Farewell

Today my colleague sitting next to me was his last day at work.

He has been working for more than 30 year at the company.

I worked with him only a few years but he taught me a lot about the things that were very valuable.

Some are know-hows, while some are very controversial so that they would better be unspoken.

He said to me while bowing, “I owe you a lot. Thank you very much for everything.”

I could not find any good words to reply, only finding myself bowing deeply.

It was me had to say, “Thank you.”

The director said in his speech, “I repeatedly asked him to come back after his retirement but he refused. We are losing a lot and not sure if we have learned enough from you.”

I don’t think I have learned all the things he has but from now on I have to stand alone without him.

A colleague out of his college a few years ago says, “I was kinda surprised 'cuz it was a business like procedure.” I nodded and say to him, “Well, we are not drunk, aren’t we?”

He really understood and added, “Well, the company has to move on, doesn’t it?”

We stood the outside of our office seeing the retired colleague off from our sight in the cold evening of November.