Ed ran his hand across a day’s stubble. “What’s Frank Dewitt’s name doing on this list?”

“He’s a fat cat dinosaur,” replied Jeff, the young executive on the other side of the desk. “And that’s the first place we trim.”

“If I listed the things that have kept this company afloat for the last twenty years, every page would start with ‘Frank’.”

“Edward,” said Jeff, “Are you arguing with me?”

Ed moved his hand from his stubble to the back of his neck. “I think you forget my position is being eliminated.”

“What’s your point?” Jeff leaned across towards his employee.

“I’ve got nothing to lose.” Ed let go of his neck and braced both hands on Jeff’s desk. “You could fire me sooner, but you need me to get the incoming HR team up to speed.”

Jeff narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly to one side.

Ed leaned back in his chair. “But if you want the truth,  I’m the dinosaur here. I’ll be glad to retire and see my grandkids. This merger is timed right for me.  I’m looking forward to watching the company’s new iteration flourish and saying, ‘I used to work there’ like you might say you knew a celebrity before they got famous.”

Jeff’s posture relaxed. “And you’re telling me what?”

“That Frank Dewitt can carry this transition. He’s been throwing his ideas up against a managerial wall for a couple of years now, and he’s excited about working for a group that’s ready for innovation.”

Slowly, Jeff nodded. “OK. He can stay.”

Ed got up and shook Jeff’s hand. He left and whistled down the hall, straight to Frank’s office. “OK,” he said. “I bought you some time. Shake the tree, man. Shake it hard for the rest of us.”

Frank Dewitt looked up from his computer with eyes gleaming like Ed hadn’t seen since they were hired together twenty five years before. Frank said, “You know I will.” And both men smiled.

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Got a dinosaur in your closet? Blog it out this week at Trifecta.

About jesterqueen: Jessie Powell is the Jester Queen. She likes to tell you about her dog, her kids, her fiction, and her blog, but not necessarily in that order.