A man is as old as he feels; a woman is as old as she looks.
French expression
Beautiful, lucky, middle-aged bosses, learn gentleman unwanted 50s, had hired Sharon three weeks earlier on a month's probation. She was sure she'd get the job. Only another week to make it permanent. On that Friday at 5 o'clock, in swept a voluptuous young woman in her early 20s - expensively dressed and jingling with jewelry. "I'm Mrs. Kessler," she announced, eying Sharon closely, and proceeded into her husband's office.
Two minutes later, Mr. and Mrs. Kessler left. On the way out, she gave Sharon a look that can only be described as venomous. On Monday morning Mr. Kessler told Sharon, with obvious embarrassment but no explanation, that he wouldn't be hiring her permanently. Shaken and thoroughly upset, she fought back the tears until she reached the ladies room. Two of the other girls followed her.
"Don't take it so hard, Sharon," they soothed. "It was inevitable. We all knew you didn't have a chance for that job the day you walked in." "But why? I was doing so well!"
"Absolutely nothing to do with it, Sharon. You just look too good."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Mr. Kessler used to be married to a wonderful woman his own age - three kids, house in the country, the whole bit. Then he hired this young girl as his secretary, and the next thing, they're having an affair, he gets divorced and the secretary is the new Mrs. Kessler."
"The one on Friday?"
"Right. She comes in every couple of weeks to check out the new girls. I guess she figures if he did it once, he'd do it again." Sharon picked up her final paycheck the next week from Mr. Kessler's new secretary - a woman about 70.
Performance is not always the issue when you lose or don't get a job. Move on.
