Second Class

I wasn’t special but I knew I was worth something. Every single day, I’d be treated like I was lower than others. Every single day, I’d put up with it. I hated it. I am somebody. I am my own person. Often I’d end up driving home and yelling at the top of my lungs until I was calm. It got so often that I’d just want to keep yelling but be out of things to yell about.
Today was no different but it had been months since I had a drive home like that. The office always had a new surprise that would tip me a little more and more but I never let it get to me. Today was different though. My coworkers always seemed to find a reason to make me mad. Cindy with the constant cold shoulder, Mark always taking credit for my work, Michael always walking over me. I finally had enough.
I always had a thing for Cindy. Everyone knew it but I always wanted to be the nice guy. I always wanted to be the guy that girls didn’t feel was just another “friend” or in more direct terms “not attractive” but still nice. Cindy would laugh at my jokes and contribute very little to our conversations so I kept it up. Talk and talk and talk until I hit the right notes. Not a great idea. Take the hint early. If they don’t contribute, they don’t want to be with you.
Mark wasn’t a bad guy once you got past his usual attitude problem. The main problem was he would steal my work and claim it as his own or stick his name on the presentation even though he did nothing to help. I didn’t think of it as an issue until the boss would always protect Mark. Even when Mark was blatantly stealing work or harassing coworkers, he was protected. Not usually worth my time to fight with.
Michael was a real piece of work. He’d see my flirting with Cindy and step right in. I wasn’t happy but Cindy and I weren’t together so I backed off. He’d be mean and constantly harass her but she responded to it positively and always would talk to him. I was always ticked about it but it was never something I wanted to deal with on a personal level with Michael. I wanted to stay in positive light.
I finally snapped though. I started to ignore Cindy when she would say “Hey” in the morning. I wasn’t having any of it. Everyday she’d greet me and I would try to get her to talk about herself or ask her about how something was going and she’d answer in one word answers or as short of a sentence as she could. I wasn’t dealing with that anymore. I’m here to work and not deal with this stuff.
Mark always asked if I finished any important work that needed peer review. No peer reviewing for him today though. I told him I didn’t finish anything and handed my report to the boss directly. Mark can do his own damn work from now on. Of course he will eventually catch on and I’m not changing. If he has a problem, he can bring it up like he tells everyone else to do with him.
Michael was doing his usual schtick though. Harass Cindy, attack people’s appearance, and generally be unpleasant to be around. I told him I don’t want to deal with his childish bull. That sure put him in a tizzy. He doesn’t like people thinking of him as a lesser yet treats everyone else as lesser than him. Not anymore for me. I’m my own man and I won’t be treated second class anymore.
To Be Continued...