My Boss Fired Me For Being Late To A $100m Deal After I Saved A Kid In Danger. Then, He Turned Pale.

Danger at the Crosswalk

On the day of the negotiation, I got off the train at a large station near the client’s location and walked down a busy street lined with office buildings and shopping malls. While waiting at a red light at the crosswalk, I noticed a little boy standing next to me wearing a backpack.

It was just past 2:00 p.m., so he was probably on his way home from school. Off this main road, there are residential areas, elementary schools, and middle schools. As a kid, I remember dreaming of becoming a pilot or a baseball player.

Lost in thought, I saw the boy start to cross the road. The light had turned green. I can afford to zone out now; I have an important business meeting, I thought to myself and stepped onto the crosswalk.

Suddenly, a truck turning right from the far end of the street, without slowing down, was heading straight for the crosswalk. The little boy was still walking across. He froze the moment he saw the truck, which didn’t seem to notice him and showed no signs of stopping.

Thinking he was about to be hit, I ran, grabbed his backpack, and pulled him backward. I embraced his small body and rolled onto the ground, landing on my back.

When I got up, the truck had passed by as if nothing had happened.

“Ouch. Are you okay, kid?”

I checked on the boy. He seemed stunned at first, but then realized what had happened and started crying loudly.

“There, there. It was scary, wasn’t it?”

I comforted him, stroking his head, and moved to a safe place. He didn’t seem injured, but he wasn’t in a state to go home alone. I wiped his tears with a handkerchief and handed it to him.

“Can you contact someone from home?”

He was still sobbing but managed to pull out what seemed like a child’s smartphone from his pocket and handed it to me without a word, seemingly trusting me.

“I’ll just borrow this for a sec.”

A Frantic Phone Call

I called a number saved as “Mom” on the phone. A woman’s voice answered.

“Hello, Ray?”

“Sorry, I’m calling on his behalf. My name is Alex Simmers, though…”

There was a moment of confusion, understandably so, hearing a stranger’s voice instead of her son’s. I explained the situation as calmly as possible to avoid alarming her.

“So Ray can’t talk right now. I’m calling in his place. Mom, can you come pick him up?”

After giving her our location, she said she would be right there.

“Your mom’s coming soon. Let’s wait here, okay?”

“Okay.”

The boy nodded a bit. I handed back the phone and then remembered something. My phone. I hope I didn’t miss anything. I took out my smartphone only to find a slew of missed calls from Tomkins. Reluctantly, I called him back, and he answered instantly.

“Just wondering, Alex, where are you? Making our client wait. What are you thinking?”

I was startled by his loud voice and accidentally dropped my phone. It switched to speaker mode, making his yelling even louder.

“Where are you now? Do you have any idea how important today’s meeting is? You’ve got 5 minutes to get here or you’re fired, no matter what the reason. We don’t need incompetence who can’t keep time.”

Then the call abruptly ended. Startled by the sudden outburst, passersby were giving me curious looks. I quickly put away my smartphone. Fired. It seemed the boy had heard everything. Whether he understood the meaning of “fired” or not, I didn’t want to look bad in front of him.

I had to seem like a reliable adult, or the kid would surely feel anxious.

“I couldn’t really hear. The call got disconnected.”

I put away my phone and asked, using the name his mother had mentioned.

“Your name’s Ray, right?”

“Yes, and you are?”

“I’m Alex Simmers.”

“Alex? I have a friend named Alex too.”

“Really?”

The Mother Arrives

Relieved to see Ray perk up, just then a woman calling his name came running. Ray reacted with a “Mom” as he saw her.

“Ray! I’m so glad you’re safe.”

His mother, tears in her eyes, embraced him. Ray used the handkerchief I gave him earlier to wipe her tears.

“Thank you so much. I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”

Ray’s mother seemed to be around my age, a very beautiful woman. Ray will probably grow up to be handsome too.

“No, it was just a coincidence.”

“Can I see you again, Alex?”

Ray asked, tugging at my shirt. His mom chimed in.

“Please, I insist. Let me properly thank you. I can’t just let this go. Also, this handkerchief belongs to you, Simmers, right? I want to wash it and return it to you.”

It felt wrong to refuse after such a request. We exchanged contact information and agreed to meet again later. I’m glad I could help Ray. His mom seems nice too.

After parting ways with them, I checked my watch and broke into a cold sweat. 10 minutes had already passed.

The Aftermath

I hurried but still ended up being 20 minutes late. Thankfully, the client wasn’t mad thanks to my previous good conduct. The problem was Tomkins.

As soon as I left the office after the meeting, he berated me furiously, unbothered by the startled passersby. I thought about the client witnessing this, but I, who was late, had no right to complain.

“Do you realize how important today’s meeting was? 20 minutes late? It’s common sense to arrive 20 minutes early.”

“I’m really sorry, but please listen. There was a child about to be hit by a truck.”

“So what? A random child or a business deal, which do you think is more important?”

I was shocked and appalled. He valued the deal over a human life.

“Making excuses is useless. You’re fired. Submit your resignation by the end of the day.”

“By the end of today? What about the deal? It was going well.”

“Why are you worried about that? I’ll take over. Anything you can do, anyone can do. You think you’re special or something? It was just good timing, right?”

Something inside me snapped. What’s the point of working under someone like this? Even if the deal succeeds, Tomkins will take all the credit.

“Understood. I accept being fired.”

I gave up on arguing further. I calculated my remaining paid leave, wrote my resignation, and submitted it to HR. Being forced to write “personal reasons” as my reason for leaving, I felt nothing anymore.

As I cleared my desk, I felt the stares of my colleagues.

“Alex, are you really quitting?”

A coworker who went to today’s meeting with me asked in a low voice.

“Yeah, it seems like I’m fired.”

“That’s terrible. Just for that?”

“I appreciate your concern. Take care of yourselves.”

“Hey Alex, what are you dawdling for? You’re so slow. Get out of here already.”

Shortly after, Tomkins rudely kicked me out. Later, I saw a disturbing article in the news online. My former company had launched a new low-priced product. It was clear that the reform faction had gained power.

I couldn’t keep up anymore. The company I loved no longer existed.