This is the 4th in a weekly installment of The Backyard Portal: One Executive's Journey Through Crisis. To catch up on Chapters 1-3 see the sidebar links.
He was later than usual for Nathan. At 8:30 a.m. he stepped onto the thirty-second floor and followed the trail to his office. With each step he became aware of an unusual silence. The normal early morning chatter wasn’t. There were a few staff members standing at the opening of their cubicles, Jason being one.
When Nathan arrived at his office door he understood. The door was closed; the entrance blocked by boxes, with a notice of termination taped to the door along with a memo to report to The Chief, Human Resources to negotiate severance.
Shocked speechless, tinged with a strange sense of relief, Nathan retrieved his composure long enough to sit down on the boxes in order to gather his senses. Staff retreat... all but Jason.
”I’m sorry sir. This has to be hard.”
Suddenly without warning Nathan erupted.
“What’s wrong with this world? Am I surrounded by idiots?” Convinced he is perfectly rational; his rage is felt on the entire floor. There it was. Nathan’s entire identity packed in boxes. Jason backed off, clearly not wanting to be in the path of the tornado. Feeling royally betrayed Nathan rubbed his neck as a combined form of releasing stress and outright disbelief.
“Sir, if there’s anything I can do, call me.”
” Yeah...thanks.”
Rising slowly he walked down the hall dazed yet composed in a resigned sort of way. Jason is not entirely confident that Nathan should be talking to anyone right now.
“Sir, where are you going?"
”Human Resources. Might as well get the bad news all at once.”
”Are you sure you should be doing that when you are in not the best frame of mind?”
Nathan glanced back and shrugged. ”Can’t get any worse… can it?” He knocked on the closed door of the Chief, Human Resources.
Jason watched Nathan enter the office, and when the door was closed he turned to Holly who was enjoying the dramatic theatre playing out in the office hallway.
“You know it’s too bad it had to happen this way. Deep down he’s a good guy with a lot of talent.”
Holly retorted: “Well, good riddance I say. Now we can actually accomplish something.”
No one saw Nathan leave the office. The elevator offered a quick escape to the street. His journey to the park bench was quick fueled by an indignant rage and lurking sense of release. His anger and confusion were palpable. Even the geese avoided him. Shock and rage were indecipherably intermingled. By the time he rose he really wasn’t sure of how long he’d been there but long enough to build up both a sense of courage and deep resentment for all that had gone wrong.
The trip home seemed longer than usual. Claudia greeted him with somewhat more grace than usual which faded quickly as he broke the news. As the news of his termination suck in so did shock and panic.
“Nathan what will we do? We have a mortgage, the kids… what will we do.”
Nathan by now was grappling with the stark reality of the loss and what it meant. Pacing back and forth across the living room floor he waved his arms around and vented.
”It’s fucked. The whole thing is fucked. Fifteen years I’ve given that company. Fifteen years. One little slip and I’m out.”
Shae, who was sitting in the kitchen, suddenly went ballistic. Entering the living room she had a complete meltdown. Claudia, very aware that Shae’s response was connected to Nathan’s tirade, implored “Nathan, Nathan, calm down and for heavens sake stop swearing in front of the children.”
”They can read worse in the public bathrooms.” He muttered under his breath. Then raising his voice even louder he carried on. “It’s not supposed to be like this. What the hell do I do now?”
Exasperated Claudia fires back, “I don’t know but I do know that I can’t take any more rage or blaming or fighting. Get your act together Nathan!
Nathan look is nothing short of incredulous in a dramatic sort of way. Dumped more than once on the same day he shrieks, “My act?”
Fury hits. Losing it, Nathan throws pillows, anything he can get his hands on. While Nathan has his hissy fit, Claudia was torn between on calming Nathan or calming Shae now lying in the middle of the living room floor kicking and screaming. The two seem to be synchronized. The scene is so ludicrous it borders on spectator sport.
”Nathan...Stop!”
Nathan wound up and pitched the last available stuffed toy across the room while muttering under his breath about the injustices of the world. As it landed, Shae stopped her own inner rampage. Lying still, her hands covered her eyes shutting out the noise. Claudia turned and stormed upstairs. The sound of suitcases and clothes being packed filtered down along with banging of drawers.
Claudia barked, “Trevor, Sami get your backpacks, toothbrush and toys.”
Trevor’s anxious voice reaches the downstairs area quite clearly. ”Why mom?”
Nathan detected a plan. “What are you doing?”
”Getting out of here! You can figure this out on your own. Nothing I do or say makes a difference.”
The kids feel caught in the middle. Trevor and Sami are visibly upset, and are not sure what to say or do. Clearly, mom was in charge. After more banging and protests from Trevor and Sami, Claudia rushed down the stairs almost missing the last two steps, with her overnight bag and Shae’s bag in her hand. The two children follow behind her, scared, quiet and uncertain. Nathan stood in shock like a rabbit in the headlights. Claudia crossed the living room, grabbed Shae’s hand, pulled her up and dragged her to the door.
Breaking her mother’s hold, Shae bolted to her dad hugging his legs like she was in the center of a tornado and it was the only anchor available. With relief, he reached down and picked her up. Instantly she calmed. Again Claudia tried to pull Shae out of her dad’s arms. She’ll have none of it.
Nathan isn’t sure what to do. Claudia, too, is at a loss.
Glaring at them both Claudia indignantly says, “Fine then ... stay here with your dad. You deserve each other.”
She tore out the door dragging Trevor and Sami along behind to the family minivan. After all are in, she looked back to see Nathan at the doorway. Putting the van into gear she yelled, “The trouble with you Nathan is that you think it’s always about everyone else!!” The van screeched into reverse and blasted off into the night.
Nathan stood at the doorway dumbfounded, “Where are you going?”
His words hung suspended in charged air. No reply. Darkness closed in as Nathan and Shae looked at each other.
”Now what?”
©2009 Dawna Jones. All Rights Reserved.
Note: this is also a film script which has been registered in both Canada U.S.
Comments