ex-colleagues

My female owner had dinner with some ex-colleagues just now. Hmmm.. it’s beginning to sound as if she has lotsa ex-colleagues. I should take some time to clarify the different categories of ex-colleagues.

The real ex-colleagues are the people who are still working at her former workplace and whom she detests to varying degrees.

The unfortunate ex-colleagues are her friends who are still working at her former workplace for various reasons (i.e. stuck).

The remaining ex-colleagues are her friends who are working in the same organisation or have worked with the real ex-colleagues, and hence, shared a common (often unpleasant) working experience (e.g. some of her Impromptu Frens who are still in service).

The comrades are those who used to work with her but like her, have left the place for greener pastures. Together, they have many years of working together in the same office and survived many classic moments.

Tonight, her dinner was with the comrades. They held different positions in the same office (e.g. some were the lowest life form while one was sandwiched between layers and two others were the lowest life form of the highest class) and together, they shared their individual stories about the horrors of working with inefficient colleagues, mimicked the bosses’ idiosyncratic movements and once again, groused about their “best friends” in the department. It’s funny to see how different people developed different “best friends” even though the collective group of “best friends” was common enemy.

Although the five of them have not gathered for a long time, their shared past made the fellowship was so comfortable, heart-warming and free-flowing that there was an obvious reluctance to say good-bye. Ah, it would be at least 10 months before they would meet up in such a capacity again. Kudos to the organiser for persisting through conflicting schedules to arrange the meet-up!