The Layoffs
“Dr. Ranell, I’m so glad to see you!” The warm greeting came from Ken Stass, GML’s Director of Planning. “I heard about what happened to you on the freeway. I'm so glad you're all right.”
“Come in, Ken. Please, have a seat.” Ranell escorted Stass to a seat at a small table. The meeting was in Ranell's office, but he wanted it to feel more personal. He’d known the man for years and didn't think having a big mahogany executive desk between them would strike the right tone. Once Stass was seated, Ranell took a chair next to him.
“Can I get you some coffee?” Ranell asked.
“No thanks, Josef. I’m good.” Stass politely waved away the offer, “You were on the news. I saw people bouncing off your car. You must have been terrified.”
Ranell shuddered from the memory. “I’ve never been so scared in all my life. Thank God none of those people were seriously injured.”
“Did they arrest you?”
“No.” It seemed to Ranell that he’d explained this story a dozen times to different people. Maybe I should have called a meeting and just explained it to everyone all at once. But it was understandable. People were curious. “But after I got back to my house, my wife convinced me to call my lawyer. After speaking with him, I turned myself in.”
“Did they charge you?” Stass asked.
The question seemed foolish to Ranell since he was sitting here less than forty-eight hours after the incident. “No. But they did question me for hours. It seemed like they were trying to determine if I had somehow gone out on the freeway with a sinister plan to run over some protestors. Like I said, I’m just lucky that no one was seriously hurt.”
“You were lucky, Josef,” Stass’ face was gaunt, and he had dark bags beneath his eyes. It looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. “They’re protesting the layoffs all over the country. Several people have been killed.”
Ranell drew in a long breath and let it out with a deep sigh. He looked absently at his fingernails, “That kind of leads me to why I've called this meeting with you, Ken.”
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