“Oh, what do you want to study?” Tina asks.

“I’m thinking about becoming a teacher.” Dana says and smiles.

“Yeah, I remember you mentioned that you wanted to be a teacher since… forever. You should do it.” Tina says after a few moments of thinking.

“Yeah? You think so?” Dana asks.

“Yes, I do. Do it while you’re still young.” Tina says and smiles. She looks down on her watch. “Oh, I should get going. I’ll come by later. How long is your shift today?” Tina asks.

“I’m working until three, after that I guess I’ll be home.” Dana says.

“Okay, I’ll see you later. Thanks for the coffee.” Tina says and throws a dollar on the counter.

“You’re welcome, good luck.” Dana calls after her.

“Thanks.” Tina calls back and exits the small café.

She gets into her car and drive towards work. Once there she gets this weird and nervous feeling, like she will walk out of here today, for the last time. She enters the building and walks to her department, she checks her mailbox and sees a letter. She quickly takes it out of the box and move quickly to the ladies room. She enters a stall and takes a seat on the toilet. She tries to breathe evenly. After a few seconds, she opens the letter. She starts at the top.

“Dear. Ms. Kennard, we are sorry to inform you that there is no longer a place for you in E-net Computer Supply Inc. Due to more taxes from the government and the world market, we have to downsize our budget.”

“Damn.” Tina says out loud as she starts to cry. She continues to read.

“As a severance package, you’ll get a double pay this month and 5 months worth of salary. We hope that this is a little encouragement in this difficult situation.

You’ve been a great asset to our staff for 4 years and we intend to give you the best recommendation. And know you’ll do great in whatever you set your mind to.

Again, we the board are sorry about the situation you and we are in.

Your contract is being stopped today. Go by the economy department and give them your correct info on how you want the severance package handled. There you’ll also get info about the recommendation letter.