Don's expression confirmed it without his mouth having to. Marcus sat in the chair across from his manager and felt the particular cold calm that came over him in moments of significant threat, the same stillness he had felt in the weeks after the accident. When the practical emergencies of grief had required toward him to keep moving, even while his interior world was coming apart, his mind became very clear and very quiet. Based on what Marcus said, the firm's assessment of operational efficiency. They have a template for I want to see the assessment.
Don blinked. Marcus. The firm sent a preliminary report. Marcus kept his voice completely level. I have been running this department for 6 years.
My incident rate is 40% below the industry average. My maintenance costs came in under budget for the last 3 years. I want to see the document that says those numbers justify a reclassification. Don was quiet. Don Marcus said, "I'm not asking for a favor.
I'm asking to see the evidence that was used to make a decision about my position. " "That's a reasonable request. I'll see what I can get you," Don said. Marcus stood up. He buttoned his jacket a habit from his father. "You always left a table or a room looking like you owned both. " and he said, "Thank you for telling me. " Because he meant it and because he was not going to let the anger he felt alter the way he carried himself out of that room.
He went back to work. He finished his shift. He drove home, picked up Jallen from Linda's, made dinner, helped with homework, put his son to bed, and then he called Claire. He hadn't called her before. They texted, they talked in person.
The phone call felt like crossing a line. But the line had already moved without him noticing it. So he called. She answered on the second ring. Marcus.
Yeah, I'm sorry to call late. It's 9:15. I'm awake. He could hear her moving, settling somewhere, giving him her attention. What happened?
He told her all of it clearly without editorializing. The meeting, the restructuring, the reclassification, the numbers that didn't support the decision. He told it the way he told things. Factually in order with the relevant evidence presented cleanly. When he finished, there was a brief silence.
Okay, Clare said first. Are you all right? He considered the question honestly. I'm angry. Good.
You should be. Is the anger clean or is it eating you? He thought about what she meant. He knew what she meant. It's clean, he said.