AT 6:47 A. M. ON A TUESDAY THAT WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING, I WAS FLAT ON MY BACK IN A CRAWLSPACE THAT SMELLED LIKE MOUSE DROPPINGS AND TWENTY YEARS OF BROKEN PROMISES, TROUBLESHOOTING WHY THE CEO’S FIFTEEN-THOUSAND-DOLLAR CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM WAS SCREAMING LIKE A JET ENGINE WITH A DEATH WISH. SOME CONSULTANT BACK IN 2019 HAD WIRED IT INTO THE SAME ELECTRICAL PANEL AS THE SERVER ROOM, AND APPARENTLY NOBODY THOUGHT TO CHECK THE AMPERAGE LOAD.

NOBODY BUT ME, THAT IS. BUT I REMEMBER EVERYTHING. EVERY WIRE. EVERY BREAKER. EVERY SHORTCUT SOME CONTRACTOR TOOK WHEN WE EXPANDED THE EAST WING IN 2014. TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF KEEPING THIS BUILDING ALIVE, AND AT THAT EXACT MOMENT, WITH A VOLTMETER IN ONE HAND AND A MAGLITE CLENCHED BETWEEN MY TEETH, I HAD NO IDEA I HAD LESS THAN THREE HOURS BEFORE HR WOULD CALL ME INTO A CONFERENCE ROOM TO TELL ME I WAS REDUNDANT.

FUNNY WORD, REDUNDANT. LIKE A BACKUP GENERATOR. YOU DON’T REALLY NOTICE IT UNTIL THE POWER GOES OUT. THEN YOU REMEMBER PRETTY QUICK WHY IT WAS THERE. MY NAME IS GREGORY MONROE. GREG TO ANYONE WHO’S EVER WORKED ALONGSIDE ME, WHICH USED TO BE JUST ABOUT EVERYONE IN THIS BUILDING. I’M FIFTY-EIGHT YEARS OLD. I’VE BEEN THE CHIEF BUILDING ENGINEER AT THIS TECH COMPANY SINCE 2002, BACK WHEN THERE WERE FIVE EMPLOYEES, ONE FAX MACHINE HELD TOGETHER WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE, AND DREAMS BIGGER THAN OUR BANK ACCOUNT.

THESE DAYS THEY’VE GOT TWO HUNDRED EMPLOYEES, HERMAN MILLER CHAIRS THAT COST MORE THAN MY TRUCK, AND A CEO WHO THINKS HVAC STANDS FOR HAVE A VERY ACCEPTABLE COFFEE. THAT MORNING STARTED LIKE EVERY OTHER MORNING FOR THE LAST TWENTY-ONE YEARS. ME UNLOCKING THE BUILDING AT 6: 47, TWENTY-THREE MINUTES BEFORE ANYONE ELSE, WITH THE ORIGINAL BRASS KEY THEY GAVE ME BACK WHEN THIS PLACE WAS ABOVE A THAI RESTAURANT AND WE COULDN’T AFFORD REAL OFFICE FURNITURE.

I KEPT THAT KEY ON A STEEL RING WITH THIRTEEN OTHERS, EACH ONE LABELED IN MY HANDWRITING, EACH ONE A LITTLE PIECE OF THIS BUILDING’S HISTORY THAT LIVED IN MY HEAD AND NOWHERE ELSE. THE CLEANING CREW HAD LEFT SOMEBODY’S TAKEOUT CONTAINER IN THE BREAK ROOM SINK AGAIN. SOMEONE FROM MARKETING HAD ABANDONED SUSHI IN THE MINI-FRIDGE OVER THE WEEKEND.

THE KOMBUCHA HAD EXPLODED. NOT TECHNICALLY MY JOB, NOT IN ANY CONTRACT I EVER SIGNED, BUT GUESS WHO SCRAPED FERMENTED TEA OFF THE INSIDE OF A SMART FRIDGE AT SEVEN IN THE MORNING? THIS GUY. SOME DAYS I FELT LIKE THE LOAD-BEARING WALL IN THIS BUILDING. INVISIBLE, TAKEN FOR GRANTED, ONLY NOTICED WHEN SOMETHING CRACKED.

I HELD EVERYTHING TOGETHER WHILE THEY BUILT FLOORS ON TOP OF ME, AND I DID IT IN SILENCE BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT YOU DO. THAT’S WHAT MY OLD MAN TAUGHT ME WHEN I WAS NINETEEN AND HE HANDED ME HIS 1952 CRAFTSMAN TOOLBOX AND SAID, YOU DO THE WORK RIGHT, OR YOU DON’T DO IT AT ALL. I KEPT THAT TOOLBOX IN MY TRUCK.

STILL HAD HIS SOCKET WRENCHES ORGANIZED THE SAME WAY HE DID. THAT TOOLBOX HAD MORE VALUE TO ME THAN ANY PLAQUE THEY NEVER GAVE ME OR ANY BONUS THEY NEVER THOUGHT TO OFFER. THE CEO THOUGHT I WAS MAINTENANCE. MY BUSINESS CARD SAID CHIEF BUILDING ENGINEER, BUT PHIL ASHFORD COULDN’T TELL A CIRCUIT BREAKER FROM A CAPPUCCINO MACHINE.

