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A Tale of Corporate Leftovers
I never thought I’d envied the unemployed, but here I am, staring at the empty desk across from mine, wondering if Stella got the better deal. At least she got a severance package and the freedom to drink without judgment.
Me? I’m left here in this fluorescent-lit purgatory, surrounded by the ghosts of water cooler conversations past.
They call us the “survivors,” as if we’ve just emerged from some horrific plane crash, grateful to be alive but haunted by the memory of those who didn’t make it. Instead of a tropical island, we’re stranded in a sea of beige cubicles, and our Wilson is a neglected cactus that Stella left behind.
The day after the layoffs, our CEO sent out one of those emails that are supposed to boost morale but left you feeling like you’ve just been force-fed a pound of saccharine. “We’re streamlining for success!” it chirped as if success was measured in how many of your colleagues you could fit into a lifeboat.
I made the mistake of mentioning this to my mom during our weekly phone call. “Well, dear,” she said, “at least you still have a job. Think of poor Stella!”
