It was about 10 years ago. I’ve been working in the same position for almost 3 years. She was working in another department when, lo and behold, she came in the next day occupying a higher rank position than my boss. Everyone was puzzled as to how she got the position and/ or even that the position existed.

Anyhow, she started picking on me. I would later find out by a colleague that she was jealous of me because she felt overshadowed. Mind you, I am not the flashy type and I dress conservatively although stylishly. My boss hired me because I present myself well and am a happy person, always smiling. Our workplace was about 85% male and she was used to get all the attention. My colleagues appreciated me because of my being happy and would often come to me and not her.

Fast forward 2 months. She did everything she could to make my life a living hell. I developed a thyroid condition due to stress (I didn’t know at the time) and would wake up in the morning crying and afraid to go to work. I started looking for another job ( and found one) but didn’t tell anyone right away. She was in the process of hiring a student for a part-time job. I was talking with a good friend of mine one day and found out that her little brother was to be hired for that job. He asked to talk to me and I was honest about everything he asked about the job. The next morning, I heard her bragging about finding a perfect candidate for the job only to be bewildered in the afternoon : my friend’s brother had called and he turned it down.

She wasted a month for nothing. I couldn’t help but smile when I left the office that day. It was the first time I smiled in 3 months.

2 months after I left that job, I get word that she was considered incompetent and abusive and was demoted from her position.

As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold.