Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Moments before the nationwide Memorial Day sirens, I look out of my cube and discover that most of our staff has disappeared. I stand by my office window in silence as the sirens blare. Across the country, most things stop. Cars pull over and people stand beside them. A few minutes later, I send a text to my team, asking where they went. I'm told that they are at the cemetery next door. I go outside and can hear the voices, but can't easily locate them. When they return, the boss comes over and, very formally, apologizes on behalf of the company for my not having been told. He then introduces me to his youngest son, a bearded soldier with a gun. He describes my accomplishments in terms that I find hard to recognize, then heads out, taking his son to lunch and then home.