Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Closed-Door Meeting


He asked me to close the door behind me.
I sat in the black leather chair
in front of his desk.
My feet couldn’t quite touch the floor.
He asked me for my side of the story,
but he wasn’t really listening.
Kept glancing at his monitor.
Sometimes his watch.
I was calm,
honest.
Maybe left out a few especially damning details
but, still, honest.
He looked up suddenly with tired eyes.
What else can I do? He asked me,
uncharacteristically candid.
I always liked you, he told me,
which was a surprise to me.
He reminded me that Barb had to go to the emergency room,
which had certainly not been my intention.
And he talked a lot about liability,
which was understandable.
And everyone knew about The Incident by now,
so I agreed it would be best for me to go.
You’ll have to have a security escort, he explained
with apology in his eyes.
I completely understand, I replied.
I closed the door behind me as I left,
feeling everyone’s frightened eyes watching me
as I walked down a long beige corridor
back to my beige cubicle,
accompanied by Ted, who was unthreatening and overweight.
The silence was eerie,
but I smiled to myself.
It was the first time I would leave that place
with no regrets.


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