Gemotions

He stared at the spreadsheet, a jumble of numbers and formulas that represented the last five years of his professional life. "Right, so you'll want to filter by date range, then sort by…" he trailed off, unable to keep the curtness from his voice. The new guy, Mark, was annoyingly eager. The guy kept asking questions and scribbling down answers that were, to him, the keys to unlocking the kingdom. He, James, knew them already.

He rubbed his temples. The office felt cramped, suddenly. Every laugh and every conversation felt loud and grating. He shifted in his chair, the squeak of the leather a stark reminder of the slow erosion of his position.

He wanted to tell Mark about the dead ends, the projects that had failed and how he had dealt with them. He wanted to tell Mark about the small victories, the times when he had made a difference. He just wanted to leave now.