Sometime Soon - By Debra Doxer Page 0,23

Karthik’s engineers in the back.

Tom nods his affirmative answer. “Although they may move us out of Cambridge,” he adds. This inspires some unhappy moans.

“If they pay for my move, I’ll go to California,” someone jokes. Uneasy laughter fills the conference room.

“I’ll be sure to let them know,” Tom responds, seeming relieved by a lightening of the atmosphere.

We are all aware of Napa Networks. They are the giants in our industry. They are also notoriously cheap, paying much lower salaries than the industry standard. According to their reputation, in an extreme cost-saving measure, they recently circulated a memo to their employees listing the ways in which each individual employee could help the company save money. The list included limiting the number of toilet paper sheets used during bathroom visits, washing and reusing the provided plastic utensils, and restricting the provided free soda to one can per day. I heard that when Napa cancelled the company bonus last year due to having missed their quarterly results by one penny per share, employees rebelled by using massive amounts of toilet paper and consuming their own weight in soda.

Tom concludes the meeting by thanking everyone for his or her time and hard work. I’m betting Tom will collect a large payout when the buyout goes through, and we will never see him again. He couldn’t care less whether the office is moved to Timbuktu or whether we all keep our jobs.

We shuffle out of the conference room, returning to our cubicles in order to huddle and gossip. Nate and I have barely sat down when Rob approaches. “How’s the baby?” he asks Nate.

“She’s good,” Nate says distractedly. “Did you know about this?”

“I got the word on Friday,” Rob says.

“What do you think?” I ask.

Rob shrugs. “Hard to know. Like Tom said, nothing will change in the short term. But in the long term it could mean more opportunity, or it could go another way.”

“Do they need two wireless security marketing groups?” Nate asks.

“We have the advantage there,” Rob replies. “They’re buying us for our security technology. It’s something they don’t have yet.”

“Really?” Nate asks hopefully.

“Yup. Although, it’s not rocket science. It’s just marketing,” Rob adds, the right side of his mouth hitching up.

My resumé is updated, as always, and I’ve kept in contact with the recruiter who got me this job. But the economy is terrible, and I now have a mortgage payment to consider. Despite the rhetoric, there’s no guarantee that anyone’s job is safe. Even if mine were, I don’t like the idea of working for Napa. Perhaps it would be smart to put out some feelers. The idea of leaving my fate in the hands of a billion dollar corporation to which I matter not at all, is unsettling at best.

The office buzzes like a beehive. It’s my turn to need a frappuccino and a chat. I email Bryn, and we meet at Starbucks ten minutes later. I’m relieved to be out of the office. The entire day, and perhaps the next few months, will be fueled by nerves and gossip.

The late morning is bright with an occasional chilly breeze that hints at the impending fall. Thinking of the summer ending only adds to the glum mood into which I’m slipping. Bryn and I take our frozen drinks to the outdoor patio table.

“I’m not surprised really, but I don’t know if I’m up to job hunting,” I say dismally, after having explained the situation to Bryn.

“You’ll be fine. And you might not even need to find another job. Maybe you should wait and see what happens. Napa is doing pretty well these days.”

“Maybe.” At first, I was sure I wanted to get a head start on job hunting. Sitting around hoping it would all work out is not really my style. I prefer controlling my own destiny. But I don’t want to be hasty, either. Perhaps the rumors about Napa aren’t true. Perhaps I will love working for them. Maybe rationing toilet paper is a good idea that I will want to adopt at home, too.

“You could call a few recruiters and see how the job market is,” she suggests.

“I should at least do that. I have a mortgage now and a cat who expects to continue living in the high style to which he has become accustomed.”

“Everything will work out,” she assures me. “So, now tell me some good news.”

“Good news?

Bryn nods at me.

“Um, I haven’t gotten into a car accident in the last three days.”

“No,” she says, nudging my