Three Little Words

Anne rubbed her eyes aggressively before she remembered the mascara she was wearing. “Crap,” she muttered, glancing at the smears and flecks of black that coated her fingers. Oh well, it didn’t really matter what she looked like. There was no other soul in the office with her. The clock at the bottom corner of her screen indicated it was close to eight in the evening. She needed to close down her computer for the night but there were a few extra details she wanted to include in this proposal. It was the culmination of six months of work and she was damn proud of it. Her superiors would be too once they saw it on Friday. Anne double-checked her calendar to make sure the meeting request for her third annual employee review was still there. It was. 

Sighing, she finally turned her computer off when her eyes began to cross. Anne collected her computer and turned off the desk lamp. The hallways of The Social Collective were silent but Anne liked the lack of noise. It reminded her of the good old days when the company was working out of a rented office with green walls and orange seating down on Fifth Avenue. Now, a year and a half later, they owned the entire floor of a downtown highrise. Everything was neutral tones of ivory, pale blue, and millennial gray. It was incredible how much they had grown in such a short amount of time.

“Goodnight, Howard,” Anne called out as she passed the security guard behind his desk. Howard, an older gentleman with a shocking white crew cut and soft blue eyes smiled back at her.

“Burning the midnight oil, I see,” Howard said, smiling broadly so the crinkles around his eyes were more prominent. Anne nodded. 

“Yep. I have a big proposal that I’ve been putting together for my employee review this Friday,” 

“Well, with how much time you’ve been putting in, it’s going to be amazing. I know it,” 

“I hope so,” Anne said, shifting the weight of her workbag on her shoulder. “Six months of work boiled down into eight pages and a ten-minute presentation.” Howard whistled.

“Wow,” the shock was evident in his voice. “They’re going to love whatever you put together, Mrs. Clark.” 

“Three years and you still won’t call me Anne?” She asked jovially. Howard chuckled and shook his head. 

“Security guard code of conduct. All tenants are Misses, Mister, or Miss. I don’t make the rules, I just follow them,” he explained, shrugging his shoulders. Anne couldn’t help herself as she laughed at the comical expression he gave her. Howard joined in, their teenage giggling echoing off the sterile white tile and crystal clear glass of the building lobby. 

“Alright,” Anne said, collecting herself after a few moments. “It’s time I go home and have dinner with my husband. Goodnight, Howard.” She waved to Howard who waved back.

“Goodnight, Mrs. Clark,” he said. 

Anne was still chuckling to herself as she marched across the empty parking garage to her car. No one had a designated spot but after three years, it was common knowledge that Anne parked on the second floor, the fourth spot from the stairs. In her car, she queued up the audiobook she’d been listening to on the way to work and began the trek home. This late in the evening, traffic was practically nonexistent so she easily traveled down the highway back to the small house she shared with her husband, Tyler, and their two dogs. 

The house itself wasn’t much, just a three-bedroom bungalow with two small flowerbeds in the front, an even smaller garden in the back, and a stone pathway with glow-in-the-dark stones that made her irrationally happy. It was pure chaos when she entered the little house as her two Staffies, Glinda and Elphaba, bounded toward her across the hardwood flooring. 

“Hello! Hello!” Anne cooed, leaning down to accept kisses from her two Staffies, Glinda and Elphaba. “How are my girls?” It was a flurry of toenails on tile, excessive whining, and wagging tails as she padded past them into the house. Tyler stood up from the couch in the living room to greet her. Anne dropped her bag onto the floor by the kitchen table with a thud and a sigh.

“Hey, pretty lady. How was your day?” he said and wrapped his arms around her. Anne mumbled something into his shoulder that he couldn’t hear. He leaned back to look at her face.  “What was that?” 

“Long,” she moaned. “I think I finally finished the proposal I’ve been working on.” 

“That’s great!” 

“It is, but I’m kind of nervous,” 

“Why? Tyler asked. “Don’t tell me it’s because you think it’s not good enough. You’ve been working hard on it for six months, seven if you count when it was initially assigned. And I know no one else at that place has worked as hard as you do these last three years or would put this much effort into their work. What is making you nervous?” 

Anne chewed on her bottom lip, unsure of how to voice her concerns. It felt irrational to say something like the vibes just feel off, but that’s exactly what it was. Over the last few days, she’d noticed a shift within her team. Fewer and fewer people had been actively engaging with her during work hours. Rarely did anyone ask her out to lunch or dinner, but it was even more pronounced these previous weeks, especially considering she had noticed others going out together. Anne had also noticed Tandy, her immediate supervisor, having multiple conversations with the director of their department. What was making her paranoid was she thought she heard her name be mentioned on a few occasions during those meetings.

