Cory
stared out at the blankness of his future. A whole range of emotions
flew through him like bad chili, leaving him with an emptiness in the
pit of his stomach. Blankly, he began packing up the broken pieces of
his life, the whole time trying to think and not think, simultaneously.
After twenty years in the company, he had given them everything, his
life, his soul. In return he was unceremoniously thrown out along with
hundreds of his co-workers. They told him not to take it personally,
that it was not his fault. The economy is just bad; we will give you a
call when things pick up again. We really appreciate how much you have
given to this company, but we have no choice. Cory had nodded
unconsciously throughout the ordeal, his head reeling with the
consequences of these actions. There was no reason to yell or cry, there
was nothing he could do. Never had he felt so emasculated. Like some
autonomous being he had entered his car and drove home. It will be okay,
he whispered to himself as he drove. The words meant nothing.
There
were no job offers, even with his impressive resume. His years of hard
work and dedication meant nothing. The knowledge he had acquired over
the years was meaningless, in a field overflowing with recently fired
workers. He managed to find a job. It was nothing like what he used to
have as he had settled on the first job that was willing to take him.
The pay was lousy as were the hours. Plodding on his computer screen at
work Cory desperately tried to find a way out. When he returned home his
wife would complain about his hours, about their lack of funds, about
everything.
