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When the meeting broke up, I’d headed to my office and turned to see Dennis inviting the other three to his office for discussion of what had just transpired.
The border of trust had been defined, and I was clearly on the outside.
An hour later, the guilt of what I’d done was back to eating me up, and nothing I did kept my thoughts from returning to all the times I’d ignored Ramona’s warnings.
The walls of my office were empty and clean, save the few nail holes where the previous occupant had taken down pictures he’d hung. I’d told myself a dozen times that I’d personalize the space and hang some things. But I’d not followed through, perhaps because subconsciously I’d known from the beginning I didn’t deserve this office, and my time here would come to an end quickly.
As I looked around, even the drab beige of the walls was cheerier than my mood, and their emptiness reflected the state of my heart.
Spending the weekends with Dennis had transported me to a happy place, but that had been a dream world, not the reality of the future that lay in front of me now. Melissa had shoved me into the cold water of the fountain, but that was nothing compared to the way karma had smacked me upside the head. For a few weekends, I’d tasted what life could be like, but that life was now out of reach.
The futility of staying was obvious. I didn’t have a future here. Dennis would let me go from the company after whatever period of punishment he’d planned.
I couldn’t live like this, and I couldn’t cede control of my emotions to him that way. I was a grown woman, and it was time to take control of my own fucking pathetic future.
My pen hovered over the paper for a moment before I wrote the words. There truly was no alternative.
I resign, effective immediately.
Jennifer Hanley
Cindy’s desk was empty as I passed by and placed the note face down on the surface.
* * *
Dennis
After the invadersleft our conference room, Cindy had looked at me expectantly as Jennifer walked back to her office.
I didn’t follow her down there, because I still didn’t know what to say.
I turned to Syd, Larry, and Jay. “Guys, want to join me for a postmortem?”
The three filed into my office, and I closed the door.
“What do you think?” I asked.
Jay was the first to speak. “I’d heard they were buying up shares, but to tell you the truth, that’s way more than I would’ve guessed.”
“Twenty-four percent is almost critical mass,” Syd added, “for your standard proxy fight.”
Larry shook his head. “It’s worse than that if he has Melissa behind him.”
Their words weren’t cheering me up.
“Do you think he really does, or was that just a bluff?” Jay asked.
I shrugged. “Most likely a bluff, because there’s nothing in it for her.”
Larry looked at me like I was an idiot. “After the way she acted at the museum party, it’s pretty obvious she’d sign on if she thought it would hurt you.”
“But that’s not in her best interest,” I argued.
Larry pointed a finger at me. “Don’t you get it? An angry woman doesn’t need to be a logical woman. And that’s one angry woman.”
Larry’s words bugged me. Melissa had always been crazy, but behind it she’d always had the goal of helping herself. If that had changed, I’d missed it. The legal maneuvering on the divorce had always seemed to be aimed at increasing her share of the pot.
“I’m with Larry,” Jay said. “I doubt it was a bluff. If he hasn’t approached her, lying about having her support would only make it harder for him to get it in the future if she found out.”
