The next morning, the staff gathered in the dining area, chairs awkwardly arranged in a semi-circle.
The manager stood at the front, his usual commanding presence even more pronounced today.
He cleared his throat, and a hush fell over the room.
“We need to tighten up,” he began, glancing around to ensure he had our full attention.
The meeting was long, filled with vague references to ‘improvements’ and ‘efficiency.’
But beneath the surface, there was an undercurrent of something else—something unspoken that everyone seemed to feel but no one dared to voice.
As he laid down new rules, I noticed the furtive glances exchanged among my coworkers.
A sense of unease settled in, as if we were all waiting for something to happen.
The woman from last week was never mentioned, but her absence felt palpable, a ghost haunting the proceedings.
When the meeting finally ended, we dispersed quietly, each of us lost in our thoughts.
