The company director fired me in front of everyone. Two hours later, he called me and said, “Dress up and meet me by the lake. Don’t tell anyone we’re meeting.” When I arrived, he asked me to take a photo with him… and the next morning, that photo was hanging on his office door.

Doors and windows
He remained silent for a moment.

“Because for the last five years, a lot of people here have worked hard to impress me. You were the only one who worked as if no one was watching.”

Then he looked at the photograph hanging on his office door.

“And that photo is staying there until the end of the day.”

I laughed.

“People are thinking terrible things.”

He laughed too.

“I know. But at noon, I’ll tell them the truth.”

When I left his office, the same people were still looking at me.

Only this time, I didn’t feel ashamed.

Karen was no longer there.

Kitchen and dining room
And, strangely enough, years later I still have that photo of the lake.

Not because I’m in it with my former boss.

But because that was the day I lost my job…

and the next morning I discovered that, in reality, he had never fired me.

He had only set me aside long enough to find out who I needed to protect the company from.