He was an old, heavyset man — but we liked to call him a pretentious bastard — wearing an overworked suit whose buttons were fighting for their lives to keep everything from falling apart, a pyrrhic victory, I must say. Every inch of him seemed squeezed: the collar biting into his neck, the waistband waging a losing war. His face wore a frown so constant it might as well have been carved there.
He sat in his overwhelmed chair, drumming his fat, oily fingers on an old — and probably very expensive — mahogany table. Before him stood Karen, a middle-aged blonde woman we affectionately referred to as "the heartless witch," with her squinty eyes and a big fake smile stretched across her face. She also just so happened to be the HR manager.
My stomach dropped even further, the sensation like thousands of worms crawling all over my body and under my skin. Something was wrong. My instincts screamed at me — those two assholes together in one room could only mean bad news.
I tried to think positively. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Yeah, that was it! He must have just finished talking to her about something unrelated! I tried to convince myself not to worry, but all my hopes were dashed in the next moment. I guess I'd taken a bit too much copium.
They both stopped whatever they were doing and took their sweet time looking me up and down. I could see the barely hidden disdain in my boss's eyes, along with a sickening smirk that somehow made Karen's face even uglier. She looked oddly punchable right now, but I wasn't about to let my instincts take control.
Mr. Pemberton — my boss — finally broke the awkward, oppressive silence, speaking in a condescending tone.
"Mr. Everett, please take a seat." - He started, motioning toward the empty chair beside Karen.
"We need to have a little chat that's long overdue. I like to think of this company as a place that gives people chances — more than a few, in fact." Those words confirmed the bad feeling I'd had.
"But eventually, you have to look at the numbers. And when you look at the numbers, you have to be honest with yourself, don't you?" He made these dramatic hand gestures that looked kind of funny — like a pig trying to act human — followed by a long pause. I could only stare at him, dumbfounded, barely believing what I'd just heard.
"After a very careful, very thorough review… we just don't see the value proposition anymore. The potential simply hasn't translated into tangible results. We don't think there's a place for you here anymore. I'm sorry it's come to this, but today will be your last day. This is a business, after all, and we have to do what's best for the business." - The shocking words made my mind go blank.
"Mrs. Wilmore will now help you through the process and make sure everything is done according to protocol," - He finished, though his words didn't even register.
Everything after that felt like a blur. By the time I came back to my senses, I was already out on the street, waiting for the bus home.