Stirring the Pot

My younger brother called me today because he is buying my old Ford Fusion and was setting up payments. I had called him on my break because the payment hadn’t gone through yet. He wanted to make sure he had the correct information. He asked me how my work was going. It was kind of awkward because almost everyone I named in the investigation were sitting in the booths near me. I thought about my answer for a second. Do I leave the room, or do I simply answer? I answered. I don’t know how loud I was being because of my hearing aides, but it is a good possibility they all heard me. This is what I said (with some points of clarification):

I told him about my first therapy session. They scheduled in on a day that I worked and I refused to do it unpaid. I find it offensive that I need to attend these sessions in the first place. I also requested that they give me a room in which to attend my session where I could have some privacy. They put me in the conference room (full of windows) that is right next to the front desk. This was during the lunch hour from 11am to 12pm. My first thought was to say that it wasn’t acceptable because everyone could see me, but I decided that no, I would do it. They needed to see that their actions affect other people. Embarrassing yes, but I’m way past embarrassment at this point.

The therapist said that I needed to do intermittent FMLA and possibly short term disability. She said that she couldn’t believe that I was still working under these conditions. I told her that I didn’t know that option was available to me. I probably will end up doing that at the beginning of the year because I only have the energy to go to work. My son is in his senior year of high school and he just started having seizures this summer due to his autism. I’ve been attending doctors appointments for him, trying to help him keep up on his school work, and trying to keep my job. I am exhausted.

I laughed when I told my brother about the therapist session and how I am requesting to be paid for it and the FMLA stuff because I have no other choice. I either laugh about it or I drive myself crazy. As I’ve said before, you have to have a sense of humour.

He asked me what I would do now about my stalker. I said I don’t know, because the police can’t do anything. I have survived his stalking and hacking thus far and I can deal with it as long as I need to. If he continues, one of these days he’ll get himself caught. I told my brother that the thing about this situation is that if my management believes me and he tries to pull the crap he was pulling before that they would just tell him to knock it off. If they don’t believe me and he tries to set me up again, it’s not like they can go to ethics about it after they’ve already lied about it twice. He has no more power here.

Do you all understand why I have to stay? He can start this crap all over again at another place of employment. Believe it or not, I’m safest with all of you. I know you hate me and want me gone, but you’re just going to have to get over it. I need a job and I need to support myself. I have no other options.

After work, the gentlemen at one of these tables (who may or may not have heard my conversation with my brother) saw my car and started speeding through the parking lot as they approached my car. That is, until they saw that my husband was the one who was driving. After that they drove at a normal speed and avoided eye contact with me. If that was intended for the purpose of intimidation, it won’t work. I am not afraid of you. But what I will say is this; you might have recognised that the only people I named in the investigation were people who decided to make my business, their business. I will quote Marcus Aurelius once more:

“You always own the option of having no opinion.

There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control.

These things are not asking to be judged by you.

Leave them alone.”

And I’m pretty sure at this point your management isn’t going to appreciate you stirring the pot.

Bottom line: you leave me alone and I will leave you alone.

Goodnight and thanks for reading.