The operations colleague, after the exercise, said: “You flagged the capacity issue in the northern lane.”
I said it was there in the carrier data.
He said: “It was. Nobody else saw it.”
I didn’t know what to do with that except take it as information that the other candidates had not had my specific experience, which was the only reason I’d seen it and they hadn’t.
Owen called in mid-November. The offer was $68,000 annually. Clear scope, clear reporting line, a team of five to develop, benefits that matched what I’d had.
Sixty-eight thousand. More than I’d been making at Morgan Freight. More than I’d been offered in any interview since leaving.
I accepted without countering. This was a deliberate decision: the number was right. The role was right. Some things you take when they’re right without negotiating to see if they’d go higher, because the relationship you’re building with a new employer is also worth something and sometimes what it’s worth is accepting an accurate first offer.
I started the first Monday of December.
A Dinner, and What Was Said Afterward
I told my parents at Sunday dinner in late November, before the food was fully on the table, because I did not want to sit through a roast with news I was holding.
“I’ve accepted a position at Pinnacle Logistics,” I said. “I start in December.”
My mother’s reaction was immediate and genuine: “That’s wonderful, Grace.” She meant it. I could hear the relief under the warmth.