I told this story to Bill just yesterday.
I was unhappy with Erin’s Startup for a long time, because of the way capitalist companies are run. The owners exploit the workers to take all the benefit for themselves. I didn’t understand that they were also investing all the money and taking all the risk, I just saw our bosses going on vacations to Jamaica while simultaneously claiming they couldn’t give us the bonuses they promised at the genesis of the contract.
So one day in the summer of 200X, I am in full Delusion Mode. Erin invites me to go out to her Partner’s houseboat and eat some frog legs and hang out for a little while. I get a wild hair and agree. So we go there and it’s pretty cool, the Partner is there, one of his friends, Erin, a couple of other colleagues. A bunch of mixed company. We hang out for a little while and I eat frog legs and discuss pleasantries with all and sundry.
Dusk begins to arrive. Suddenly Erin gets all antsy, and asks me when I’m going to have somebody pick me up. I explain I didn’t know I was going to have to be picked up, I thought she was going to give me a ride out. She acts confused by this and claims to have never said such a thing. Anyway, the more and more time passes, the more Erin acts like she’s desperate for me to leave. I get it in my head that she wants me to leave so she can fool around with the men without it being reported to other employees of the company. So I keep insisting that I stay, while she insists that I go.
Suddenly I announce that I want to talk to her Partner. He comes out on the deck of the houseboat and I say, “Boss, I must regretfully inform you that I’ve decided to quit the Startup. The reason is because I feel I have just been lied to — I won’t go into details — but I’m tired of being lied to frequently. I don’t feel it’s a healthy position for an employee to be in.” In my mind, Erin had implied that I could stay over on the houseboat too, and her insistence that I leave was a bold-faced betrayal on her part.
Erin’s partner took the news genially (to be honest, I was sort of a “problem employee” that Erin had to intervene for on multiple occasions, so he was probably glad to be rid of me) and said he was sorry to see me go, but that he understood. I shook his hand and called Bill (at least I remember calling Bill, Bill says he has no memory of picking me up at a houseboat) and had him come and pick me up. So, that was the day I quit the Startup. My full descent into madness was soon to come.