I’d asked for a raise twice.
The first time, I was told budgets were tight.
The second time, I was told the company was restructuring.
Then came the new employee.
Apparently, the company suddenly had money.
Just not for me.
Monday morning, I met my replacement.
Her name was Emily.
She was friendly, intelligent, and surprisingly humble.
That immediately made the situation more complicated.
I didn’t dislike her.
In fact, I liked her.
During lunch, she admitted that she was nervous.
“This is a big opportunity for me,” she said.
“I hope I can learn everything quickly.”
“You will,” I told her.
She smiled.
“My offer was really generous, too. I honestly wasn’t expecting it.”
I paused.
“How generous?”
She looked embarrassed.
“I probably shouldn’t say.”
“You don’t have to.”
She hesitated.
“Eighty-five.”
I almost choked on my coffee.
“Eighty-five thousand?”
She nodded.
“I negotiated a little.”
A little.
I smiled.
“That’s great.”
And it was.
For her.
