Games We Play

The corporate pyramid glittered on the projector screen, Victor's name moving up two tiers in the org chart restructure. His colleagues applauded politely, some with genuine warmth, others with the practiced enthusiasm of workplace survival. At forty-seven, Victor had finally ascended to the regional director position he'd spent fifteen years chasing, yet the celebration felt hollow, like champagne poured into a plastic cup.

His iPhone vibrated on the table—another notification from Elena. 'Dinner tonight? Need to talk.' The third time this week. Their marriage had become a series of text messages and missed connections, both too exhausted from their respective climbs up different pyramids to bridge the distance between them.

'You coming, Victor?' called Marcus, his newly promoted peer, waving from the door of the company padel court. 'Corporate team building—remember?'

The padel match was a disaster. Victor's mind kept drifting to Elena's messages, to the promotion that should have felt like victory but felt instead like arriving at a summit only to find the view obscured by clouds. He missed easy shots, his racquet connecting with air instead of ball, while Marcus moved with predatory grace across the court.

'You're distracted, man,' Marcus said afterward, slapping Victor's back. 'Maybe too much celebrating last night?' His knowing grin suggested he'd heard the rumors about Victor's marriage.

Victor checked his phone again. No new messages. Elena had gone silent, which somehow felt worse than the fighting. The irony wasn't lost on him—he'd spent years climbing this corporate pyramid, convinced each promotion would bring satisfaction, only to find each new height revealed another level above him, and the people below becoming smaller, more distant.

That evening, Victor arrived home to find Elena sitting in darkness, only the glow of her phone illuminating her face. The silence between them stretched like a rubber band pulled too tight.

'I got the promotion,' he said, setting his keys on the counter.

'I know,' she replied without looking up. 'LinkedIn notified me three hours ago.'

Victor realized then that they were both just playing games—corporate ladders and suburban marriages, all these pyramids we build and climb and eventually abandon, leaving behind only the ghosts of who we were when we started playing.