Chapter 24

“I should see…?”

I shook my head. Forget that part. “Actually,” I went on, “it was you guys—the new hires—that made us think things weren’t as bad as people were saying. Why would a failing company keep hiring? What did they tell you guys in training?”

It was his turn to scoff. “They didn’t tell us we’d be on the street by the end of the year, I can tell you that much.”

“But, I mean, we’ve shrunk so much. Were we still even flying Australia and New Zealand when you started?” Those were the last of our Pacific destinations to go, the beginning of 'all South America all the time.'

He shook his head. “We retired the last 747 when we were in training. We didn’t even qualify on those.”

“I guess I don’t get it,” I said again. “Why would they hire you just to lay you off?”