Read an Excerpt from “Resurrection Sunday”
John Dyer glanced at his watch as he placed the key in the car’s ignition. “Only two p.m.,” he sighed. He looked into the rear-view mirror and watched the other employees going to their vehicles. Never in my twenty years at Carrier Air Conditioning Systems have I thought I would be laid off—just like that—without any prior notice whatsoever, he thought.
John Dyer and five of his co-workers had been summoned by Mr. Davies, their manager, to meet with him in his office. John thought it was going to be another meeting to discuss a problem or a new opportunity, but what he heard hit him like a ton of bricks.
“Gentlemen, I have some unfortunate news for you,” Mr. Davies said. “The company has downsized to keep costs under control, and we’ve decided to let you go two weeks from now. I’m sorry.” Davies paused and looked down at his clasped hands. “I hate that we’ve had to do this… but if I can help you in any way—”
“Yeah, you can give me my job back,” one employee said.
“Mr. Davies, I invested fifteen years of my life here at Carrier. You can’t just drop me like that,” another employee said.
“How am I supposed to take care of my wife and children?” a third employee asked. “Two weeks is not enough time to find a job with comparable pay. Do you know what the job market is like out there?”
“Men, I understand what you are going to go through. I was without a job for a few months before I secured one here,” Mr. Davies said. “All I do is deliver the mail. I wish I didn’t have to. Any complaints you have, you’ll have to take it up with higher management. I tried to put in a good word for each of you, but that didn’t help.”
“Do you know of any job leads, Mr. Davies?” John Dyer asked.
“John, I wish I knew of some right now, but I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. Feel free to use me as a reference. I’ll definitely put in a good word for you, and good luck.”
John shook hands with Mr. Davies before following his co-workers out the door. “Thank you for all you have done for us. It’s been great working here.”
Mr. Davies was touched by his kind words considering the bad news he had just delivered. John had always been a good worker. “I’m sorry, John. I wish I could have stopped it.”
“What are you going to do?” Marvin asked John as they walked down the hallway back to their work room.
“Beats me,” John replied with a shrug of the shoulders. “Try to get another job somewhere, I guess.”
“Yeah, if you can find one.”
