What goes around, comes around

I hadn't been completely honest when I said I left my job because I was overworked.

Being overworked and stretched over normal limits are things I still consider bearable. But not pretentious backstabbers in the workplace. That i will not tolerate at all.

It was not long after she joined the company, that I began having trouble. She was part of my team and I had been assigned to coach her for the first 3 months. Things were ok at first. Her work was not that fantastic. Repeated careless mistakes that I closed one eye upon, only because I did not want to be difficult.

Then out of nowhere, she complained that she was overworked. Not to me when I was actually the one overseeing her work. But directly to my boss.

And before I knew it, I had to take on 50% of her workload. She left at 6pm everyday, while I struggled like a mad woman trying to meet deadlines, complete tons of paperwork, travel in and out of the country, etc. If you were in my shoes what would you have done?

My thoughts were at first filled with burning questions. Questions that desperately seeked answers.

Why did she do that to me? Was it because I was so much younger and more successful? Was it because she had an inferiority complex?

But I never got my answers. As time went by, there wasn't a need to. Cos her actions said it all.

I guess the worst part of it was having a boss who was not supportive. A boss who was not new to the company, yet couldn't at all understand the dynamics of my work. A boss who could not appreciate the 2 years I had contributed to the company.

So i had to bear the brunt of it all. And i continued slogging - in silence.

That was the worst period in my life. Ever. I was so demoralized that work eventually became a drag. But somehow I managed to drift by.

Until that very day. I saw a recommended review to adjust her salary to more than what I earned. That was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

I had never felt so much anger before. A pounding rage that drove me to a point where I wanted to hurt someone. Uncontrollable fury that I bit my lips unconsiously while sleeping. Imagine my horror when I woke up to find bleeding lips.

Oh believe me when I say that God has eyes.

A week later, I found a better paying job. I had initially found it hard to believe. I blasted out my resume only three days before. It was the only interview I ever attended. And unbelievably, i was on my way to greener pastures.

So why, after so long, am I baring my soul?

Cos today I met up with an ex-colleague. And I was told that she is currently suffering from depression. I have no idea what caused it but I had found it extremely disturbing.

All I can say is I believe in karma. What goes around, comes around.

I hate her. I cannot justify why, even when I'm so much better off now - but I still do. Even when I don't believe in carrying emotional baggage.

But i too, pity her. So i pray that she will be alright.

After all, I am only human.