The Dreamer

Chapter 21

Sarah walked in a daze. Michael walked behind her, and ushered her into her own office. She turned to see him and he handed her a box. He was silent but his expression said hurry. Sarah let the empty box fall to the floor and grabbed her purse. She wasn't the type of person to keep personal items at the office. She walked past Michael and made her way to the front door. She had offered to stay for a month or so and help train the new person, but Michael wouldn't listen. His exact words were "If you are leaving, you are leaving now." Within minutes her entire career fell apart, HR was called to his office immediately. She signed the paperwork and left. Ten minutes earlier her career was skyrocketing with a promotion offer, and now she had no career anymore.

Coworkers stared, while Michael walked behind her to the door. She had seen herself this happen to few people through the years. At the beginning she feared her day would come eventually, but as of lately that didn't cross her mind at all. She had wondered how the people leaving felt. Maybe they were humiliated, or sad, or worried about their income. She was experiencing it now. And what she felt was a combination of many things. The worry, the fear, the shame were all there, but also something unusual, relief, freedom, and even happiness. She noticed Damon standing by his office's door, watching with an expression of concern, his eyes wide open, just as wide as his mouth. His eyebrows narrowed but there was not anger behind his expression. There was genuine concern and care. Sarah felt somehow moved by his concern.

Sarah crossed the front door frame, and Michael closed the door after she left. She stood there for a second, and then pressed the button in the elevator across the hall. Without the invasive stare of others, she no longer felt the humiliation. She could feel purely the joy, the freedom. She smiled to herself to realize she had taken the right move. The door behind her opened and she heard heels walking towards her. Tania embraced her tightly and then released her. Tania stared into Sarah's eyes and smiled gently, as if saying "you'll be okay."

Sarah didn't know how to react. The embrace had felt warm. For years Tania was just her assistant, but clearly she had meant more for Tania. Sarah felt ashamed to have been so cold and distant to her for years. She hugged Tania briefly until the elevator doors opened. Sarah stepped into the elevator and the last thing she saw before the doors closed again was Tania standing in the other side, a gentle smile and red wet eyes.