MY INBOX HAD FORTY-SEVEN HUNDRED UNREAD WORK ORDERS FROM PEOPLE WHO COULDN’T CHANGE A LIGHTBULB WITHOUT SUBMITTING A TICKET IN TRIPLICATE. AND I HANDLED EVERY SINGLE ONE, BECAUSE THAT’S THE JOB. THAT’S ALWAYS BEEN THE JOB. IT GOT WORSE WHEN THEY BROUGHT IN TYLER BROOKS AS THE NEW HR DIRECTOR. FRESH OUT OF GRAD SCHOOL, ALL TEETH AND BUZZWORDS.

KID WORE PATAGONIA VESTS BOUGHT WITH VENTURE CAPITAL AND TALKED ABOUT CULTURAL FIT LIKE HE’D INVENTED THE CONCEPT. PROBABLY THOUGHT UNION WAS A TYPE OF CARAMELIZED ONION. ONCE ASKED ME WHERE THE ETHERNET CABLE WENT. I TOLD HIM THE SAME PLACE HIS PERFORMANCE REVIEW WAS HEADED IF HE DIDN’T LEARN HOW THINGS ACTUALLY WORKED AROUND HERE.

HE DIDN’T LAUGH. I DIDN’T GO TO FANCY BUSINESS SCHOOLS. NEVER WORE A SUIT THAT COST MORE THAN A MORTGAGE PAYMENT. BUT I KNEW THAT BUILDING. NOT LIKE A PROPERTY MANAGER KNOWS A BUILDING, BUT LIKE YOU KNOW YOUR OWN TRUCK. WHICH PIPES MOANED BEFORE A STORM. WHICH THERMOSTAT FREAKED OUT WHEN HUMIDITY HIT SEVENTY PERCENT.

WHERE THE MAIN ELECTRICAL PANEL MADE A SOUND LIKE A RATTLESNAKE IF YOU OPENED IT TOO FAST. I’D KEPT THIS COMPANY BREATHING THROUGH POWER SURGES, PIPE BURSTS, SERVER ROOM FLOODS, AND FOUR CEOS WORTH OF TERRIBLE DECISIONS. AND THEY JUST FORGOT. NO RECOGNITION. NO HANDWRITTEN THANK-YOU NOTES. JUST ONCE, AFTER I STAYED UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO RESTORE POWER DURING AN ICE STORM THAT WOULD’VE COST THEM TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND IN LOST SERVER DATA, THE OLD VP GAVE ME A HALF-EATEN PROTEIN BAR AND SAID, YOU’RE A SAINT, GARY.

MY NAME’S GREG. AFTER A WHILE, I STOPPED CORRECTING PEOPLE. THAT LEASE, THE ONE THAT LET US SQUAT IN PRIME DOWNTOWN REAL ESTATE FOR A FRACTION OF MARKET RATE, I NEGOTIATED THAT BACK IN 2002 WHEN WE COULDN’T GET A LANDLORD TO RETURN OUR CALLS. COMPANY HAD FIVE EMPLOYEES AND COULDN’T EVEN GET APPROVED FOR A CREDIT CARD.

THE FOUNDER, RANDY FOSTER, SAT ACROSS FROM ME AT A DINER AND SAID, GREG, IF YOU DON’T CO-SIGN THIS LEASE, WE’LL BE WORKING OUT OF MY GARAGE. MY WIFE WILL KILL ME. I DIDN’T CO-SIGN IT. I SIGNED THE WHOLE THING. PUT THE LEASE IN MY NAME, USED MY CREDIT, BECAUSE NOBODY ELSE COULD. RANDY PROMISED IT WAS JUST TEMPORARY, JUST UNTIL WE GOT ON OUR FEET.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SAID HE’D TRANSFER IT TO THE COMPANY ONCE WE STABILIZED. I TRUSTED HIM. WE BOTH FORGOT TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT PROMISE, AND TWENTY-ONE YEARS LATER, MY NAME WAS STILL ON EVERY RENEWAL. AFTER THAT FIRST YEAR, IT WAS ALWAYS ME WHO HANDLED THE LEASE PAPERWORK. ME WHO DEALT WITH THE PROPERTY MANAGER. ME WHO COORDINATED THE HVAC UPGRADES, THE CARPET REPLACEMENTS, THE TIME WE HAD A WEIRD SMELL IN SUITE B THAT TURNED OUT TO BE A DEAD SQUIRREL IN THE INSULATION.

THEY NEVER ASKED ABOUT THE LEASE. NEVER EVEN THOUGHT TO CHECK. I DIDN’T MIND AT FIRST. BACK THEN, THEY FELT LIKE FAMILY. BUT LIKE MOST FAMILIES, THEY EVENTUALLY FORGOT WHO KEPT THE LIGHTS ON. YOU EVER WALK INTO A ROOM YOU’VE SPENT TWO DECADES MAINTAINING AND SUDDENLY REALIZE NOBODY SEES YOU UNLESS THE PRINTER JAMS OR THERE’S A POWER OUTAGE? THAT WAS ME. INVISIBLE UNTIL THINGS BROKE.