One part of her heart told her to calm down. These fears were unfounded and she knew it, yet her heart still raced every time she thought about it. Anne shook her head in an attempt to dispel the overwhelming sense of dread that was now taking over her. 

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” she said, forcing out a soft chuckle. “Anyway, what’s for dinner? I’m so hungry!” At the word ‘hungry’, Glinda and Elphaba sprang to life at her feet. Their untarnished love and happiness brought a much-needed smile to her face. 

The next day of work was significantly less stressful for Anne as she was working from home. She dressed comfortably in sweatpants and a clean blouse since she would be on camera for a few meetings. Otherwise, it was a relatively quiet day. The dogs were on surprisingly good behavior as she led two meetings and participated in one with Tandy. 

“Alright, and everyone, don’t forget your annual employee reviews begin tomorrow,” Tandy said before ending their last meeting of the day. “I just want to say that I have enjoyed working with each and every one of you. Have a great evening!” The screen filled with her team members waving as though they were saying goodbye to a departing ship. Anne joined them, smiling as each person began to log off for the day. When her screen went dark, the smile dropped from her face. Why would Tandy say that? Was something going to happen tomorrow during the reviews? 

A shudder ran down her spine as remembered the way it seemed Tandy looked directly at her when she made her final statement. No, Anne said to herself as she pushed away from her desk. I’m just stressed and being irrational. She looked over at her dogs who were lounging, belly up by the office doorway. “Oh, to have your life,” she murmured, giggling as two tails rhythmically thumped on the carpet. She stepped over them, ignoring the frantic chaos as Glinda and Elphaba struggled to get up and follow her to her next destination, the kitchen. There, she found Tyler sitting at the bar, typing away at his computer. Slowly, he pulled his attention away from his screen and let his eyes travel languidly over her frame. 

“I love the Zoom dress code,” he said and Anne barked with laughter. 

“Me too,” she agreed, opening the fridge door. Rarely did she drink but after the day she’d had–scratch that, after the month and a half she’d had, she needed something stronger than water. From the fridge door, she pulled out a bottle of rosé that had barely been touched. She took her full wine glass to the couch where she was quickly accompanied by her girl, Glinda. The Staffie placed her head on her lap as though she were keenly aware of the anxiety coursing through Anne’s body. That’s the thing about dogs though, isn’t it? They always seem to know something before you do. 

As she climbed into bed that night, Anne thought about all the things she was grateful for. She had an amazing husband who supported her in everything she did. She had two healthy, happy dogs who were as close to children as she’d get these days. And she had an incredible job that paid well and allowed her to do the things she loved. What could possibly go wrong? 

Friday morning, Anne walked into the building with a pep in her step. Part of it was due to the overwhelming love she felt from Tyler. He’d surprised her with breakfast in bed and a new bag for her laptop, all in honor of her finishing the biggest project she’d worked on to date. Part of it was also anxiety. There was still a nagging fear somewhere in the pit of her stomach. Her fight or flight mode was being triggered and she couldn’t understand why. Regardless, she smiled at Howard as she strode through the lobby toward the elevator. She hummed along to the song that played over the speaker while she rode up to the fifth floor to help push the fear out of her mind. She felt almost fine when she finally padded up to her desk and pulled her laptop from her new bag. 

“Good morning, Rachel,” she said to the young woman who sat across from her. Rachel had been with The Social Connection just under three months and was very sweet when she wanted to be. She looked up from her phone and offered a tight-lipped smile in response before dropping her gaze. Anne smiled back, though considerably less friendly. She never considered herself a particularly talkative person, yet she always felt too verbose in comparison to Rachel. Overall, the interaction was another ding to the armor she’d just finished building but Anne refused to let it dull her shine. She squared her shoulders, rearranged the minimal papers on her desk, and turned her computer on to work through a few tasks before her employee review. 

That hour flew by and dragged at the same time. Anne felt like she almost couldn’t find any work to do yet she knew there was plenty of it waiting. When it was finally time to head into the conference room, she grabbed her laptop and a notepad. Fear gripped her heart as she walked down the muted gray hallway to the room they had aptly named the “fishbowl.” The conference room was just four walls of glass with a long oak table and eight chairs surrounding it. 

“Anne, good morning,” Charlotte, the owner of The Social Connection, said as she opened the conference room door. Tandy sat next to her with an expression Anne couldn’t read. Was it solemn or just exhausted? 

“Good morning,” Anne breathed. The solid glass door wooshed shut behind her. 

“How has your morning been?” Charlotte asked as she sat down in a chair opposite her. Anne smiled. 

