text: Some people go crazy when they get laid off. A lot of companies see a dip in profits, because the demand for their services goes down. It’s not always in their control. But they keep their heads above water with a simple equation: the number of orders equals the number of staff. So when the demand goes down, turnover always goes up. It’s really that simple. X equals y. Whoever they can afford to lose to keep themselves afloat, they cut. It’s a kind of amputation with no anesthetic for some of the people they let go. They put *years* of time and effort into their jobs and build themselves up. Day in and day out, they prove themselves not only worth keeping, but worth going up the corporate ladder. They believe that enough hard work would give them just rewards. But that isn’t in the equation. A simple x equals y doesn’t care, and the realization hits hard. Imagine this. You get a job in an office like plenty of other middle-class people. You value doing your best every single day. You’re new, so you don’t have a good reputation, or any at all for that matter. But that’s fine. That doesn’t matter because you can *show* people what you’re made of. It’s not a six-figure gig or anything glamorous, but you’re grateful to have it. You’re thankful because it lets you pay the bills, feed your family, and even be comfortable. Weeks of repetitive work go by. The labor gets under your skin occasionally, but you don’t let it become a bother. It’s tiring giving extensive overtime, but the paychecks are worth it. Knowing that life is stable drives you to keep going. Months pass. Having food on the table is never a question. Paying all the bills on time and pocketing a little something for yourself isn’t a problem. People take notice of you. They see your performance is above average, but that’s being modest. They know you’re excellent as an employee, and so do you. After all, the managers share the performance reports with you for your evaluations. You’re there for a couple years now. The quality of your work hasn’t dipped much. Coworkers go to you with their questions when management is right next to them. Talk of a possible promotion goes your way. You don’t say it out loud, but it’s clear that you deserve it. The promotion to lead isn’t something huge, but you’re beginning to step up the ladder. Confidence is growing inside you. You go to work every day with a smile on your face. A goal was achieved: you never stopped proving yourself. It was only a matter of time before management congratulated you on the promotion. The job becomes a piece of who you are. And that because it isn’t just a job anymore. It’s a career, and a future looks promising. You deserve it. Your spouse knows it because of all the overtime given to feed the family. Your kids know it because there’s a growing college fund, and it’d get bigger at a faster pace from here. One morning, the boss comes to your desk with a grin. He shakes your hand. He tells you how happy he is to promote you to a team lead. Your eyes brighten with excitement. There was no way to be prepared for how soon the day would come. The family’s excited. They’re thrilled to see how happy you are. Years go by still. You’re well adjusted to the new role at work. Bosses tell you they can depend on you. The worker bees love you. But one day, not even half an hour after finishing a long shift, there’s a phone call. You don’t know the number off hand but pick up anyway. The voice on the other end says not to go to work tomorrow. The company no longer needs your services. Those words hit you like a brick dropping on your skull. Clearly there’s a misunderstanding. You just didn’t hear that right. The person on the other end confirms. The company no longer needs your services. Do *not* go to work tomorrow. Tears well up. Your spouse hears the sobs and asks what’s wrong. It’s terrifying to process, let alone tell the truth. But what’s the point in lying? You don’t have the heart to put up a façade. Days pass and you still don’t have a job. Bills are right around the corner. You look back at your bank history, realizing how careless spending was. You feel like a failure. You start asking why they cut you just like that. If having you wasn’t worth it, why didn’t they address the problem? But another realization hit. Those slimy bastards never intended on keeping you. They only wanted to squeeze you dry until a little dip in profits showed up. You apply for tens of jobs online every day, but nobody bites. Food is running out, and bills are piling now. Perhaps you see why some people go crazy when they get laid off. I sympathized pretty quickly when that scenario happened to me, but I kept my cool. The best thing to do was keep my chin up and never stop looking forward. Cracking under pressure wasn’t going to feed my wife or kids. It was ironic how one day, a promotion came walking down my path, and just as unexpectedly, so did the threat of eviction. I had to solve the problem, and *fast.* But I realized something else. Some people got taken back to the same companies after getting laid off. So that was my new plan of action. And what better way than prove myself that I was worth keeping? In the morning, I showed up like in the first interview. I wore a crisp, clean suit, hair was well-groomed, and face shaved down to the skin. The one difference? My same briefcase for work was in hand. I wasn’t ready to give up on my career, and the bosses would see that. It felt great to walk down the parking lot and to my building like in the old days. Other staff recognized me and asked how I was. I told them great, because I was coming back. They were delighted to hear the news. The only problem was that I obviously didn’t have my new badge yet. It was against company policy for security reasons, but they scanned their badges to get in and let me piggyback. Somehow, my desk was still empty. I figured they would’ve found someone else to fill the void, but it was nice to know I was wrong. The plan wasn’t even talking to the boss. In fact, it was much easier than that. I set my briefcase on the desk and *clicked* the latches open. And from inside the briefcase, the homemade poison gas emitted, and spread throughout the room.