THEN SUDDENLY I WAS EVERYONE’S DAD AND JANITOR ROLLED INTO ONE, EXPECTED TO FIX EVERYTHING WITH A SMILE AND A CAN-DO ATTITUDE. SO I KEPT SHOWING UP. QUIET. COMPETENT. RELIABLE AS SUNRISE. THAT’S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU BELIEVE IN SOMETHING. WHEN YOU THINK LOYALTY MEANS SOMETHING. WHEN YOU STILL BELIEVE THAT DOING GOOD WORK WILL BE ENOUGH.

THEN CAME THAT MONDAY. HR SENT AN ALL-STAFF EMAIL ABOUT STRATEGIC REALIGNMENT OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH IN CORPORATE SPEAK IS LIKE THE MOB SAYING, LET’S GO FOR A RIDE. MY GUT WENT COLD. I’D SEEN ENOUGH EXECUTIVES CRY INTO THEIR LAPTOPS DURING LAYOFF MEETINGS TO KNOW WHAT WAS COMING. I WAS NEXT. AND I WASN’T GOING TO CRY.

I’D ALREADY STARTED REMEMBERING THINGS THEY’D FORGOTTEN THEY OWED ME. THE MEETING INVITE CAME AT 4:58 P. M. , JUST AS I WAS REPLACING A BURNED-OUT BALLAST IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM. SUBJECT LINE: QUICK SYNC WITH HR. NO CONTEXT. NO WARNING. JUST A CALENDAR EVENT DROPPED ONTO MY DAY LIKE A TURD IN A PUNCH BOWL.

I SHOWED UP THE NEXT MORNING AT NINE SHARP, WEARING MY DENIM WORK SHIRT WITH THE COMPANY LOGO I’D BEEN WEARING SINCE 2004, AND MY POLISHED WORK BOOTS. THOSE BOOTS HAD SEEN FOUR CEOS, ONE OFFICE FIRE, AND A BABY SHOWER THAT ENDED IN A VERY MESSY DIVORCE. THEY WERE MY ARMOR. TYLER FROM HR WAS ALREADY SEATED IN CONFERENCE ROOM B, SMILING LIKE A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR ABOUT TO EXPEL A STUDENT.

NEXT TO HIM, SOME GUY FROM LEGAL I’D NEVER MET BEFORE. SLICKED HAIR, EXPENSIVE SHOES, AND A FOLDER HE KEPT STROKING LIKE IT CONTAINED NUCLEAR LAUNCH CODES. GREG, THANKS FOR COMING IN, TYLER CHIRPED. WE WANTED TO HAVE A RESTRUCTURING CONVERSATION. THAT WORD. RESTRUCTURING. I’D HEARD IT BEFORE, HELD OTHER PEOPLE’S HANDS THROUGH IT, COVERED THEIR SHIFTS AFTERWARD.

I KNEW THE PLAYBOOK. FIRST THE SMILE. THEN THE FOLDER. THEN THE APOLOGY THAT WASN’T REALLY AN APOLOGY. WE’RE GOING IN A NEW DIRECTION, TYLER SAID. MODERNIZING OPERATIONS. I STARED AT HIM. THAT DIRECTION WOULDN’T HAPPEN TO INCLUDE ME, WOULD IT? SILENCE. THEN THE LAWYER SLID THE FOLDER ACROSS THE TABLE. INSIDE, A GENERIC SEVERANCE PACKAGE WITH MORE RED TAPE THAN A CRIME SCENE.

THREE MONTHS PAY. NDA CLAUSE. HEALTH INSURANCE UNTIL THE END OF THE QUARTER. REAL GENEROUS. THE LETTER DIDN’T EVEN GET MY NAME RIGHT. CALLED ME GREGORY J. MUNROE. TWENTY-ONE YEARS AND THEY COULDN’T SPELL THE NAME ON THE LEASE. WE’RE ASKING FOR YOUR BADGE AND KEYS TODAY, THE LAWYER ADDED, MONOTONE. ALSO ANY COMPANY PROPERTY IN YOUR POSSESSION.

I TOOK A BREATH THAT COULD’VE CRACKED CONCRETE. REACHED INTO MY BAG. SET THE BADGE ON THE TABLE LIKE A POKER CHIP I WAS DONE PLAYING. NEXT, THE KEYS. ALL FOURTEEN OF THEM, LABELED IN MY HANDWRITING FROM 2004, BACK WHEN I STAYED LATE TO REKEY THE ENTIRE BUILDING MYSELF BECAUSE THE OLD LOCK SYSTEM WAS A SECURITY NIGHTMARE.

