Forty years of being told never to burn bridges. He had followed it. When he left a company nine years earlier, he gave two weeks' notice and handed over everything the IT department asked for on his way out.
Years later, out of work, he called them. The owner wanted to meet. He went in thinking the timing was good.
For forty-five minutes the owner talked about how much the company had changed. Then he asked: so, you're out of work? He said yes, that's why he was there. The owner said that if anything came along, he would let him know.
He walked out wondering what the meeting had been for. His conclusion: the bridge he had protected had not been worth protecting.