Tenure

[Michael Arrington]

I considered hanging up before she could answer, but my hands didn't get the message quickly enough.  “I talked with the dean,” I began, wondering who had stolen my voice’s upper register; “He doesn’t like my chances for tenure.”  The silence on the other end of the line demanded a response.  “I’m so sorry for disappointing you,” I muttered, barely finishing before losing my breath.

 

We fought the urge to cry.  

 

We lost.  

 

[Joey Delgado]

Well done! Definitely conveys the feel one gets when they are disappointed by their jobs, and may never like something they used to love again.

[Jeanette Cheezum]

The slap in the face after trying so hard for so long.  Great 6

[Michael Arrington]

Thanks, Casey and Angela.  I've been working on becoming more parsimonious in my writing.  I'll keep working at it as I put together pieces of what I hope will become a memoir about the upcoming search for a new job.

[Jadie Jones]

I love how lean you made this exchange. You never used direct adjectives, but the feeling is directly conveyed. Well done.

[Angela]

Gaining tenure is incredibly difficult. Some people work their entire careers as associates.  It can be crushing.  I hope you recover soon.