My coworker is Boisterous (let’s say) and high tempered (let’s say.) Some unknown (to me) incident was being discussed when I came in this morning. Apparently some faux pas was made by McDonald’s. (I’m sure she’ll never go back until tomorrow.)

Co-worker B was making suggestions about what McD’s could have done to ameliorate the situation.
Co-worker A was fuming and refusing any consolation on the matter.

CWA turned to me and said, “She had some problems with McDonald’s this morning …”
CWB turned into an angry harpy and said, “Don’t talk about me! Don’t talk about me behind my back! I hate it when people talk about me behind my back when I can hear them.”

(Okay, so in a literal sense we were talking behind her back, but in a broader sense of the phrase, can you really talk about someone “behind their back” when they can hear you?)

CWA: “Don’t be angry! I’m just saying what happened!”
CWB: “I’ll be angry if I want to be!”
CWA: “You don’t have to be so loud and angry, this is an office, and everyone can hear you.”
CWB: “I’ll be angry! I’ll be angry in this little space right here! I’ll be angry if I want to!”

This was the scene that greets me after a long and (I suspect unsuccessful) interview last night, after a disagreement with my KF, knowing that today I am the one who has to deal with all the angry customers calling to demand to know why we at this analytical lab are not in charge of the US postal service. Not to mention all the mistakes in the world that actually have anything to at all to do with us.

I couldn’t take it any more.

So I said, “OKAY!!, Nobody else wants you to be angry in this little space so stop it!”
CWB: “I am angry.”
Me: “Fine! Be angry quietly!”
CWB: “I Will!”
Me: “Good!”

So I’ve been sitting here doing lots of nothing ever since.

CWB been looking for other people to answer her questions, but I’m the only one who knows the answers, so after a few hours she gave in and asked me something.

I’m over it. She’s not.