YOU SURE? I ASKED, EYES LOCKED ON TYLER. HE BLINKED. I’M SORRY? YOU SURE YOU WANT THESE? I HELD UP THE KEY RING. LAST CHANCE TO THINK IT THROUGH. TYLER GAVE ME THAT HR FACE. SYMPATHETIC. PROFESSIONAL. FAKE AS MARGARINE. IT’S NOT PERSONAL, GREG. SURE IT ISN’T. I STOOD UP, BUTTONED MY WORK SHIRT, AND PICKED UP THAT SAD LITTLE SEVERANCE FOLDER.

YOU JUST FIRED THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS BUILDING WHO KNOWS WHERE THE MAIN WATER SHUTOFF IS. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT. I WALKED OUT BEFORE I COULD SAY SOMETHING THAT’D FEEL GOOD FOR TEN SECONDS AND COST ME THE NEXT TEN YEARS. THE SUN HIT MY FACE LIKE A SLAP. THE SIDEWALK HUMMED WITH PEOPLE WHO HAD NO IDEA THEY’D JUST WATCHED A BUILDING SIGN ITS OWN DEATH WARRANT.

I DIDN’T CRY. NOT AFTER TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF FIXING THEIR MISTAKES, CALMING THEIR PANICKED INTERNS, KEEPING THEIR PRECIOUS SERVERS COOL. THEY WANTED TO FORGET ME? FINE. BUT THEY’D FORGOTTEN TOO MUCH. I DIDN’T DRIVE STRAIGHT HOME. I PULLED INTO A COFFEE SHOP PARKING LOT, KILLED THE ENGINE, AND SAT THERE FOR A MINUTE.

THEN I CALLED LEO BISHOP. LEO WAS MY NEIGHBOR’S KID, GREW UP MOWING MY LAWN FOR TWENTY BUCKS AND COLD LEMONADE. NOW HE’S A REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY WITH A BLUETOOTH HEADSET PERMANENTLY ATTACHED TO HIS SKULL AND A NERVOUS TWITCH WHEN PEOPLE SAY THE WORD ARBITRATION. HE PICKED UP ON THE SECOND RING. GREG, EVERYTHING OKAY? NO, I SAID. BUT IT’S ABOUT TO BE.

YOU REMEMBER THAT LEASE WE DREW UP IN ’02? A PAUSE. THEN A LOW WHISTLE. OH. THAT LEASE. YEP. DO THEY KNOW? I SMILED FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT DAY. NOT A WARM SMILE. A DANGEROUS ONE. THEY JUST ASKED FOR THE KEYS. SO I THINK IT’S TIME I GAVE THEM EVERYTHING THEY ASKED FOR. MY HOUSE SMELLED LIKE WD-40 AND OLD CLINT EASTWOOD MOVIES.

MY WAY OF STAYING SANE. I DROPPED MY BAG BY THE DOOR, KICKED OFF MY BOOTS, AND WALKED STRAIGHT TO THE GARAGE WHERE I KEPT THE IMPORTANT THINGS. NOT IN A FILING CABINET. IN MY FATHER’S CRAFTSMAN TOOLBOX, RED METAL, DENTED TO HELL, 1952. TOP DRAWER, UNDER THE SOCKET WRENCHES: THE LEASE. I SPREAD IT OUT ON MY WORKBENCH LIKE A BLUEPRINT.

TWENTY-ONE YEARS OLD, COFFEE-STAINED, HELD TOGETHER WITH SPITE AND STAPLES. ORIGINAL LEASE AGREEMENT. SEVEN AMENDMENTS. A RECEIPT FOR THE LOBBY RUG I BOUGHT IN 2003 BEFORE THE COMPANY COULD AFFORD REAL FURNITURE. EVEN A CRAYON DRAWING FROM RANDY’S DAUGHTER, BACK WHEN THE OFFICE WAS ONE ROOM ABOVE THAT THAI PLACE AND SMELLED LIKE PAD THAI AND DESPERATION.

PAGE TWELVE. SECTION 9B. RENEWAL OF LEASE TERM SHALL REQUIRE WRITTEN NOTICE FROM LESSEE NO LATER THAN THIRTY DAYS PRIOR TO EXPIRATION. I CHECKED THE EXPIRATION DATE. AUGUST FIRST. TODAY WAS AUGUST THIRD. TWO DAYS LATE. THEY HADN’T SENT AN EMAIL. HADN’T MADE A PHONE CALL. NOT EVEN A CERTIFIED LETTER TO THE PROPERTY MANAGER.

THEY WERE SO BUSY CELEBRATING THEIR UPCOMING IPO AND PLAYING MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH EXECUTIVE TITLES THAT THEY FORGOT TO RENEW THE LEASE ON THE BUILDING THAT HOUSED THEIR ENTIRE OPERATION. I SAT BACK IN MY GARAGE CHAIR. CRACKED OPEN A COORS. A SMILE CRAWLED ACROSS MY FACE, THE KIND YOU WEAR WHEN YOU REALIZE THE UNIVERSE JUST HANDED YOU A WINNING LOTTERY TICKET.

