Chase’s initial curiosity turned to dread, and he sat forward in his chair, trying to make sense of what his boss was not saying. “Are you … are you firing me?”
“No. I mean, I’m not. I’m only telling you because of your … family situation. I feel like I owe you time to find something else. There’s no good way to say this. Our whole department is being eliminated. The readership numbers are in the toilet again. This next magazine issue will be the last. It’s too expensive, and the big guys upstairs want to put our marketing money into more efficient places, like TV advertising. I’m being transferred, but the rest of you are being let go.”
It felt like a punch to the gut. Laid off. Everyone he worked with was being laid off. “When?”
“Like I said, they want the issue that’s almost done sent off and the articles still posted on the website. But that’s it. I’d guess you have three weeks. You can’t say anything. I’d keep you and Ashley if I could. The only options for staying are in customer service or claims, but it would be a major pay cut for both of you.”
“Oh.” The gravity of the situation settled onto Chase’s shoulders. How could he go back to writing a stupid article about construction zones now?
“Take a minute and absorb this. I don’t want you to leave my office until you’re ready to tuck this away and act like nothing’s wrong. Right now your face looks a little below complete devastation.” Mr. Davidson wiped his hand over his comb-over and then shuffled some papers on his desk. “Chase, don’t overthink this. You’re a young, smart guy. You’ll find something else.”
Chase didn’t feel young and smart. He felt old and anxious. Becoming a legal guardian at age nineteen would do that to you. But he understood why Mr. Davidson had warned him. Chase didn’t have a college degree. He was a single guy with a house full of younger siblings who relied on him. His whole life revolved around having a steady job and then going home and making sure everyone ate something besides candy for dinner.
But strangely, his thoughts only flitted to Tyler, Beth, and Gabby momentarily. He was thinking about Ashley. In three weeks, he’d never see her again. And his opportunity to finally tell her how he felt would be gone.
He should never have lied about having a girlfriend. Once, when he was walking her to her car, she’d hugged him and told him what a good friend he was. Good friend. That’s all he’d ever be to her. It shouldn’t have stung, but it did. So he told her about a new girlfriend to make himself feel less pathetic. She’d been so happy for him, her eyes lighting up with genuine excitement. Turns out, it didn’t make him feel any less pathetic.
