My Return

It's been close to 5 years since I saw my last boss at my old, old job... He was in charge of the department I returned to after escaping for the office From Hell.

Almost 5 years...

I don't mention it much, but my wife works for my last boss, T, and has now for nearly 4 years. I've been quietly nervous ever since I left (not on the greatest of terms, thanks to the office From Hell) that one day there'd be a special event that the family would all be invited to attend.

And that happened late last week.

My wife's department, as it now stands, invited us all up to a retreat. I was nervous. I'm friends with a few on Facebook, talked to a couple in person, but never have I seen them all together since October 2004. I was definitely nervous.

Would they even welcome me? Would people talk to me? Would this negatively affect my wife's job?

I was welcomed back into the fold. I gave my boss, and as many former colleagues as possible, hugs to show that *I*, at least had no ill-will towards any of them. And then we talked. And drank. And talked some more. And drank a whole lot more. My former boss & I split a bottle of Scotch and discussed "the good ol' days" as he introduced me to the new people in the department.

It couldn't have worked out better.