Many (many, many) years ago, my wife was working at a women’s health spa while finishing college, owned by a man who kept hitting on her (and all the women working for him), regardless of their marital status or interest. One day he informed her that there was a conference coming up the next weekend at a resort hotel in the Catskills that he wanted her to attend with him - and made it clear that her promotion to assistant manager depended upon her acquiescence.

She turned him down, lost the promotion (and had her life made miserable at work) and started looking for another job, which is another story. Meanwhile, I steamed and stewed all weekend long, knowing that a good friend of hers, from work, wound up taking her place that weekend only because she was in a position where losing her job threatened her children’s well being. She had few options and no savings.

On Tuesday morning, after my wife called me from work complaining about his behavior toward her at work that morning, and upset at the shape her friend was in emotionally following the “conference”, I decided enough was enough…

I called his home number and when his wife answered I said, “Yes… sorry to disturb you today, Mrs. *****. This is Mr. Justice (I actually used that name), assistant manager of the ****** ******* hotel in ****** NY. When you and your husband were here this past weekend, you left behind some… cough, cough, items… of a rather… personal nature, if you get my drift. I was just wondering if you wanted us to box them up - discretely, of course - and send them back to you”.

On Wednesday morning, he called in saying he wouldn’t be making it in. He didn’t finally make it back to work until Friday, and he was living, according to the accounts I got, at a Best Western motel, pending a messy divorce.

Does that count as passive-aggressive? Because it sure as hell was satisfying… >;-}