THEY’D JUST FIRED THE LEASEHOLDER. AND NOW THEY WERE TRESPASSING. I PICKED UP MY PHONE AND STARTED CHECKING. INSURANCE POLICY? STILL IN MY NAME. HVAC SERVICE CONTRACT? RENEWED LAST YEAR UNDER MY DIRECT EMAIL. CLEANING SERVICE? THEY ONLY SHOWED UP BECAUSE I VENMOED THE MANAGER EVERY MONTH OUT OF MY OWN POCKET.

UTILITIES? ROUTED THROUGH A BUSINESS ACCOUNT I’D OPENED WITH THE CITY BACK IN 2005 WHEN THE POWER USED TO CUT OUT EVERY TIME SOMEONE MICROWAVED POPCORN AND PRINTED A DOCUMENT AT THE SAME TIME. EVERYTHING THAT MATTERED STILL RAN THROUGH ME. I WAS THE INVISIBLE INFRASTRUCTURE. AND THEY’D JUST ASKED ME TO LEAVE.

I COULD’VE WARNED THEM. COULD’VE SENT AN EMAIL WITH A SUBJECT LINE LIKE, HEY, YOU FORGOT SOMETHING IMPORTANT. THAT’S WHAT THE OLD GREG WOULD’VE DONE. THE GREG WHO BELIEVED LOYALTY WAS A TWO-WAY STREET. BUT THAT GREG GOT HANDED A SEVERANCE PACKAGE WITH HIS NAME SPELLED WRONG AFTER TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON.

SO I CLOSED THE LEASE FOLDER. I FINISHED MY BEER. AND I DECIDED, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWO DECADES, TO SHUT UP AND LET THEM WALK OFF THE CLIFF THEY’D BUILT FOR THEMSELVES. I WORE MY GOOD BOOTS TO THE MEETING WITH THOMAS WEBER, THE PROPERTY MANAGER. NOT BECAUSE I NEEDED TO IMPRESS ANYONE, BUT BECAUSE THEY MADE A SOLID SOUND ON MARBLE FLOORS.

I WANTED TO BE HEARD COMING. THOMAS LOOKED UP FROM HIS COMPUTER WHEN I WALKED INTO HIS FOURTH-FLOOR OFFICE. HE WAS THE KIND OF GUY WHO HAD SEVENTEEN DIFFERENT HIGHLIGHTERS ON HIS DESK AND ALWAYS SMELLED LIKE FRESH PRINTER TONER. GREG, HE SAID, SURPRISED. DIDN’T EXPECT TO SEE YOU. I SMILED. JUST HERE TO CLARIFY SOME THINGS ABOUT THE LEASE.

I PULLED OUT MY FOLDER AND HANDED HIM THE DOCUMENTATION. ORIGINAL LEASE. ALL SEVEN AMENDMENTS. EVERYTHING PRISTINE, RIGHT DOWN TO THAT CRAYON DRAWING FROM RANDY’S KID DURING OUR 2009 RENEWAL MEETING. I WANT TO CONFIRM SOMETHING, I SAID. THERE WAS NO WRITTEN RENEWAL REQUEST SUBMITTED BY JULY FIRST. CORRECT? HE CLICKED THROUGH HIS COMPUTER LIKE IT OWED HIM MONEY.

UH, NO. NOT FROM THE COMPANY. NOTHING LOGGED. I ASSUMED THEY WERE GOING MONTH-TO-MONTH WHILE THEY WORKED OUT A NEW DEAL. I NODDED. UNDER CLAUSE 9B, THAT CONVERTS TO MONTH-TO-MONTH TENANCY AUTOMATICALLY. WHICH MEANS EITHER PARTY CAN TERMINATE WITH THIRTY DAYS NOTICE. THOMAS LEANED BACK. HIS CHAIR CREAKED LIKE OLD KNEES.

TECHNICALLY, YES. I PULLED ANOTHER PAPER FROM MY BAG. THICK STOCK. OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD LEO HAD DRAFTED UP. I’D LIKE TO FORMALLY NOTIFY YOU OF LEASE TERMINATION. EFFECTIVE IN THIRTY DAYS. HIS EYEBROWS SHOT UP. WAIT, YOU’RE TERMINATING IT? YEP. AS THE LESSEE OF RECORD. I’VE ALREADY LINED UP A REPLACEMENT TENANT.

THEY’RE PAYING TRIPLE THE CURRENT RATE. THE NEW TENANT WAS A WELLNESS COMPANY CALLED BLOOM HAVEN, RUN BY A WOMAN NAMED MORGAN CALLAHAN. I’M MET HER AT A FARMER’S MARKET LAST YEAR WHILE BUYING TOMATOES, MENTIONED THE BUILDING SPACE CASUALLY ABOUT SIX MONTHS BACK. SHE’D BEEN WAITING FOR MY CALL EVER SINCE. YOUNG, LOADED WITH INVESTOR MONEY, DESPERATE FOR DOWNTOWN SPACE TO INSTALL THEIR MEDITATION PODS AND AIR PURIFICATION SYSTEMS.

