Jeremy didn't speak much during the drive home.
He sat with his hands folded.
I didn't ask whether he planned to return.
That decision belonged to him.
When we arrived, he helped me carry the groceries inside.
Then he sat at the kitchen table.
"Mom, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Would you go back to work for someone who treated you like that?"
I thought about it.
"At my age, I would probably ask myself whether the work was worth the trouble."
He smiled slightly.
"That's not really an answer."
"No. It's an honest one."
He looked toward the window.
"I don't want to spend the rest of my time wondering when Doug will decide to make me a joke again."
I understood.
A job could provide income.
But it also required a certain amount of trust.
And Doug had damaged that trust in front of eighty people.
Later that afternoon, Jeremy received an email from Frank.
The company had prepared a written notice confirming that his dismissal had been withdrawn.
His position remained available.
His length of service would remain unchanged.
There was also a proposed statement from Doug.
Jeremy read it twice.
Then he handed me the phone.
I read the message.
It was short.
It said that Doug regretted the way the Christmas party announcement had been delivered.
It described the incident as an unfortunate misunderstanding.
I looked at Jeremy.
"Does that feel like an apology?"
He shook his head.
"No."
I agreed.
It didn't mention the humiliation.
It didn't acknowledge that Jeremy had been targeted because he brought his mother.
It didn't explain why Doug had thought that was acceptable.
It was the sort of statement written to reduce embarrassment rather than accept responsibility.
Jeremy put his phone down.
"I don't want to sign anything saying this is all settled."
"Then don't."
He looked at me.
"What if they say I'm being difficult?"
I reached for my tea.
"You're allowed to ask for an accurate account of what happened."
He nodded.
That evening, Thomas called.
He had received additional documents from the company's legal representative.
The historical records showed that Ray had referred to my agreement during the company's incorporation.
There was also evidence that he had intended the ownership arrangement to survive the transition from the original business into the incorporated company.
Thomas wanted another meeting.
He explained that the next step would involve examining how the ownership interest should be recognized under the company's current structure.
I agreed.
After the call, I found myself thinking about Ray again.
I remembered one afternoon when he had visited our house.
Robert had been repairing a loose hinge on the back door.
Ray stood beside him, holding a paper cup of coffee.
He had thanked me again for the financing arrangement.
I told him he didn't need to keep thanking me.
He shook his head.
"People forget who helped them when things get comfortable."
I had laughed at the time.
I thought he was simply being modest.
Now those words felt different.
The next morning, Jeremy came over early.
He had made a decision.
"I'm going to tell them I won't return unless they correct the record."
I looked at him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
He explained that he didn't need a public celebration.
He didn't need Doug to praise him.
He simply wanted the company to acknowledge that the dismissal had been unjustified.
He also wanted his employment record protected.
And he wanted the apology to be honest.
I nodded.
"Then tell them that."
He sent a message to Frank.
A few minutes later, Frank called.
They spoke privately.
When Jeremy finished, he looked at me.
"Frank understands."
"Good."
"He says he'll take it to Doug."
I placed another cup of coffee on the table.
Then Jeremy said something that made me proud.
"I'm not asking them to keep me because you signed a document in 1998."
I looked at him.
"I'm asking them to recognize the work I did from 2017 until now."
I reached over and squeezed his hand.
"That's exactly what you should ask."
For the first time since the Christmas party, he seemed certain of himself.
The old agreement might establish something important about the company.
But it wasn't going to define my son's value.
His work had already done that.
Click here to continue reading: PART 16: The Final Corporate Records Arrived With a Letter From Ray, and I Finally Understood Why He Had Insisted on Keeping My Name in the Agreement
My Son Asked Me to Attend His Christmas Party Because He Couldn’t Bear Another Holiday Sitting Alone
Part 15 of 20
