horror story: white lines (he do it)

I worked for “The Cliche.” Only instead of the white residue in the bathroom, the drug use happened in the office, with only a temporary wall to separate the space. He would have me tell everyone he wasn’t there, but would pick up the phone and interupt my excuses. He would tell me to go get him a $1.00 cup of tea and hand me a wad of hundred-dollar bills, yet when it came down to payday, he would be broke. 

The best had to be the “Me Time.” I would be knee deep in paperwork and he would lock his door (which consisted of 2 bolt locks and a pad lock on both sides) and decide that he needed to be alone. He would lock everyone out of the office- or not show up (we figured out his drug-use schedule and knew on the 4th day- which was usually payday- he would crash). The icing on the cake was when he would send me to Brooklyn, literally 2 blocks from my house, from Hoboken, N.J to go get money out of the safe- usually an hour before it was time for me to go home for the evening. 

I’m a writer by trade, and I’ve had such unbelievable bosses that I feel like a corporate spy. I can’t believe people really live like this and think it’s o.k.

–Submitted by Sarahbellzz, New York City