Alicia Roeth was happy and excited. On their last days at work, people could feel ecstatic for different reasons. Freedom from the clutches of a manager who reminds you of Idi Ameen, moving on to a better place that has promised to pay you a little more than the pea nuts that you now get, prospects of meeting the Prince Charming on his horse. Well, not Alicia. She has spent her last 4 years in this tiny firm with just about 40 employees, and never once complained about anything. She has helped build and establish this place; she was a part of it. And it was not money that was luring her away from it. Alicia had always wanted to do her Masters in a university that was almost 500 miles away from her current firm and resignation was the only way out. She was looking forward to being back to school and more than earnestly anticipating an enviable farewell!
Farewell, the act of saying good bye. Alicia was sure that her colleagues in the firm were planning a grand farewell for her behind her back all these weeks after she had given her notice. Damn it, they would miss her badly, won't they???
The first shock came 3 days before her last working day. A guy who was with them for almost 2 weeks was getting married and the team was giving him a 'Good luck' party. The 40 of them assembled in their largest discussion room and the speeches started. Their 2- time divorced general manager explained the importance of having a partner and about the virtues of commitment, loyalty etc. He also handed over the gift voucher (the gift varies according to your importance in the firm, Alicia usually decided it) with all his newfound friends wishing him good luck. As they were getting ready to leave the room, the omnipotent GM roared again. 'Dear team, as you all know, our dearest Ms Alicia Roeth is also leaving us in another 3 days, we would like to thank Alicia for her invaluable services to the firm and proceed to present her a tiny token of appreciation'. It was all wrong, Alicia wanted to say. This was definitely not what she wanted. Was this what her colleagues were planning for her? No Champagne? No party hall? She had envisioned a beautiful function in a well decorated room, where all her friends would smother her with their love, 'I would miss you' and yes of course, there would be some parting gifts too. She had stocked her tiny drawer also with enough gifts for all of them. She wanted them to remember her thus was leaving the marks behind to make it easier for them, not that she really thought they would need any to remember her! Her GM’s cacophony shook her back to the present, in the dingy discussion room, where she was handed over the indeed tiny packet, exactly similar to the one the rookie got. There was a round of customary applause and a moment later, the impatient team filed out of the room.
Now all that was 2 days ago, Alicia still had her last day to look forward too. The clubbing of her farewell with the rookie's good luck party was probably the GMs decision and you don't question the boss. Her colleagues still had some plans, she was sure of it. As Alicia stepped into her office for the one last time, she looked around and felt a weight settling in her heart. God! She would miss this place. Today was the big day, there would be tears and not just from her. She had sneaked in a large plastic bag in her bag to stack all the gifts she would get. She hoped that she would not have to call a taxi to carry everything home. The first distressing event of the day was that everyone seemed busy. She was the only person leaving and was hence free, but others still had work. Alicia found that reasonable and forgave her friends. At around 10 in the morning, she sent out a good bye mail to all, partly as a routine and partly to remind everyone in case they have forgotten. One liner replies like 'All the best', 'Good luck on your future endeavors’ etc shot back in an instant to her mail box. So when was the party? Lunch time and she got a few more messages and mails, most to clarify the doubts in the tasks she had already transitioned. Alicia stirred at the sound of every foot step near her cubicle, every time her phone beeped, at every mail she got, this must be the one. Around 6 in the evening, Alicia was among the 10 people remaining in the office. As a rule, most people left office before 5 on Fridays. Before they left, some shook hands with her, some gave her a customary peck on the cheek. There was no hint of a party or gifts.
10 minutes after 6, once she was sure everyone had left, Alicia got up from her seat. Slowly, she pulled out the gifts one by one, and placed it on her's ex-colleagues tables.
Ironically, when she left her home for 4 years, she felt no anger, no sadness, no remorse..just a feeling of being disinherited from one's family...