Searching for Mr. Darcy

Scene Seventy-Three

Maisie decided to give herself one day to sleep in, mope around, and generally feel sorry for herself. On Wednesday, she told herself, she'd update her resume and begin looking for new jobs - she just didn't know what kind of job she was going to look for.  She knew she'd be able to get a good salary in another sales job, but the idea bored her.  Been there, done that.

Before she could think too seriously about it, her phone rang.  "Hello?"

"May I speak with Maisie Frampton?"

"This is."

"Ms. Frampton, this is Cynthia Ryder with H & L."  The voice paused, but Maisie didn't provide a response to fill it.  "I'm the Executive Vice President, and Human Resources has informed us at corporate headquarters of what happened between Carl Roseberg and yourself yesterday."

Still Maisie didn't say anything.  She was very curious to hear what this woman from corporate had to say, though.

"We'd like you to know that we have terminated Mr. Roseberg, effective immediately, and your position is open to you.  Can you be back at work tomorrow?"

Maisie had not expected for either Roseberg to get fired, or for her to get her job back, but she knew she couldn't continue remaining silent.  Swallowing her surprise, she said carefully, "I'm not sure I want to come back."

Ms. Ryder took a sharp breath.  "Of course.  We hope you'll reconsider, though.  If you are unhappy with your current position, we can look at other openings in the company.  We have offices all over the country and can provide a generous relocation package if you'd like a promotion in a different region."

"Promotion to what?"

Relief tinged Ms. Ryder's response.  "Director of Sales or Regional Manager.  We have a few different openings you could choose between."

"I see.  Would I be getting this promotion because you feel I've earned it, or because you're afraid I'm going to sue?"

After a hesitation, Ryder's relief gone, she replied, "If you don't want to take a job, we can offer you a generous severance package.  You'll still get your annual bonus, as well as the remainder of your yearly salary, as a thank you for all your time with the company.  We'll also provide a letter of recommendation to any potential employers."

"I see.  Let me think about it and I'll get back to you."

"Of course.  Can we schedule a time to touch base - say tomorrow at two o'clock?"

"I'm going to need more time than that.  I'll call you when I have my answer."  Maisie added a polite goodbye, then hung up and looked over at Dashwood, who was busy cleaning his paws in the doorway to her bedroom.  "Someone's scared, Dash."