The Last Day

aaaaaaThe break room was quiet, the only sound being the drip of the coffee machine. The weather outside was gloomy, with cloudy grey clouds covering the Seattle suburb. Sheryl and John waited by the table, the rest of their coworkers only just getting into the office. She’d woken up early, put on extra makeup and her favorite gifted broach. John stared down at the table. 

aaaaaa“What kind of cake is it?” He asked.  

aaaaaa“Chocolate. Your favorite.” 

aaaaaaAs the machine finally stopped, they both got up to fill their mugs. As soon as John’s mug was full, he grabbed the milk out of the fridge and set it on the counter. Sheryl then poured it over her coffee before setting it back in the fridge. At this point it was a practiced routine. 

aaaaaa“Do you have anything planned for tonight?” She asked.  

aaaaaaHe nodded. “Carol and I are going out to dinner. We already have a reservation at that steakhouse that you recommended to us.” 

aaaaaa“I should give you guys my gift card.” She said. “My son gave it to me a while ago, but I never got around to using it.” 

aaaaaa“There’s no need,” John replied. “I should be getting a big bonus after today.” 

aaaaaaAs they looked through the window to the rest of the office, Sheryl’s eyes landed on their desks. Both of them pushed together, the same way they were thirty-two years ago when she first started.  But when tomorrow comes, his desk will belong to someone else. A stranger.  

aaaaaa“Are we still on for lunch?” He asked.  

aaaaaaShe nodded. “I think Craig is having a lunch party with the rest of the office for you, but we can do something else if you want.” 

aaaaaaHe shook his head. “I think lunch will be fine. Will I see you there?” 

aaaaaa“Of course.” She replied.  

aaaaaaAs he picked up his coffee, he smiled and walked out of the break room. She just watched. In the time that they’ve worked together, they’ve both got married, had kids, and attended countless life events. Every morning they’ve gotten together for coffee, talking about the day. Every other employee that she’d started with has either come or gone. They’ve either retired, gotten fired, or moved on to something better. He always stayed.  

aaaaaaThroughout the party, he talked to everyone. She did too, but it wasn’t the same. It’s almost as if he was avoiding her. Time moved quickly. Too quickly. Minutes turned to hours, and hours turned into the entire day passing by in the blink of an eye.  

aaaaaaAs the clock struck five, Sheryl waited anxiously at her desk. Most of the newer kids used the retirement party as an excuse to sneak out early, not that Craig minded. He’d always been a lax manager. John, however, remained vigilant at his desk, even as everyone else filed out through the door. 

aaaaaa“Are you ready?” She asked.  

aaaaaaHe made no motion to leave his chair. His coat still hung over the back of it, his briefcase still hidden under his desk. He’d cleared out most of his stuff yesterday, including the picture of his wife and kids that’s been there for the last decade or two. His desk was devoid of anything personal, and yet he stayed.  

aaaaaa“I don’t think I can leave just yet.” John revealed. “I don’t think I’m finished.” 

aaaaaa“That can’t be true John, you have a family to get back to.” Sheryl breathed deeply, nodding to herself. “Nancy needs you back home, I’m sure she’s waiting for you.” 

aaaaaa“Oh, she is.” He said slowly. As he looked back up at her, she turned her chair. “But I’m not worried about her right now.” 

aaaaaa“Well, that’s ridiculous.” Sheryl replied. “Who are you worried about anyway.” 

aaaaaa“You,” he said. “I’m worried about you.” 

aaaaaa“What are you talking about?” Sheryl sputtered. “There’s nothing for you to worry about with me, I’m doing just fine.” 

aaaaaa“No, you’re not.” John responded. “Which is fine, but I think you need to start thinking about your future. I’m worried about you.” 

aaaaaa“Why?” 

aaaaaa“Because you don’t know how to move on.” He revealed. “I know that you were able to retire a year ago but didn’t. That’s fine of course, but you never change. You wear the same clothes that you did before, you go to the same places. You won’t get a new car even when yours is on the verge of breaking down. You need to move on.” 

aaaaaaSheryl shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

aaaaaa“You don’t want to move on from Gene, and that’s fine, but you need to take care of yourself. You can’t keep pretending that your life hasn’t changed, because it has. I won’t be here to help you anymore. I’m moving on, and you should too.” 