THOMAS RAN A HAND THROUGH HIS THINNING HAIR. THIS IS GOING TO BE MESSY. MESSY, I SAID, STANDING UP, IS WHAT THEY HANDED ME AFTER TWO DECADES. I’M JUST RETURNING THE FAVOR. BACK HOME, I FILED THE EVICTION NOTICE THROUGH THE COUNTY PORTAL. PAID EXTRA TO EXPEDITE. THE CONFIRMATION EMAIL HIT MY INBOX WITH A SATISFYING DING.

THEN, LIKE CLOCKWORK, HR EMAILED ME. SUBJECT: CONFIRMATION OF RETURNED PROPERTY. DEAR GREG, HOPE YOU’RE DOING WELL. WE’RE REACHING OUT TO CONFIRM YOU’VE RETURNED ALL COMPANY PROPERTY, INCLUDING DOCUMENTATION, KEYS, BADGES, AND OTHER PHYSICAL OR DIGITAL ASSETS. PLEASE RESPOND TO CONFIRM. BEST, TYLER. I DIDN’T HESITATE.

CLICKED REPLY-ALL BECAUSE I KNEW TYLER LOVED TO CC HALF THE COMPANY TO MAKE HIMSELF LOOK BUSY. YES. INCLUDING THE ONES YOU FORGOT I HAD. I HIT SEND AND LEANED BACK IN MY CHAIR. THAT NIGHT, I COULDN’T SLEEP. NOT FROM GUILT. FROM SOMETHING ELSE. I KEPT THINKING ABOUT RANDY’S DAUGHTER. SHE’D BE IN HER THIRTIES NOW.

PROBABLY DIDN’T EVEN REMEMBER THE CRAYON DRAWING IN THAT LEASE FOLDER. DIDN’T REMEMBER SITTING ON MY WORKBENCH WHILE HER DAD AND I FIGURED OUT HOW TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON WITH DUCT TAPE AND HOPE. I WONDERED IF SHE KNEW WHAT HER FATHER’S COMPANY HAD BECOME. IF SHE’D BE PROUD OR ASHAMED. THEN I REMEMBERED SOMETHING MY OLD MAN USED TO SAY, BACK WHEN HE WAS TEACHING ME HOW TO WIRE A PANEL BOX.

GREG, YOU DO GOOD WORK BECAUSE THAT’S WHO YOU ARE. NOT BECAUSE OF WHO’S WATCHING. I WASN’T DOING THIS TO THEM. I WAS DOING THIS FOR THE GUY I USED TO BE. THE ONE WHO BELIEVED SHOWING UP AND DOING IT RIGHT WOULD BE ENOUGH. THE ONE WHO DESERVED BETTER THAN A MISSPELLED NAME AND A SEVERANCE CHECK THAT COULDN’T EVEN COVER THREE MONTHS OF KEEPING THAT BUILDING ALIVE.

I OWED HIM THIS. THE GUILT DISAPPEARED. THE SLEEP CAME EASY AFTER THAT. TWO MORNINGS LATER, I STOOD IN MY GARAGE WITH A CUP OF BLACK COFFEE AND THE CERTIFIED LETTER IN MY OTHER HAND. HEAVY ENVELOPE. REAL INK SIGNATURE. COUNTY COURT STAMP. PLAINTIFF: GREGORY MONROE. DEFENDANT: COMPANY OCCUPANT, SUITE 201-221. SUBJECT: NOTICE OF TERMINATION AND DEMAND TO VACATE PREMISES.

MY NAME IN BOLD AT THE TOP. SPELLED CORRECTLY. ACROSS TOWN, THE SAME ENVELOPE LANDED AT RECEPTION AROUND 9:15 A. M. THE PROPERTY MANAGER HAD SENT IT PRIORITY MAIL AND EMAILED A PDF COPY FOR GOOD MEASURE. STANDARD PROCEDURE. THIRTY-DAY NOTICE. TENANT FAILED TO RENEW. NEW OCCUPANCY SCHEDULED. VACATE OR RESPOND THROUGH LEGAL CHANNELS.

PROBLEM WAS, THE RECEPTIONIST THAT DAY WAS A TEMP. NAME TAG SAID AMBER IN GLITTER PEN. SHE PROBABLY THOUGHT IT WAS JUNK MAIL AND TOSSED IT IN RECYCLING BETWEEN EXPIRED PROTEIN BARS AND A BROKEN LAMINATOR. MEANWHILE, UPSTAIRS IN THE EXECUTIVE SUITE, THE LEADERSHIP TEAM WAS BUSY ADMIRING THEIR OWN REFLECTIONS.

IPO TALKS. BRANDING REFRESHES. SOMEONE WAS GIVING A PRESENTATION ABOUT DISRUPTING VERTICALS, WHATEVER THAT MEANT. TOO BUSY DISRUPTING INDUSTRIES THEY DIDN’T UNDERSTAND TO NOTICE THEY’D FORGOTTEN TO RENEW THE LEASE ON THE BUILDING THAT HOUSED THEIR DISRUPTION. AT EXACTLY 8:03 A. M. THE FOLLOWING MONDAY, TYLER STROLLED INTO THE BUILDING LIKE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER LATE TO HIS OWN SEMINAR.

