20 In 5 -- Vol. III -- Time After Time

By Gil C. Schmidt

“Well, this is the big day, huh?”

One door closes, several open.

Erving ducked his head in that funny way he had and smiled a bit. After almost a month of these countdowns, he was very aware of what day it was. The last Friday of September, a soft fall day with barely a hint of winter in it. A normal day in the lives of almost every employee in Barrington Enterprises. Almost all of them, for this Friday was Erving’s last. He was retiring after 37 years on the Barrington payroll.

Paul slapped Erving on the back, making the smaller man wince. “Ready for all that fun in the sun, Erving? God knows you’ve earned it.” Paul’s high nasal voice gave everything he said a mocking tone, though his heart was often in the right place. Erving nodded as Paul added: “Must be great to know you’re heading for good times.”

The staff had been preparing a little ceremony, scheduled for four o’clock, a kind of early Happy Hour to honor Erving. No one had been with Barrington Enterprises for so long, a daily presence through the early days when the firm had barely held its own against the war profiteers and then through the chaotic days of the post-Cold War era, when other firms diversified themselves into dissipation.

“Erving?” The smoky voice made him look up from his final report. It was Lisea, the Human Resources manager. She was smiling, but her eyes looked distant. “Have you filled out your pension deposit form? I can’t find it.”

Shuffling a pile on his desk, Erving pulled out the form. “Here it is. I haven’t filled out the address yet. Can I drop it by your office later on?”

--


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