my boss at work is leaving, and i find myself surprisingly sad about it.

robert is basically the reason i am still here in this country today. back when i first started working at my organisation, i was an agency worker, only here for 6 months on my visa. as my visa was due to expire, i was desperately searching for ways to stay in the u.k.

and robert offered me a job, with almost no firsthand knowledge of my skills or experience. he took a huge leap of faith hiring me, one that still awes me a little. but even more than that, when my work visa got screwed up and i got kicked out of the country for 2 months, with no guarantee that i would be able to come back, robert held my job for me.

he had no real reason to – i hadn’t even started my work, i’d run afoul of immigration, had to start the whole process over again, and my odds of getting back to the u.k. did not look good. by all accounts he should have cut his losses and let me go. why he didn’t, i’ll never know – all i do know is that i am so eternally grateful that he didn’t. if he hadn’t held my post for me, i wouldn’t have been able to return to this country. i wouldn’t have met jonno three weeks after getting back to london with a fresh new work permit. i wouldn’t have gotten married, i wouldn’t have gone on my trip, and i wouldn’t be waiting on my citizenship even as i write this.

if he hadn’t held my job for me, that would have been the end of my london dream – and i’d be talking instead about the time i spent 6 months in england, but had to leave and rebuild my life back in boston.

so i owe him that debt – my life would be far different today but for that single opportunity he held out to me.

and i think another part of the reason i have such affection for him is that in many ways, robert reminds me of my dad – a bit goofy, a softhearted idealist from the 60s, a folk music fan. we bonded over a shared love of bob dylan and exchanged cds. he ribs me about my american sports, and i tease him over the woeful fate of the england teams. there’s just something about him that pulls on my heartstrings, with his wonky grin and earnest bumbling.

but beyond that, robert is the most unfailingly good-natured and optimistic person i’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. no matter how shitty things at work got (and there have been some pretty dismal moments), he was always cheery – looking forward to brighter skies, while bringing in sweets and snacks for the team to lift the spirits. even in the face of personal crisis (family’s health, his house catching fire, the death of a friend, his imminent departure under less than ideal circumstances) he never let it show. no matter how many times things knock him down, he just rights himself with a smile, without complaint. and going through this prolonged agony of forced departure, it makes my heart ache to see him bearing up under the strain, knowing how he must be hurting inside. and knowing that he’s leaving in spite of putting his everything into it.

he won’t be coming back after the holidays. he will be missed by many, for a lot of different reasons – but i will never forget him.

bob dylan – don’t think twice, it’s alright

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