OAT MILK LATTE IN HAND. PATAGONIA VEST ZIPPED UP LIKE ARMOR AGAINST ACCOUNTABILITY. BY 8:08, HE WAS STANDING IN FRONT OF PHIL’S OFFICE WITH HIS JAW HANGING LIKE A BROKEN GATE. FLUORESCENT ORANGE EVICTION NOTICE. LAMINATED. ZIP-TIED TO THE DOOR HANDLE. NOTICE TO VACATE PROPERTY. BREACH OF LEASE TERMS. SEVENTY-TWO HOURS.

HE PULLED OUT HIS PHONE, FINGERS SHAKING LIKE HE’D OVERDOSED ON COLD BREW. TRIED TO PEEL THE NOTICE OFF BUT IT HELD FAST LIKE JUDGMENT. BY 8:30, PHIL ARRIVED. UNSHAVEN. BLUETOOTH HEADSET IN ONE EAR. PROBABLY THOUGHT HE WAS WALKING INTO ANOTHER CRUSHING IT KIND OF MORNING. INSTEAD HE FOUND TYLER PACING, THE MARKETING TEAM RUBBERNECKING, AND A LEGAL DOCUMENT ZIP-TIED TO HIS DOOR LIKE A GAME-OVER SCREEN.

HE YANKED IT OFF. READ IT. BLINKED. READ IT AGAIN. BY 9:02, HIS PHONE RANG. THOMAS WEBER, PROPERTY MANAGER. MR. ASHFORD, THIS IS TO CONFIRM ENFORCEMENT OF LEASE TERMINATION. WE NOTIFIED YOU VIA CERTIFIED MAIL AND EMAIL OVER TWO WEEKS AGO. WE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE. WHAT? WE NEVER GOT—THE NOTICE WAS SENT TO YOUR REGISTERED BUSINESS ADDRESS.

DELIVERED AND SIGNED FOR. WE ASSUMED YOUR SILENCE WAS INTENTIONAL. BY 10:20, SOMEONE FINALLY FIGURED OUT WHO THE PLAINTIFF WAS. TYLER OPENED HIS LAPTOP, PULLED UP THE SCANNED COURT DOCUMENTS. THERE IT WAS. PLAIN AS DAYLIGHT. PLAINTIFF: GREGORY MONROE. WAIT. GREG? OUR GREG? WALT KRUGER FROM FACILITIES, ONE OF THE GOOD ONES, NODDED FROM THE BREAK ROOM DOORWAY.

TOLD YOU SOMETHING WAS WEIRD. THE CALL CAME AT 7:42 P. M. I WAS ORGANIZING SOCKET WRENCHES IN MY DAD’S TOOLBOX, BECAUSE A MAN NEEDS ORDER SOMEWHERE IN THIS WORLD. THE SCREEN LIT UP WITH A NAME I HADN’T SEEN SINCE THE CHRISTMAS PARTY WHERE HE FORGOT MINE. ASHFORD, PHILLIP. CEO. I LET IT RING TWICE. THREE TIMES. PICKED UP ON THE FOURTH.

MONROE SPEAKING. HE DIDN’T WASTE TIME. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? YOU CAN’T DO THIS. I PUT HIM ON SPEAKER, POURED MYSELF TWO FINGERS OF WHISKEY, AND LEANED AGAINST MY WORKBENCH LIKE I WAS SETTLING IN FOR MY FAVORITE BALLGAME. I ABSOLUTELY CAN. AND I DID. READ YOUR LEASE. YOU’RE EVICTING AN ENTIRE COMPANY. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE? THE BOARD’S LOSING IT.

WE’VE GOT PRESS EVERYWHERE. OUR INVESTORS—I CUT HIM OFF. PHIL, LET ME STOP YOU RIGHT THERE. YOU FIRED THE PERSON WHO HELD THE KEYS. ALL OF THEM. BUILDING, LEGAL, OPERATIONAL. YOU DIDN’T EVEN ASK WHO SIGNED THE LEASE. WE ASSUMED—THAT’S THE PROBLEM. YOU ASSUMED. ABOUT EVERYTHING. ABOUT ME. ABOUT WHAT I WAS WORTH.

ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU THREW ME AWAY LIKE A USED AIR FILTER. SILENCE ON THE OTHER END. HEAVY BREATHING. YOU BLINDSIDED US, HE FINALLY SAID. NO. I RESPONDED TO BEING BLINDSIDED. DIFFERENCE IS, I CAME PREPARED. THIS DOESN’T JUST COME BACK ON YOU. THE BOARD IS GOING TO—THEY’LL DO WHAT THEY ALWAYS DO. PROTECT THEMSELVES.

MAYBE THROW YOU UNDER THE BUS IF THEY’RE HUNGRY ENOUGH. BUT THEY WON’T CALL ME, BECAUSE I HAVE THE PAPERWORK AND BLOOM HAVEN ALREADY WIRED THE FIRST TWO MONTHS RENT. THAT SHUT HIM UP. JUST TO CLARIFY, I CONTINUED, I DIDN’T SELL THE COMPANY OUT. I JUST STOPPED CARRYING IT ON MY BACK. THE LINE WENT QUIET. THEN DISCONNECTED.

