My Boss Fired Me For Being Late To A $100m Deal After I Saved A Kid In Danger. Then, He Turned Pale.
Tea with Ray
Turning off my smartphone screen, I saw my own troubled reflection. I can’t show up at Ray’s house with a face like this.
Three days ago, I had received a call from Ray’s mother, Emily Smith. She had invited me to their home. I crossed the same crosswalk from that day and used a map app to find their apartment.
Pressing the intercom at the building, Emily and Ray came out to greet me.
“It’s been a while. Thank you for taking the time to come, though.”
“I wasn’t busy at all.”
I kept my response vague. She led me to the living room and served tea and cake. Thinking it would be polite, I asked about Ray’s father. He might be at work, but it was worth asking.
“Excuse me, is your husband here? If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to greet him.”
“My husband? We’re divorced.”
“Oh, I see. Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine.”
So she’s raising Ray alone.
“He’s the only family I have. I can’t imagine losing him. That’s why, Alex, you saved Ray’s life and mine as well.”
“No family? What about your parents?”
I asked, thinking she might still have them, but then immediately regretted my intrusive question. Everyone has their own family issues.
“Ah, sorry. Forget that question.”
“No, it’s all right. I haven’t seen my parents for a long time. As if they are not around anymore.”
“I’m really sorry to hear that.”
“Please don’t apologize. Today is about expressing my gratitude to you.”
Emily placed the handkerchief I gave Ray in front of me. It smelled of fabric softener and was perfectly smooth.
“Thank you for the handkerchief. You cleaned it so nicely.”
“Look, Alex, look!”
Ray suddenly spread out a paper in front of me. It looked like a math test, all answers circled in red with “100” written under “Ray Smith”. Ray is in first grade. He has a bright future.
“A perfect score! That’s amazing, isn’t it?”
“Sorry, Alex. He’s just excited about his first perfect score.”
“No, it’s wonderful.”
I felt warm and content listening to more stories about Ray’s school. It was a rare and meaningful time for me. He rarely talks to children. Time flies when you’re having fun, and it was soon evening.
The Truth Comes Out
As I was about to leave, Ray looked sad.
“Will you come again tomorrow?”
“Ray, Alex has work. Don’t be demanding.”
“Uh, well, I’m actually on leave right now. Kind of.”
“Oh, I see. Alex is fired, right?”
Ray blurted out the truth.
“What? Um, actually…”
I couldn’t hide it anymore. I briefly explained my situation. No matter how much I emphasized that it was all for my boss’s self-preservation, Emily turned pale.
“So you were fired because you saved Ray?”
“No, please don’t worry about it. I was planning to quit anyway, so it was a good opportunity.”
“But still…”
Emily lowered her gaze.
“I’m really sorry. If I had been there to pick him up…”
“No way. The truck driver was at fault, and you had work, right? Nothing is more important than Ray’s life.”
I said looking at Ray, who had fallen asleep on the sofa.
“He was so excited since this morning knowing you were coming over.”
“That’s an honor for me.”
I stood up trying to alleviate the awkwardness. Emily moved to carry Ray, but I offered to do it instead. I carefully picked him up and carried him to his bedroom, trying not to wake him.
“Wait, this bed…”
Ray’s bed was from the company I worked for.
“Is there something wrong with the bed?”
“No, I used to work for this bed’s manufacturer.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I really like their products. I was drawn to the idea of improving sleep quality in life. The policy has changed recently, but until then, I was really proud of what we made.”
“Oh, did you know?”
I found myself passionately talking about my favorite story from the company.
“This brand is the most popular in the company. The current president created it for his newborn daughter, wanting her to grow up healthy. It went through several improvements. Employees jokingly call it the ‘Doting Parent Bed,’ but it’s truly a great bed. Normally, babies wake up and cry as soon as they’re away from their mother, right? But with this bed, they seem to sleep so peacefully.”
“Is that so?”
Emily’s reaction was muted, and she seemed to be looking off into the distance. Maybe my story wasn’t that interesting.
“I got carried away. Well, hearing about the company that made your furniture might not be that exciting. Sorry for the strange story.”
“No, I can see how much you cared about your company.”
After quietly leaving the bedroom so as not to wake Ray, I promised to contact her again and left the apartment.
The Final Showdown
A few days later, having used up my paid leave, I went to my workplace for the final resignation procedure. It was my last day at the office. The president was there for an inspection, causing a bit of a stir.
“What are you doing here?”
Tomkins spotted me immediately. I hoped to leave without seeing him.
“I’m here for my final resignation procedure.”
“What? You haven’t quit yet? Just seeing your incompetent face annoys me.”
I ignored his comment and was about to walk past, but someone from HR called us.
“Tomkins, Simmers. The president wants to see you both.”
“What? The president? What did you do?”
“Nothing. I haven’t been here.”
I truly had no idea why we were called together. In the reception room, the president looked serious as we sat down. He turned to Tomkins.
“Is it true that you forced Alex to resign?”
Tomkins was caught off guard by such a direct question. Tomkins seemed as surprised as I was. He tried to remain composed as he answered.
“No, there must be some mistake. I don’t have such authority. He voluntarily submitted his resignation. It stated personal reasons, I believe.”
The president then looked at me.
“Is that true?”
“No. I was told I was fired for being late to a meeting and to submit my resignation that day.”
“That’s what I’ve heard from other employees as well.”
I hadn’t expected anyone to have looked into it. Tomkins was clearly startled.
“Tomkins, while being late is indeed bad and can affect our relationship with clients, addressing and preventing it is your duty. Why did you tell him he was fired? And did you just lie to me?”
He stumbled for words but then lifted his face, seeming to have thought of a rebuttal.
“With all due respect, President, it was this guy’s fault for being late to the meeting in the first place. Blaming me for his failure is misguided, isn’t it?”
“You knew the reason he was late, right? And yet you forced him to submit his resignation. Isn’t that true?”
“He said there was a child in danger of an accident, but that’s just a made-up excuse.”
“No, it’s not a lie. I really did stop…”
“Spouting nonsense! Where was this so-called kid anyway? It’s just your excuse!”
Tomkins yelled, forgetting he was in the presence of the president. Suddenly, the door to the reception room opened, and a woman and a child entered.
“What he’s saying is true.”
I was so surprised that I exclaimed out loud.
“Emily and Ray?”
“My child was about to be in a traffic accident, and Alex saved him.”
“Who are you people? Outsiders, get out!”
Tomkins shouted, causing Ray to hide behind his mother in fear. However, it wasn’t Emily who retorted but the president.
“Outsiders? Are you calling my daughter and grandson outsiders?”
“Daughter?”
