Gemotions

The file cabinet was locked. Again. Sarah yanked at the handle, her jaw tight. She had a deadline to meet, a project she'd been meticulously prepping for, and the key, she knew, was tucked away in those very drawers. Her mentor, Mr. Henderson, the man who had always been a font of knowledge, was supposed to be in his office. He’d guided her through countless hurdles. Now? He was gone. Poof. No forwarding notice, no final words of wisdom, just an empty chair and a locked filing cabinet.

Her fingers trembled as she reread the email from HR: "Mr. Henderson has retired, effective immediately." Disbelief warred with a peculiar heat rising in her chest. She stomped her way to the break room, the clatter of her boots echoing in the otherwise silent office. She needed coffee, strong coffee. Maybe then she could process the audacity of it all.