Maybe the company was restructuring.
Maybe my position was being eliminated.
Maybe Richard was unhappy with something I had done.
There was another possibility I couldn’t ignore.
Business had been difficult recently.
Revenue had declined over the previous months, and several employees had already been let go.
Every time someone lost their job, Richard looked older afterward.
He never admitted it, but I knew those decisions affected him.
Still, knowing that didn’t make the possibility of becoming the next person any less terrifying.
Then came Thursday.
I entered Richard’s office with his afternoon schedule.
There was a folder sitting directly in front of him.
My full name was printed across the top.
Before I could read anything else, he closed it.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Nothing you need to worry about today.”
“Today?”
He looked at me.
“Not yet.”
My stomach tightened.
“Not yet what?”
“Tomorrow.”
That was all he said.