BY FRIDAY MORNING, THE COMPANY WAS IN FULL PANIC MODE, THROWING MONEY AT EVERY COMMERCIAL LANDLORD WITHIN TEN MILES. TOO LITTLE. TOO LATE. MONDAY MORNING HIT LIKE A FALLING PIANO. DOWN ON SIXTH STREET, THEY WERE WHEELING HERMAN MILLER CHAIRS AND HALF-EMPTY KEURIG PODS INTO A RENTED U-HAUL WITH ONE MISSING TAILLIGHT.

TYLER WORE SUNGLASSES THE SIZE OF DINNER PLATES. SOMEONE HAD TAPED PRINTER PAPER TO THE TRUCK: STRATEGIC RELOCATION. THEN CAME THE MOMENT. PHIL, TAN SUIT, SWEAT-STAINED, COMPLETELY LOST IT. A FOLDING CHAIR FLEW FROM HIS HANDS AND SMACKED THE SIDE OF THE U-HAUL WITH A HOLLOW CLANG. SOMEONE POSTED THE VIDEO WITHIN MINUTES.

THREE HOURS LATER IT HIT EVERY TECH BLOG IN THE REGION. I DROVE BY AT 3:47 P. M. , NOT TO GLOAT, BUT TO SEE IT FINISHED. THE U-HAUL WAS PULLING AWAY, ONE TAILLIGHT STILL BUSTED. THE BUILDING STOOD EMPTY FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2002. THROUGH THE GLASS DOORS, I COULD SEE BLOOM HAVEN’S CREW ALREADY MEASURING FOR THEIR MEDITATION PODS.

MORGAN CALLAHAN WAVED FROM THE LOBBY. I ROLLED DOWN MY WINDOW. ALL YOURS, I SAID. YOU BUILT SOMETHING SOLID HERE, GREG. WE’LL HONOR THAT. I NODDED. DIDN’T NEED HER TO HONOR IT. I JUST NEEDED THEM TO REMEMBER THAT FOUNDATIONS MATTER. THAT THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHERE THE PIPES RUN AND THE WIRES GO AREN’T INTERCHANGEABLE PARTS.

I DROVE HOME THE LONG WAY, PAST THE DINER WHERE RANDY AND I SIGNED THAT FIRST LEASE TWENTY-THREE YEARS AGO. IT’S A STARBUCKS NOW. EVERYTHING CHANGES. EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE LESSON I LEARNED TOO LATE: LOYALTY WITHOUT RECIPROCITY IS JUST FREE LABOR WITH A SMILE. WALT CALLED ME TWO DAYS LATER. SAID HE’D QUIT. COULDN’T STOMACH WORKING FOR PEOPLE WHO’D THROW AWAY TWO DECADES OF A MAN’S LIFE OVER A MISSPELLED SEVERANCE LETTER.

WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO NOW? HE ASKED. I LOOKED AT MY FATHER’S TOOLBOX. AT THE PHONE THAT HADN’T STOPPED RINGING WITH CALLS FROM OTHER BUILDING MANAGERS WHO’D HEARD WHAT HAPPENED AND WANTED SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY KNEW WHAT A LOAD-BEARING WALL WAS. SAME THING I’VE ALWAYS DONE, I SAID. THE WORK. JUST FOR PEOPLE WHO REMEMBER TO SAY THANK YOU.

THREE MONTHS LATER, I WAS CONSULTING FOR FOUR DOWNTOWN BUILDINGS. MAKING DOUBLE WHAT I MADE BEFORE. SETTING MY OWN HOURS. EVERY CONTRACT I SIGNED, I MADE SURE MY NAME WAS SPELLED RIGHT. THAT EVENING, I STOOD IN MY GARAGE WITH A CUP OF BLACK COFFEE AND LOOKED AT THE WALL. NEXT TO MY DAD’S PHOTO AND MY FIRST PAYCHECK FROM 1981, I MOUNTED A SMALL BRASS HOOK.

I PULLED THE ORIGINAL OFFICE KEY FROM 2002 OUT OF MY POCKET. HUNG IT THERE LIKE A TROPHY. NOT AS A REMINDER OF WHAT I LOST, BUT AS PROOF OF WHAT I BUILT. AND WHAT I TOOK BACK. THEY THOUGHT I WAS OBSOLETE. I JUST CHANGED EMPLOYERS. TWENTY-ONE YEARS THEY TOOK FOR GRANTED. TWENTY-ONE YEARS I SHOWED UP, FIXED THINGS, KEPT THE WHEELS TURNING WHILE THEY BUILT THEIR DREAMS ON TOP OF MY BACK.

THEY WANTED ME REDUNDANT. I REMINDED THEM I WAS FOUNDATIONAL. THEY FORGOT I WAS THE LOAD-BEARING WALL. AND WHEN A LOAD-BEARING WALL WALKS AWAY, THE WHOLE BUILDING COMES DOWN. TURNS OUT, COMPETENCE NEVER RETIRES. IT JUST FINDS BETTER CLIENTS.