In June, almost three years after the layoff list, I got an invitation to a Meridian Mutual event, an industry dinner, and I almost threw it away. Then I read the return address, which was not Meridian. It was the personal office of Richard Richardson.
I went. I wore the navy blazer. I walked into the hotel ballroom and there were two hundred people in the room and about forty of them knew who I was, and about ten of them had signed the checks that bought the extension, and one of them was standing by the bar with a drink in his hand.
Richardson was older. He had retired from the CEO role in the spring, and he was doing the thing that former CEOs do, which is serve on boards and give speeches and pretend to be glad to see people.
"Eleanor," he said. "Thank you for coming."
"Thank you f
