The Gift Of Goodbye

“Eeeeeehhhh…” The sound of relief escaped Evelyn as she felt a moment of excruciating pain in her upper spine. It was nearly 2 in the morning and she had been working all day on the marketing campaign for HealthyBites, a health brand and one of the most important clients of the firm, leaving no room for error. All eyes were on her, including the scrutinizing gaze of Charlotte, her boss. Despite the persistent back pain that had been nagging her for over a month, she pushed through, making the final touches to the presentation before finally hitting the sack an hour later.

From the moment she joined the firm almost two years ago, the pressure had been relentless. Her boss was a perfectionist—sharp, meticulous, and unyielding. It wasn’t uncommon for Evelyn to find herself working late into the night, responding to emails before sunrise, or rewriting an entire campaign, making her ignore her health most of the time. 

Next morning... The presentation went fairly well, at least to Evelyn’s expectations, which meant she would cement a top position in the promotion cycle, that was just around the corner.

But then, after lunch, Evelyn received a message from Charlotte asking her to come to her office. Her heart skipped a beat. Could this be the moment? Could Charlotte be calling her in to discuss a potential promotion, a recognition she truly deserved?

She walked into Charlotte’s office with a mix of excitement and anxiety, but what she heard next was the last thing she expected.

“Hey, Evelyn” Charlotte began, her voice oddly flat and eyes looking down. “The client really liked your presentation. They’ve approved the campaign.”

Evelyn stood still, a smile starting to form, but it quickly faded as she noticed Charlotte’s lack of enthusiasm and the way she couldn’t meet her eyes. Something didn’t feel right.

“But unfortunately, Evelyn,” Charlotte continued, “we’ll have to let you go. Your position is no longer required. You’re one of the best we have, but… it’s just not a good fit anymore. Hope you understand.”

Evelyn’s legs felt like jelly. The words barely registered in her mind. Fired? “All these years of hard work and constant efforts to live up to her boss’s expectations only to be told this…” Evelyn murmured to herself unable to bear any strength to complain anything to Charlotte, who was still looking down. 

“All those years of late nights, skipped meals, and constant striving to meet your impossible standards—only to be told that it wasn’t enough” Evelyn murmured to herself. She didn’t have the strength to argue. She simply nodded and left the room at once. 

With shaking hands, Evelyn gathered her things from her desk. She left the office in a daze, driving back to her apartment in silence. Alone. Although she never really complained about not having a companion, this was one of those moments, when she felt absolutely weak, in need of someone. 

Growing up, she learned that focusing majorly on work and being the most hard working person in the room is what will bring true success. That's how she survived school, college and now the professional world. 

Evelyn spent the rest of the day lying in bed, eating pizza and talking to her family, who tried their best to cheer her up and shift focus on looking for another job. 

It was 8 pm and while watching a random ad on a YouTube video, she was reminded that she should get herself checked for back pain and quickly booked herself an online appointment.

The following week, she went to see a doctor. The waiting room was sterile and quiet, but Evelyn couldn’t shake the nervous tension in her stomach. She hadn’t seen a doctor in years giving her better excuses to ignore the back pain. The thought of being told something was wrong—of being told she wasn’t okay—was almost too much to bear.

When the doctor finally examined her, he asked a few routine questions. He ordered an X-ray and some routine tests, just to be thorough. She wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary, but when the results came back, the doctor’s face grew serious.

“I’m glad you came in when you did,” he said, looking at the scans. “There’s something here we need to address.”

Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat. "What is it? Should I be concerned doc?"

The doctor hesitated, his fingers hovering over the X-ray images on the screen. “We’ve detected an early-stage tumor on your spine. It’s a rare type of tumor, but if it’s caught early, there’s a high chance of successful treatment. We’ll need to run more tests to confirm the exact nature of it, but this could be serious if it’s left unchecked.”

Evelyn stared at him, her mouth dry. It didn’t make sense. 

“Tumor?” she whispered. “How... how serious is it?”

“It's still in the early stages.” the doctor explained. “If you had waited much longer, the tumor could have spread or become much more difficult to treat. But because we’ve caught it now, there are many treatment options available. We’ll need to move quickly, but I’m optimistic."

Evelyn’s mind spun, her thoughts racing from the shock of it to the weight of the decision she now faced. She realized she had narrowly avoided something devastating. If she had kept pushing herself at work—kept ignoring the pain, kept neglecting her health—it might have been too late. The idea of continuing on the same path, too exhausted to listen to her body, too stressed to think about anything other than her next deadline, made her shudder.

Over the next few weeks, she began a series of treatments. The doctors were right—it wasn’t easy, but it was manageable. And with each appointment, each step forward, Evelyn got better and better.

Her family had arrived for her support. Although going through a rough patch, this was the first time she felt this good. The relentless meetings, working through the nights for presentations, her boss’s unrealistic expectation had almost made Evelyn forget herself completely. 

After the successful treatment, Evelyn recovered after a full rest of 3 months supported by her family, who was by her side. She felt a sense of joy and satisfaction. 

In a strange way, she thanked Charlotte. The pressure, the exhaustion, the constant grind—if it hadn’t been for the firing, Evelyn might have kept pushing until her body gave out in a way she could never come back from. She had finally been forced to stop and listen. And this gift from her boss was something that actually saved her life. The gift of goodbye!