Swan Song

It was snowing in Cindy’s office. Icy powder fell from carefully engineered nozzles hidden in the ceiling. It was the perfect use of the former medical building’s water purification systems and the cooling loop that used to keep medicines stable. A few taps on her tablet replaced the powder with big flakes of wet snow. She would be able to make a snowman during lunch.

Another quick glance at the temperature readout confirmed cool breezes coming off Winter Wonderland were posing no threat to her collection of rare orchids in Tropical Paradise. She sighed, stretched, and offered a prayer of thanks to Missouri taxpayers for their contributions. Working in public education had its benefits.

A polite knock at her door brought her out of her reverie. Before she could decide whether to be annoyed or victimized by the interruption, Cindy was faced with a woman she did not know. The intruder stepped confidently into the office and closed the door behind her. She glanced about the room before turning back to Cindy.

“Cindy, I am Bev Channing, from Sixth Floor.” A smile, professional, only the smallest hint of warmth. Cindy was left with no choice but to shake the woman’s hand. “I apologize for not calling ahead. There has been a change in management. We are trying to get you moved before people start talking.”

“What do you mean you want me to move?” Cindy asked defensively. “This is the first I’ve heard of any changes in management. Why isn’t Jorge telling me himself?”

Bev motioned toward a set of tufted chairs finished in creamy linen. “Jorge is no longer with us.” She waited for Cindy’s shock to subside before continuing. “I am led to understand he had a one-on-one with Justine from Information Architecture this morning. After complimenting her on her fitness regimen, he complimented her on the bounce of her boobs at her age.”

A faint smile crossed Bev’s face before being replaced by cool professionalism. “It was at this time, as I understand things, that Jorge learned that Justine was on a Romanian boxing team back in college, when her name was Justin. Jorge also learned a bit about what it might be like to have his gender somewhat altered. He is going to have a bruise for a few days.”

Cindy stared at the other woman’s face in horror. She knew Jorge had a tendency to make inappropriate comments about some of his female employees. She never imagined he would be so bold — or stupid — as to say something directly.

“Naturally, Jorge was fired,” Bev said calmly. “Justine is taking early retirement, with a suitable stipend for handling things professionally.”

After a brief pause, she continued. “That brings me to the reason for my visit. We think this is a good time to do some deferred maintenance on the aging organizational structure. We would like to offer you a position on Third Floor. You won’t have a team, but you won’t have any responsibilities either. Think of it as our way of thanking you for doing a stellar job in spite of Jorge.”

“What will my teams think? I can’t just abandon them.” Cindy could feel her heart racing. It was too much change, mixed with so much relief. Jorge was gone.

“They will think what they always think when things change. Management is inept. No one thought about all of the important systems and projects that will be affected. The list goes on.” Bev rolled her eyes and waved her hands dramatically. “Trust me. Your teams will hate the changes. They will hate the new managers. They will hate their jobs. And they will miss you so much.”

Cindy wiped moisture from her eyes. “That sounds wonderful.”

“You agree, then.” It was a statement rather than a question. “Perfect. The movers will bring your things to the new office while your teams are in a meeting. I think you will enjoy having a window. Now, let me show you where we hid the elevator you will be using.”

With that, Bev ushered Cindy into her new life.