aaaaaaSheryl looked down at the floor, breathing heavily. “Did I tell you that Gene wanted to retire down in Florida?” 

aaaaaaHis eyes softened. “No, you didn’t.” 

aaaaaa“Well, we bought a house down there just before he passed.” She cleared her throat. “Close to where I grew up. I haven’t been there in years because it’s too far away, but my boys’ vacation there sometimes with the kids.” 

aaaaaaGene bought them the house and less than a year later he passed. They’d brought the kids along to visit during the trip. It was easy considering they lived close by, only a couple hours journey from the property. They were both married but it was before they had kids of their own, before they had responsibilities that kept them from the impromptu visits. They had a picnic in the park, visited the local restaurants and figured out everything that they were going to do when they finally moved down there.  

aaaaaaThe picture that they’d taken of the trip still sat on her desk, the last full family trip that they’d ever taken together.  

aaaaaaIt was this trip where Sheryl realized that they were getting older. That he couldn’t get around as much as he used to. She assumed that his fatigue was normal at their age. She’d been getting more tired too.  

aaaaaaShe couldn’t have known that the cancer in his liver had spread so far that treatment was no longer an option. No one could’ve known.  

aaaaaaAfter he got tested, he made sure that they took this one last trip. She knew that Gene must’ve suspected that the results wouldn’t be good. He made sure that they decorated the house, barely adding any of his own opinions. Insisting that she spared no expense in choosing what she wanted. It was only afterwards that she realized why. He was making sure that her house was ready. He knew that he would never get the chance to live there.  

aaaaaa“Maybe you should go.” John said, pulling her from her thoughts. She just stared at the picture frame on her desk. “You should have more than enough savings to retire down there, maybe even getting a part time job to fill your days.” 

aaaaaaShe shook her head. “I can’t leave.” 

aaaaaa“Yes, you can. It’s been seven years.” 

aaaaaaShe shook her head again. “I can’t leave Gene. He’s buried here.” 

aaaaaaJohn sighed, stepping closer. “Gene was a good friend of mine just as he was a good husband to you. Do you really think that he’d want you to work yourself to death, many miles away from the rest of your family?” 

aaaaaaHis words struck a chord with Sheryl. She paused before shaking her head. “I just don’t know.” 

aaaaaa“Well, what are you unsure about?” 

aaaaaaShe shrugged. “Not anything in particular. I just don’t know if I’m cut out for change.” 

aaaaaaJohn took a deep breath. “I don’t think anyone is. I do think that that’s a change that you deserve.” 

aaaaaaSheryl hesitantly sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. Gene wouldn’t want her to stay this long, to still be stuck here years later. Even her sons knew that. As she brought up her email, her fingers tapped at the keyboard. 

aaaaaaAfter many years at the company, I would like to express my wish to retire. I intend to stay with you two weeks to a month while you try to hire someone to take my place. I has been an absolute joy to have worked here for the last 30+ years, and I hope we get to talk about this more on Monday morning.  

aaaaaaHer mouse hovered over the send button, until finally John leaned over and pressed it for her. She let out a sigh of relief. As they both walked out of the office doors and went down the elevator, neither of them said a word.   

aaaaaaHe will go back to his family, and she will go to hers. They said that they’ll talk on the phone or meet up every once in a while after she moves, but that won’t happen as much as they intend. They say that they’ll visit, but that won’t pan out. He’ll enjoy a peaceful retirement with his wife. Her children all say that they’ll come to Florida to visit her more and they will, but it’ll never seem like enough to her.  

aaaaaaThey don’t know it now, but that is how their friendship will end. With both of them forgetting to reach out, eventually moving on to something else.  

aaaaaaSheryl doesn’t have the energy to do much else. Moving will most likely be one of her last big life events. Everything’s changed, and for the most part she was the only one who hadn’t. Everyone else has come and gone, except for her. 

aaaaaaAfter one last hug, she stepped away from John and got into her car. She knew that this change was for the better, because the Florida house didn’t need to be locked away in memories and picture frames. It’s time for Sheryl to move on, into the future that she and Gene had planned. It was time for her to go home.