“It’s been wonderful. Tyler surprised me with a new work bag. He’s more confident than I am that you are going to like my project proposal,” she said with some laughter. Charlotte and Tandy joined her, though altogether it sounded hollow in the glassy space. “So, should I pull up my presentation on the big screen?” She pointed to the television mounted on the wall perpendicular to the table.

“Actually, about that Anne," Charlotte began forcing Anne’s heart to freeze. She knew that tone. “We’ve called you in here today to discuss the future of the company.” 

“I see,” Anne said, her voice barely above a murmur. Every fiber of her being was screaming at that moment. 

“The Social Connection is growing at an unprecedented rate. And we are so grateful for your work, but unfortunately, we feel that you and The Social Connection are heading in different directions.” Charlotte’s voice was steady and rehearsed. She had too much personality for it to be cold but that meant nothing to Anne. She barely heard any of the things that came after that initial statement. A piece of paper slid across the table for her to sign. Notice of Immediate Termination was inscribed at the top in big bold letters. Specific words such as severance and effective immediately stuck out to Anne but everything else might as well have been gibberish. Three years of back-breaking work; six months dedicated to a project that she was excited about; all would be ripped away with the signing of her name. 

“Do you have any questions?” Charlotte’s voice cut through the buzzing noise that was growing increasingly louder in her head. Did she have questions? Hell yes, she had many questions! But when Anne tried to open her mouth, there were no words that would come. She physically could not speak so she simply shook her head. “Okay, well, we just want you to know that we are so appreciative of everything you have done for this company. You really did help us build this dream into a reality and we could not be more thankful for your contributions.” 

“Yes, Anne, you have done so much for our team. We are so grateful for everything you have brought to the table,” Tandy added. There was something in her tone that sounded false to Anne’s ears. She couldn’t fathom how someone could be so nice to her yet come across as so calculating now. 

“Do you have any questions for us?” Charlotte asked. There were still no words in Anne’s throat so she simply shook her head no. With that, Charlotte and Tandy said they would give Anne her space to read through the termination contract. They filed out awkwardly, neither of them looking at Anne or saying anything to her. When she was completely alone, she truly felt like a fish on display. Everyone could see in, from any angle, and watch as she struggled to maintain her composure. 

Everything she’d worked for, the career she’d been promised when she left her other job for this one at The Social Connection, was gone. The worst part was, someone else decided her fate for her and there was nothing she could do about it. In a trance, Anne signed her termination letter, collected her things, and walked out of the office. It felt like all eyes were on her but that was possibly the shame she was currently feeling. How could she have been so stupid? 

Howard’s surprise to see Anne so soon after she’d arrived did not go unnoticed. His head swiveled back and forth between her and the clock on the wall. “Leaving already?” He demanded, a jovial ring to his tone. Anne, still unable to speak, just nodded. “Okay, well, see you next Monday!” He said and she nodded curtly again. For some reason, she couldn’t tell him she wouldn’t be back. It was like admitting defeat. In her car, she caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror and only then realized that she hadn’t shed a tear. She and Charlotte had been like best friends for the last three years. Anne was an integral part of creating The Social Connection. Hell, she was the first employee Charlotte had after herself! And today, Charlotte had treated her like a disposable napkin. That should have brought hot, wet tears to her eyes, yet there was nothing. Charlotte essentially said, “You are fired,” and she hadn’t even batted an eye.

The car ride home was silent with only the noise from the road and an occasional engine revving to break it all up. Tyler, who always worked from home, was in his office right off the kitchen when she eventually made her way back into their home. Glinda and Elphaba alerted him to her presence with the overzealous way they showed love. He stepped out, reading glasses perched on the end of his nose, and a quizzical expression clouding his eyes. 

“Anne? Honey, what are you doing home so soon?” He glanced at his watch. “It’s not even lunchtime.” Anne didn’t reply. She seemed to be in shock. Instead, she just padded over to the living room and dropped her new work bag on the floor. It crumpled over to the side without a laptop inside to support it and the copy of her termination notice slid out to the floor. Glinda and Elphaba whined for attention when she fell backward onto the couch. Tyler, oblivious to the dogs' antics, picked up the paper. He had barely scanned the page when his shoulders dropped. 

“Oh, baby,” Tyler murmured and rushed to her side wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “What happened?” He asked. Anne wanted to tell him everything, but something was blocking her ability to speak. When she finally opened her mouth, a loud, rib-cracking sob broke free as though the weight of the world were crashing down on her. Hot, juicy tears poured down her cheeks and onto her pants. Tyler held her and rubbed her back occasionally. She continued to cry, unable to explain how three simple words felt like three-ton dream crushers.