The Company Christmas Party
At a place where I don’t work
I wasn’t invited. I have owned half of the company with my husband for 40 years. He invited my mother who worked there for a few years before we separated. The guys there love and miss her. My husband jokingly (I think) told me I couldn’t go.
I decided to crash. I arrived at the restaurant with my mother. All of the men who work in the machine shop were there. My husband was there, and both of our sons who work in the shop. My friend Melissa works in the office part time. She was our next door neighbor when we were first married in 1986. We have been friends a long time but things are very different since she works for my husband and he and I are separated.
Some of the guys shuffled their seats so I could sit with Melissa. Mom sat next to the shop foreman. My husband waved hello. My kids said hello and helped their grandmother get seated.
I ordered a drink since it was a rare occasion when I wasn’t the driver. I ordered another because it was so good.
The foreman told me he was glad I crashed the party several times. I pointed out that I am a major shareholder in the company.
I got caught up with Melissa over lunch. Everyone was jovial; glad to not be at work on a Thursday and having lunch and drinks on the boss.
It wasn’t like the parties I’ve been to at places I’ve been employed in the past where I had friendship and rapport with my fellow employees and we could all gossip about who got drunk and made a fool of themselves.
This was more like a family reunion. I had a good lunch, got a little tipsy, and was not privy to the ensuing company gossip.
Thank you for reading :)
