Grieving

"Grieving"

Author: Meenakshi GiGi Durham

    Dallas is a well educated professor, working on his tenure. He truly enjoys his job. Dallas is well known and preferred by students,  even people who are not students. Some like to come to his lectures to get away from real life. When Dallas received a letter denying his tenure he went into a deep depression. He was grieving. He was so upset  that he could not sleep, neither could his wife. They could not get the loss of his job off their minds. Dallas, his wife, and two daughters could move into a smaller house and live off his wife's income, who is also a professor. Although this would work, it would not heal Dallas's grieving. This job is everything he worked for, it has become his identity.
    Dallas was not able to talk to his superiors, who let him go. They only told him he had to appeal in writing. "When you appeal a tenure denial, it is called a grievance, and the process is formerly known as grieving." Him and his wife could not figure out why they could not talk to a real person. This seemed very bizarre to them, a loss of self.
    With many people interceding on Dallas's behalf, he finally gets an open door to talk to his superiors. He asked them if they were truly making the wright decision. Then he told them he would give his best work if they kept him. After talking to the provost, it turned out he won the appeal.Him and his family jumped with joy! Dallas thanked the provost, not knowing how he was so blessed. Dallas's wife wrote "we do not know with any clarity, how it happened, how the core of Dallas's being was excised, then restored, almost daemonically." Now the threat is gone and they can move on with their life.