laura

when laura’s father died,

she disappeared from work---

it must of happened over a

weekend

(can’t remember if she left during

the middle of the shift),

because she took the week off &

when she was gone,

there was talk of what she would be

“allowed” to take for grieving &

what would

count

against

her---

for as far as the company was concerned,

there was a “proper” amount time to grieve one’s own

father.

when she returned,

she spoke about how she had been drinking a lot more &

broke into bouts of crying

throughout the long work day---

the supervisor was of course

concerned that her crying was getting in the way of

the work that she had been trying to do &

so, she was talked to in the office

by said supervisor,

with tones of compassion being sprinkled onto the

company line,

like sprinkles on a pool of

cyanide. 

and it wasn’t long after that laura disappeared again from

the job &

was inevitably

“let go”

as the management always

puts it.