Edward was a diligent employee. He and his colleagues knew that. He had been working for the company ever since its inception, and though he had surpassed his retirement age, he still accomplished his work like clockwork, which was much appreciated by everyone.

But to Edward’s utter disappointment, it all changed one day.

“The purpose of this notification is to inform you regarding your position in the company…We regret to inform you that there’ll be a major reduction in the workforce due to corporate restructuring.”

The words in the email stared at Edward. His fingers rapidly moving over his keyboard were now still, and so was he. Tears streamed down his eyes as he saw several people around him with the same shocked look on their faces.

He hated that look. He had become a part of the unemployed crowd. But what stung Edward the most was that he had spent his entire life working for the corporation, yet he was fired. How could they do that to him?

Still shocked, Edward scrolled to the bottom of the email as to whether his layoff would be permanent, and there it was. The answer to his question. Under the Q & A’s list.

Being old or young is all about your mindset.

“Unless otherwise notified, you should consider the layoff permanent.”

Edward slumped back in his chair. He suddenly felt tired. He had never felt so in his entire career. But now he did, and he couldn’t take his eyes off the computer screen, which displayed the notification of his termination. Then suddenly, he noticed something on the screen—the real reason he was fired.

The company’s founder, Rick, had transferred his company to his only grandson, Dan. The young man started his tenure by restructuring the workforce, and in his opinion, Edward was too old to work for the company.

Dan reasoned the company needed brighter minds and more talented people who’d meet the monthly KPIs, not a bunch of sloths who were warming up the seats, doing nothing, or were too old to be called an employee at all.

So he made the decision and forwarded the termination notice to Edward and the other employees.

Edward’s hands trembled as he emptied his workstation and crammed everything into an ugly brown banker’s box. He’d seen people in movies do that after they’d been fired. He never imagined he’d be doing it one day.

After Edward left the office, he went directly home. He lived alone, so there wasn’t anyone he could share his worries with. His only son had settled abroad, and his wife had died of cancer years ago.

All alone and without a job to keep him occupied, Edward was broken inside. For some, their job is everything. Edward was one of those people. He knew the road ahead wasn’t going to be easy for him. He’d need something to keep him busy.

Could he probably do some work in the garden daily or start his own YouTube channel like Gen-Z? They quit their jobs so they could live on their own terms! But Edward knew that idea didn’t please him. He wished he could be back in his office, doing his job, creating reports and charts like he had done his entire life.

To Edward’s surprise and shock, his wish was granted a month later. He was eating breakfast when he received a call from an unknown number.

“Am I talking to Mr. Edward Morales?” a no-nonsense voice on the other end of the line asked.

“This is Edward speaking. What is this about?”

“Good day, Mr. Morales. I’m Mr. Rick Benson’s lawyer, Andrew Hoffman. I’m phoning to advise you that following Mr. Benson’s death, you are the new owner of his IT firm; therefore, I’d appreciate it if you could come to my office to finalize the formalities.”

Edward’s phone almost fell from his grasp. “What? Are you certain this is the right Edward you’re calling? Maybe there’s some misunderstanding!”

“If I’m not mistaken,” the lawyer continued, “you and Mr. Benson were childhood best friends, and he admired you greatly. He frequently mentioned how you stepped down from the firm’s top management to become a regular employee, even though you had founded the company together with Mr. Benson.”

“Yeah, I did, but….”

“Well, in exchange for leaving the company, he’s asked his close friend for a favor, and I’d like you to be in my office when you find out. We’ll be there to greet you. I’ll email you the specifics shortly,” he added before hanging up the phone.

Edward was sad and confused at the same time. Rick was no more, but why did he leave his company to him? Hadn’t he made Dan the owner a month ago? And what did the lawyer mean when he said, “We are waiting for you?” Who were “we?”

To get the answers to his questions, Edward visited the lawyer’s office as soon as he got the details. There, he met Dan, who explained to him why his grandfather had left the company to him, and things began to make sense for Edward.

“Grandpa wanted me to learn everything about running a business because he wanted me to be a good businessman like him. That’s why he handed me the company. But I made some terrible decisions, and I fired many people who were critical to the company’s operation,” he confessed regretfully.

“I admit I wasn’t a good boss. I don’t mind if Grandpa appointed you as CEO. He knew that if anyone could look after the firm after him, it was you. I’m sure you’d fire me in retaliation. But I apologize for what I did…”

Edward was in tears. “He left this company in my care, so I won’t disappoint him,” he said. “But you need to toughen up, young man, because I won’t be easy on you. Yes, you heard that right! I am not firing you! You’ve got a lot to learn, and I’m sure Rick would have wanted me to help you. If I’m not mistaken, that’s the favor he requested, right?” he asked, and Mr. Hoffman nodded.

After taking over the company, Edward worked selflessly, focused only on what would help the company grow and improve while taking Dan under his wing. He showed Dan how hard it is to achieve something worthwhile. Years later, when Edward was confident Dan was ready for the great responsibility, he appointed him as the company’s CEO.

“I was hurt when you fired me,” Edward admitted to Dan the day the young man took over as CEO, ” but it’s true that I’m getting a little old for those monthly figures. Now, while I enjoy my retirement, make sure you don’t let your grandfather or me down. We have high expectations of you, Dan. We do!”

Dan promised he would not let anyone down, and he hasn’t. The company is doing fantastically well under his leadership, and Rick must be proud of his friend and grandson.

What can we learn from this story?

• Nothing comes easy in life; you need to work hard to get somewhere. Dan realized this when he worked with Edward, and it has helped him become a better employer.
• Being old or young is all about your mindset. Edward was old but a tough competition to the much younger employees, all because he never believed he was too old for his job. His positive attitude kept him going until he realized he needed time off to rest.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a cafe waiter who was fired for feeding a hungry dog, only for his boss to realize later the dog was his.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.