{"id":17470,"date":"2024-09-23T13:26:21","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T18:26:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/?p=17470"},"modified":"2024-09-30T10:39:36","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T15:39:36","slug":"as-per-usual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2024\/09\/23\/as-per-usual\/","title":{"rendered":"As Per Usual"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>As Per Usual<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-765c4724 wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-facebook  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61556140010887\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12 2C6.5 2 2 6.5 2 12c0 5 3.7 9.1 8.4 9.9v-7H7.9V12h2.5V9.8c0-2.5 1.5-3.9 3.8-3.9 1.1 0 2.2.2 2.2.2v2.5h-1.3c-1.2 0-1.6.8-1.6 1.6V12h2.8l-.4 2.9h-2.3v7C18.3 21.1 22 17 22 12c0-5.5-4.5-10-10-10z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-instagram  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/boudin_mcneese\/\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12,4.622c2.403,0,2.688,0.009,3.637,0.052c0.877,0.04,1.354,0.187,1.671,0.31c0.42,0.163,0.72,0.358,1.035,0.673 c0.315,0.315,0.51,0.615,0.673,1.035c0.123,0.317,0.27,0.794,0.31,1.671c0.043,0.949,0.052,1.234,0.052,3.637 s-0.009,2.688-0.052,3.637c-0.04,0.877-0.187,1.354-0.31,1.671c-0.163,0.42-0.358,0.72-0.673,1.035 c-0.315,0.315-0.615,0.51-1.035,0.673c-0.317,0.123-0.794,0.27-1.671,0.31c-0.949,0.043-1.233,0.052-3.637,0.052 s-2.688-0.009-3.637-0.052c-0.877-0.04-1.354-0.187-1.671-0.31c-0.42-0.163-0.72-0.358-1.035-0.673 c-0.315-0.315-0.51-0.615-0.673-1.035c-0.123-0.317-0.27-0.794-0.31-1.671C4.631,14.688,4.622,14.403,4.622,12 s0.009-2.688,0.052-3.637c0.04-0.877,0.187-1.354,0.31-1.671c0.163-0.42,0.358-0.72,0.673-1.035 c0.315-0.315,0.615-0.51,1.035-0.673c0.317-0.123,0.794-0.27,1.671-0.31C9.312,4.631,9.597,4.622,12,4.622 M12,3 C9.556,3,9.249,3.01,8.289,3.054C7.331,3.098,6.677,3.25,6.105,3.472C5.513,3.702,5.011,4.01,4.511,4.511 c-0.5,0.5-0.808,1.002-1.038,1.594C3.25,6.677,3.098,7.331,3.054,8.289C3.01,9.249,3,9.556,3,12c0,2.444,0.01,2.751,0.054,3.711 c0.044,0.958,0.196,1.612,0.418,2.185c0.23,0.592,0.538,1.094,1.038,1.594c0.5,0.5,1.002,0.808,1.594,1.038 c0.572,0.222,1.227,0.375,2.185,0.418C9.249,20.99,9.556,21,12,21s2.751-0.01,3.711-0.054c0.958-0.044,1.612-0.196,2.185-0.418 c0.592-0.23,1.094-0.538,1.594-1.038c0.5-0.5,0.808-1.002,1.038-1.594c0.222-0.572,0.375-1.227,0.418-2.185 C20.99,14.751,21,14.444,21,12s-0.01-2.751-0.054-3.711c-0.044-0.958-0.196-1.612-0.418-2.185c-0.23-0.592-0.538-1.094-1.038-1.594 c-0.5-0.5-1.002-0.808-1.594-1.038c-0.572-0.222-1.227-0.375-2.185-0.418C14.751,3.01,14.444,3,12,3L12,3z M12,7.378 c-2.552,0-4.622,2.069-4.622,4.622S9.448,16.622,12,16.622s4.622-2.069,4.622-4.622S14.552,7.378,12,7.378z M12,15 c-1.657,0-3-1.343-3-3s1.343-3,3-3s3,1.343,3,3S13.657,15,12,15z M16.804,6.116c-0.596,0-1.08,0.484-1.08,1.08 s0.484,1.08,1.08,1.08c0.596,0,1.08-0.484,1.08-1.08S17.401,6.116,16.804,6.116z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Susan Isla Tepper<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In the bodega I ordered four cups of black coffee.&nbsp;After I paid, the register girl put the four cups into a small cardboard tray with cup grooves.&nbsp;I carried it over to the little counter with the sugar and non-sweetener packets and the thumbnail size containers of Half &amp; Half, setting it down.&nbsp;I looked around.&nbsp;Nobody else was using this counter, and the bodega&nbsp;was fairly empty since the early work crowd already got their take-out coffees and buns.&nbsp;I looked around again. Then I reached into my purse and took out the one Valium I&#8217;d wrapped in a tissue, dropping it into one hot coffee on the left side closest to me in the tray.&nbsp;Then I put covers&nbsp;on all the coffees and threw a handful of the other stuff, including wooden stir sticks, into the tray.&nbsp; Leaving the bodega. It was a nice fall day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I crossed the busy city street at the light and went into our office on the first floor.&nbsp;It was Monday. Sales meeting day. My turn to get the coffees. We rotated. Today, the Boss, our torturer, would find himself at peace with the world.&nbsp;All thanks to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Jeff and Sandra were in their chairs dragged in from our area.&nbsp;Someone had dragged my chair in, too.&nbsp;They sat across from the Boss who was ensconced&nbsp;behind his big boss desk.&nbsp;I placed the tray on the edge of it and took his cup out first.&nbsp;&#8220;Here you go,&#8221; I said, smiling.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He nodded. It was the&nbsp;best he could do.&nbsp;When his wife had needed a haircut and told him it would cost $15, he threw a fit and told her that he&#8217;d cut her hair.&nbsp;When he relayed this story to us, it was with great indignation that his wife should expect that amount of money on what he viewed as a ridiculous luxury.&nbsp;Poor wife.&nbsp;He probably put a bowl on her head and cut around it.