Life is full of surprises

And what doesn't kill you makes your stronger.  Or something like that.  Monday, my boss asked if I could meet with him in Charlotte on Wednesday.  Sure - hoping it would be a reasonable time since I had a flight at 2PM back to DC for client.  Despite my best efforts the only time he could meet was 9AM in South Charlotte.  I knew the company was reorganizing and I had never actually met the person I worked for so I thought - make the effort.  So Mike kept Zed overnight for my early morning dash downtown.  Imagine my surprise to discover the purpose of the meeting was to let me go. 

"Oh nothing personal"  we are downsizing, and it is immediate.  What -- I remind him the client has a big move this weekend.  We have been planning it for months, weeks.  Can't you let me finish this move and I understand downsizing, but let me do an orderly transfer of documents, schedules,,,,.  NO.  It is final and immediate.  So he turned the pages to show me how many people were being let go, and what page did he linger on-- the one where hubby's position and age were listed at the top.  I said so you are firing both of us???  Is everyone who came over from Strategic being let go.  Silence. 

So I signed the paper and left.  I called my client counterpart and said, will I won't be there this afternoon, I was let go.  I reassured them I would make sure all of the documents were transferred.  Same story for hubby but he turned in his computer, mine is still here.  It was more of a shock that anything and pretty darn unprofessional.  Who fires their Project Manager in the middle of a project that ends soon anyway.  My last move for this client is the weekend before Thanksgiving and I was looking forward to the time off.  Bruce was ready to quit anyway, the new management was bringing in the people he worked with at his previous gig.  So the handwriting was on the wall, we just didn't expect it mid-project. 

Who knows, today in the shock the client is saying they will hire me directly but that is easier said than done. But as they always say everything happens for a reason.  Just not sure about this one.  Good thing we hadn't rented a house for Thanksgiving! 

The biggest insult -- I even put on pantyhose and a skirt to meet my now former boss!  More to come as the saga goes on.