Chapter 74: Bye Bye Hath

Well, I've done it. I've put in my notice this week. I walked into my boss' office, and he could tell right away something was up. He's really very good at reading people, and, well, if you've met me, you know I don't hide emotion very well (yeah, understatement there, Hath, ha ha).

"What's up Hath?" Andrew asked as I walked into his office.

"Can I close the door for a minute?"

"Sure," he said, and pushed back from his computer. "What's up?"

I sat down, and let out a big sigh. "Well, you know I'm getting married, and my fiance lives in New Jersey," I started, and he interrupted.

"And he's a musician, rock star really, and you're pregnant." He winked at me. "The grapevine around here is very good."

I smiled. "Then you also know I've had recent trouble with high stress, and extremely high blood pressure that's been hard to treat with medicines because of the babies."

"Babies?" Andrew's eyebrows went up.

"Yep, I'm having twins. And apparently I'm old, and those two things put me in high risk category to start with, then add on the BP, and it's a wonder my doctor lets me out of the house." I sighed and started fidgeting, which pissed me off because I'm not doing anything wrong, dammit, I'm looking out for myself. "Andrew, I need to make some changes in my life, and the first one is this." I squared my shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I'm submitting my resignation."

Andrew just nodded. "I understand," he said. "Is the New York option a possibility?"

"If I wasn't pregnant, it would be. The commute to the City from Jersey wasn't bad, but with the twins," I put my hands protectively on my abdomen, "I just can't risk it."

Andrew stood and stuck out his hand. "It's been wonderful working with you," he said. "When is your last day?"

"I was thinking the end of April," I said, "but I'd like to work in the City in April. I need to get my house on the market and get settled in Jersey before I get married. If we can't do that, then I have to say end of March."

Andrew looked at me. "We can do that."

We talked about who was going to take over for me, and how we were going to do the training and transfer. An hour later, it was done. I had spoken with HR, and gotten the ball rolling. I grabbed my Blackberry and headed downstairs to the lobby for a little privacy, and called David.

"Hey sexy Momma," he said, "What's up?"

I took a deep breath. "I did it," I said.

"Did what?"

"Put in my notice," I said. "I'm a free woman come April 30, and am scared shitless."

"Awww, baby, don't be scared," he said. "I think that's wonderful. I'm so glad"

I could hear the relief in his voice. He had been worried about me, but didn't want to say anything to me. It was kinda sweet, and I was glad he hadn't been pressuring me. I told him that I was going to be moving to his house ("our house," he said) at the end of this month, and he is beside himself.

My brother is going to help me move, him and his frat brothers. They are going to be shocked when they see where I'm living. John of course knows who my fiancee is, and Ed and Kirk do, too, but the others don't and we aren't telling them.

That night, I had the best sleep I'd had in months. This must mean this is a good decision. Why am I so scared, then?

The next morning, when I got up, I went to check my PMs, and saw one from Jon.

Hath,

David told me that you quit your job. I'll make the phone call if you need it to be by phone for it to be official, but I'd like to offer you a job. Call me if you're truly interested and we'll talk money.

~Boss

P.S. Watching me run will in no way be a part of the job. Calling me "Boss", however, will be.

I was floored. This was coming out of left field. I mean, it's like he was in my head. Son of a bitch, he needs to get out of there. I tried calling him back, but got his voicemail. I left a brief message, then went and answered his PM.

Jon,

First, congratulations on your daughter! Now you know where we went to get your birthday present.

I left you a brief voicemail, but don't know what you'll check first, so voila.

Basically, my message says thank you very much, and asks what kind of job. Honestly, I was thinking about coming to talk to you after I got settled at David's place, to see if there was something in one of your organizations. I don't want you to think I'm asking for or expecting any kind of special treatment, and I'm frankly glad you asked first, because I would have lost my nerve.

David doesn't know all the reasons I'm leaving this job, and I'd appreciate your discretion. Of course, commuting from his place to NYC is no picnic, but the thing of it is, is that the job was really starting to get to me.

It was to the point where before the Chicago trip, I was sleeping maybe 2-3 hours a night. I'd be at work by 7, stay late, then work at home until all hours. My brain would never shut down after trying to go to bed, and I'd be up every couple hours or so, wondering what else needed doing.

Since I gave my notice, I actually sleep at night now, and the tension in my muscles is relaxing. I also had a bad scare with what my doctor called why-aren't-you-having a-stroke-high blood pressure. That scared the hell out of me more than anything else. She wanted to put me in the hospital for monitoring, but I talked her out of it. It's better now, but not ideal, and she's still a bit worried especially since I'm having twins, and apparently pretty old for a first-time Mom

Anyway, I had a good long talk with myself on the plane ride home, and determined that no job was worth screwing up my life or my children's lives for. David was really good at letting me come to that decision on my own, but I know he sensed some of what was going on, and was itching to throw his opinion in.

Bottom line, Boss, depending on the job, I am definitely interested in hearing more about it. I trust you to offer a fair salary, but want to know what I'm walking into. I'm not an idle person, and would go nuts without something to exercise my brain. Thank you for the offer, and let's talk.

I'm giving my lead minion the reins today, and working at home. Sink-or-swim time for MinionMan ha ha, so you can call me there.

~ Hath

I'm going to Mohegan on Saturday. I'll talk to him then.

But Holy Shit.

Really.