&nbsp;I was sort of wishing his wife could be here today to see what transpires.&nbsp;But of course that was absurd because she was never at our meetings, why would she be?&nbsp;He kept her at home barefoot and pregnant, as the saying goes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I handed the other two cups to Sandra and Jeff.&nbsp;I was all breezy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">&#8220;I got extra Half &amp; Half, Jeff, cause I know you like your coffee very light.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">&#8220;Thanks, Nell,&#8221; he said, &#8220;I appreciate that.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We all stirred in what we needed.&nbsp;The Boss took a sip then looked into his cup.&nbsp;I was watching carefully. He sort of shrugged it off and began the meeting.&nbsp;I was thinking maybe the Valium made the coffee taste bitter.&nbsp;But all seemed to be going as normal, as far as these meetings were concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">He started with his usual complaints.&nbsp;Revenues coming from our office were down.&nbsp;He mentioned some stats from the competition.&nbsp;Sandra and Jeff, per usual, kept their expressions blank.&nbsp;I did the same.&nbsp;I was the newest here and took my cues from them.&nbsp;The Boss took another sip and again looked askance but blew it off to continue his bitch session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Jeff mentioned more advertising.&nbsp;The Boss cut him right off.&nbsp;&#8220;Have you any idea what TV ad prices run these days?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Of course Jeff did not.&nbsp;Normally the Boss would go on a tirade, making fun of Jeff, but he didn&#8217;t.&nbsp;Hmm&#8230; Already he&#8217;d started looking less tightly wound.&nbsp;He even giggled a few times, causing Jeff and Sandra to look really surprised.&nbsp;I, of course, kept my expression neutral.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">As the meeting progressed the Boss got looser and looser.&nbsp;At one point, he took his pencil onto a lined register, to mark something, and his arm slid out and he sort of slumped&nbsp;across the desk.&nbsp;He stayed that way a moment looking totally stunned.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">I had to squeeze my mouth tight to keep from falling apart laughing.&nbsp;Sandra and Jeff now looked completely confused.&nbsp;The Boss seemed befuddled. As if he&#8217;d landed in an alternate universe:&nbsp;one where he didn&#8217;t feel hatred coming out of him every moment. It was refreshing.&nbsp;The meeting continued on, the Boss so loose by noon that he decided to end early, rather break for lunch than keep us on the hot seats until nearly 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">We dragged our chairs back into our area, and Jeff shut the Boss&#8217;s door the way the Boss expected.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Jeff&#8217;s eyes were wide.&nbsp;&#8220;Wow,&#8221; he said,&nbsp; &#8220;what the hell was that all about?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.susantepper.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Susan Isla Tepper<\/a> is a twenty-year writer and the author of 12 published books of fiction and poetry. She also writes stage plays. Forthcoming is a new novel <em>Hair of A Fallen Angel<\/em> from Spuyten Duyvil Books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>__________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"438\" height=\"211\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg 438w, https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\">\ud83e\udca0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2024\/09\/23\/delsantos-beach\/\">Back<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2024\/09\/23\/slingshot-factory\/\">Next<\/a> \ud83e\udca1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">To learn more about submitting your work to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/boudin-submissions\/\">Boudin<\/a><\/em> or applying to McNeese State University&#8217;s Creative Writing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/mfa-application-submissions\/\">MFA program<\/a>, please visit Submissions for details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Per Usual Susan Isla Tepper __________ In the bodega I ordered four cups of black coffee.&nbsp;After I paid, the register girl put the four cups into a small cardboard tray with cup grooves.&nbsp;I carried it over to the little counter with the sugar and non-sweetener packets and the thumbnail size containers of Half &amp;&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[218],"tags":[75,146,100],"class_list":["post-17470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-workplace-wounds-and-woes","tag-boudin","tag-fiction-2","tag-flashfiction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17470"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17592,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17470\/revisions\/17592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}