And then life takes an unexpected turn

We were talking about looking for a house. We were making plans and making progress. We were hopeful. We were excited.

Then, the phone rang.

Well, sort of. Chebbar hadn't turned his cell phone on yet (we don't have a land line), as he hadn't been up long (graveyard shift) by the time I got home from work on Tuesday night. When he did, he found a message from his dad stating he had bad news and needed Chebbar to call him right away. Oh, shit.

Chebbar left the room to wander as he is wont to do while on the phone, so I drifted into the kitchen, my stomach in knots. Was it Nana? Was she back in the hospital? Oh god, worse? I idly picked up my cell phone and saw that I had missed a call, too. Chebbar's dad. Shit. I knew it couldn't be good if he would try me when he was unable to get ahold of Chebbar.

I paced opposite circles to Chebbar, trying to give him space while attempting to walk off my own nervous energy. Eventually he ended the call. When he came into the living room and sunk heavily into my great grandfather's rocking chair, hands between his knees, I knew it was bad. I sat down, too.

"Well, that was dad. He just came from negotiations [their contract was up for renewal awhile ago, but still hasn't been finalized]. Management fired Foreman and got rid of Office Chick. And when we go in for our shift tonight? They're laying us off."

He glanced at me, a look of fear in his eyes. I think he was worried about how I was going to take it -- at least, I chose to view it that way as opposed to accepting the possibility that he might be scared of what we're going to do. I sat there, stunned but not, my gaze flitting unseeingly around the room. I couldn't speak. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to say the wrong thing. I didn't want to launch into the what-are-we-gonna-do lament.

It's only because he has an inside track that he was given a heads-up before he went to work. Management found it completely acceptable to let these twelve guys walk in completely unaware of what was to befall them. They're down from four shifts to one in a little more than two years. They were told that the lay-off is expected to be at least a year. The beshitted economy has come into our home and tried to rip it apart, much like most of the rest of the planet.

I was (mostly) okay with this. As okay as could be expected, I guess. Chebbar has a plan. He's talked about benefits (we're covered for three months and can purchase an additional three after that), updating his resume, and utilizing the resources available to him. He's a hard worker with an excellent work ethic: I have no doubt he'll find something.

However.

To rub salt in the wound, I had to go and ask my bosses what the likelihood of my hours being cut and/or me being laid off was because I had heard snippets here and there of work being slow and possibly needing to let some guys go. I was met with a trio of deer-in-the-headlight looks, all of them clearly uncomfortable with having to commit to anything verbally. Which I know they can't. I know there are no guarantees. I know there is no crystal ball for anyone to peer into to glean the future.

I was told not to worry "for a few months, at least."

That? Not reassuring. I knew that we would be okay bills-wise with Chebbar even temporarily on unemployment. If both of us were to end up on unemployment at the same time, it could get ugly. Things will be tight. Things will have to be cut.

But at the end of the day, fact of the matter is that we WILL be okay. Everything happens for a reason. It all works out the way it's supposed to in its own time.

The trick is having patience and remembering that we'll be fine.