The Meltdown in Midtown III

I had made it as far as the reception area when it hit me that I had personal files on the laptop I was leaving behind. Still taking care to avoid eye contact with anyone, I about-faced and made for the laptop. The office creatures standing around with mouths agape did not stand in my way.

Once I had picked up the laptop in its carrier and again made for the exit, the junior partner moved as if to block my path. Without looking at him, speaking barely above a whisper, I advised "Whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it." He checked his motion.

I'll give it to the guy -- he had more stones than his partner pretended to have when he was chewing me out over the phone the previous day. Faced with the monster his big, fat, ignorant, arrogant mouth had created, that clown's lips were suddenly laced tighter than a baseball's cover.

Though, by now, Junior had given up the charade that he or anyone there was going to do anything "brave", he did ask me to surrender an expensive USB device critical to the business, and I did that. Clearly, there was concern that I was going to do something vindictive.

Fools. After 2+ years of working with me, they had no hint of who I am. Then and there, I had rescinded their license to say so much as "ouch" to me if I was standing on their collective big toe. The moment was about emancipation, not petty vengeance. I had ZERO interest in destroying them, their enterprise or anything or anyone connected to them. I said I wanted to clear my files off the laptop and that is what I meant, but I wasn't going to sit in the middle of that toxic dump of an office to do so. I wanted out and right away.

I walked briskly out of the office, down the hall and to the elevator bank. Just when I thought I had seen the last of the twin ulcers, I spied them sneaking down the hall, as if stalking me from afar. They were like the Terminator, only instead of simply shooting me, they threatened to annoy me to death. Damn those slow-ass elevators!

I turned to face them, shocked and dismayed that they had followed me. I guess the look on my face said it all because they stopped a good 20 feet away. Somberly, Senior inquired as to when they could expect the laptop. Through clenched teeth, I growled "Tomorrow!" As I said this, I raised my hand away from me at left mid-torso and with an abrupt sweep to the right, I summed it up with "You have my word on it!"