Medium Roast

The Zoom meeting started like any other. Small talk, bad lighting, someone forgetting to unmute. Then Todd started talking about the new coffee supplier.

“Listen up, this isn’t that big of a big deal,” he said, laughing nervously. “But the break room’s switching to medium roast only. No more dark roast. It’s a cost thing.”

“That’s not going to work for me,” Ben said, his voice flat. His screen had frozen, but his microphone was still live. “I drink dark roast. Every day. Have for years.”

Todd laughed again, thinner this time. “Well, yeah, but…“

“I’m not changing.” Ben’s feed cut out. His name remained on the participant list, but his camera was gone. “You should change it back…”, his voice fading into the distance.

A long pause. Someone coughed.

Then Lorna’s camera box flashed on-screen. A blur of movement. A mug shattering. The sound of something heavy hitting the floor.

“Ben? What the hell was that?” Todd said.

Ben’s camera turned back on.

“Medium roast isn’t an option,” his voice crackled through the speakers.

“Not anymore.”

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