Working The Floor: Breakroom Shank Energy, Ride or Die Soul

How we built a 125-person call center on scraps, chaos, and soda—and somehow survived

The stories shared in this series are creative nonfiction. All names, locations, and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy. Some characters are composites. Events are based on real experiences but have been fictionalized where needed. Any resemblance to actual people or institutions is purely coincidental. To the best of the author’s knowledge, no confidentiality agreements apply to these materials.

*Working the Floor: Memoir from the trenches of the call center nobody talks about.*

*This piece is part of the Bent But True series — real stories, fractured fairytales, and reflections that don’t flinch. I publish Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. See full schedule HERE*

LeeLee: Breakroom Shank Energy, Ride or Die Soul

LeeLee was short—maybe 5’2”—but she carried herself like she was 6’4” with steel-toe boots and a crowbar in her purse. Black, from Oakland, voice like gravel and a gaze that cut straight through bullshit. She had that West Coast don’t-fuck-with-me…