Sad Day at Work

It's been sad because today has seen four of my fellow workers made redundant. We were already down to the smallest workforce since I started here thirteen years ago. Now we are down to eleven.

One of those gone is my former assistant in the Legal Cashiers Department, Ben, who has been here six years now. He's only twenty-five and I am sure he will soon get something else, but I'll miss our conversations on everything from books, films, computer games and DVDs - and how to set the world to rights.


Things haven't been going well for a while here, though - we are an ailing firm of solicitors - and I am far from sure whether my own job will still be here in six months time. The only positive point for me is that I'll be entitled to a substantial sum in redundancy pay if and when this happens. In the meantime, we still have the bookshop, which my wife runs in Oswaldtwistle. We haven't had it open to high street shoppers for a while now, concentrating on internet sales. That way we save on business rates. If I do end up being made redundant - or the firm collapses - we may open the bookshop to the public again and see how that goes.

But, in the meatime, I'll miss the people who have left us today, especially Ben. This building is looking emptier all the time. I'm on the top floor and there's only me here. Me and my computer.