His wife had left years ago; the grown-up kids rarely called.
At work, manager after manager had suffered his ‘standing up for his rights,’ his passive aggression.
Yes! Retirement would finally free him from exploitation.
He sits in Starbucks, alone.
He’d gone for the Friday after-work drinks with former colleagues a couple of times since. But he was no longer one of them.
He never had been.
His request to return part-time was politely declined.
What was this empty feeling he couldn’t articulate or gripe about, this void which sucked out all life and hope?