Sugar sugar baby

[64] The realization

It had been about a week since I got laid off from Starbucks, and I'd spent most of that time trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do next. Life had a way of throwing curveballs at me, and this one hit harder than I'd expected. But I hadn't let it get me down for too long—I'd already been through worse.

One afternoon, I was walking around downtown, clearing my head when I decided to grab a coffee. Without even thinking, I found myself heading toward the same Starbucks where I used to work. It felt like second nature, and before I knew it, I was standing outside, looking through the large windows.

Something caught my eye immediately—someone else was working behind the counter, doing exactly what I used to do. Same green apron, same routine. The place was busy, as usual, customers lined up for their caffeine fix. The number of employees hadn't changed, and for a second, a wave of confusion hit me. They had told me they were cutting back on staff. They had told me I was being let go because of corporate decisions, budget cuts, or some other bullshit. But the number of employees inside seemed... exactly the same.

I pushed open the door, the familiar smell of coffee hitting me as I walked inside. I spotted Sarah, one of the baristas I'd worked with, busy at the register. She glanced up as I approached, and a flicker of recognition crossed her face.

"Tristan?" she said, sounding surprised. "Hey, how's it going?"

I forced a smile, trying to keep things light. "Hey, Sarah. I'm... alright. Just grabbing a coffee."

She nodded, but I could tell she was still taken aback to see me. I hesitated for a moment, but curiosity—and maybe a bit of frustration—pushed me forward.

"So... I noticed you've got the same number of people working here," I said, glancing around. "I thought they were cutting back on staff."

Sarah looked a little uncomfortable, shifting her weight as she glanced toward the back. "Yeah, um... about that. There wasn't really any overstaffing issue. I mean, not that I know of."

I frowned, my chest tightening as the confusion turned into suspicion. "What do you mean? They told me they had to let people go because of overstaffing."

Sarah bit her lip, looking hesitant to say more, but I could tell she was holding something back. Finally, she sighed, leaning in a little closer as she spoke in a lower voice. "Look, I'm not supposed to say anything, but... there wasn't really any overstaffing. I think there was something going on higher up. Some reshuffling, you know?"

I blinked, my frustration rising. "Reshuffling? So they just decided to replace me with someone else?"

Sarah shrugged, looking apologetic. "I don't know all the details, but... yeah, kinda."

I stood there for a moment, feeling the weight of what she was saying sink in. They hadn't cut back on staff. They hadn't been overstaffed at all. They had just replaced me, plain and simple. I felt a knot of anger forming in my stomach, but I forced myself to stay calm.

"Thanks for letting me know, Sarah," I said quietly.

She gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Tristan. I wish I had more answers for you."

I nodded, my mind already racing as I turned and headed toward the back office, where Kim—my ex-manager—usually worked. If there had been some kind of "reshuffling," then I wanted to hear it from her. I knocked on the door and heard her familiar voice call out.

"Come in!"

I pushed open the door and stepped inside. Kim looked up from her desk, her eyes widening slightly when she saw me. "Tristan. Hey."

I crossed my arms, leaning against the doorframe as I stared at her. "Kim, I just talked to Sarah. She told me there was no overstaffing issue. What's really going on?"

Kim sighed, looking more tired than anything as she leaned back in her chair. "Look, Tristan... I don't want to get into this."

I raised an eyebrow, my frustration bubbling up again. "Well, I do. I was told I was being laid off because of overstaffing. But clearly, that's not the case. So, what happened? Why was I really let go?"

Kim rubbed her temples, looking conflicted. "It wasn't my call, Tristan. This came from corporate. There was some... reshuffling, as they like to call it. Decisions were made that were out of my hands."

I stared at her, feeling a wave of disbelief wash over me. "So they just decided to replace me with someone else? Just like that?"

Kim met my gaze, her expression softening slightly. "It's not as simple as that. Sometimes, there are internal decisions that don't make sense to any of us. It's all about business, numbers, and... well, corporate politics. I fought to keep you on, I really did. But this wasn't something I could control."

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. "Right. Corporate politics. So I was just... expendable?"

Kim sighed again, standing up from her desk and walking over to me. "I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. But this happens all the time. It sucks, but it's how things work sometimes. It wasn't personal."

I looked away, the anger still simmering beneath the surface. "It sure as hell feels personal."

She reached out, placing a hand on my arm. "Tristan, I get it. And I'm really sorry. I wish I could've done more. But this was out of my control."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the frustration building inside me. There wasn't any point in pressing her further—clearly, this was a decision made by people higher up, and Kim wasn't the one pulling the strings. Still, it stung. It felt like a betrayal, even if it wasn't meant to be.

I finally looked back at her, my voice quieter now. "Thanks, Kim. I'm not mad at you. I just... needed to know."

She gave me a small, sad smile. "I understand. If there's anything I can do to help, you know where to find me."

I nodded, turning to leave. "Take care, Kim."

"You too, Tristan."

As I walked out of the Starbucks, the sun was bright in the sky, but all I could feel was the weight of disappointment. I hadn't been laid off because of some corporate budget cut or overstaffing—it had been a decision made by people who didn't care about me at all. I was just another number to them, easily replaced, easily forgotten.

And as I walked down the street, I realized that no matter how hard I tried to stay grounded, the world always had a way of knocking me back down.

Q: What do you really think is going on?