Entitled Worker Belittled My Wife, Who Works as an Office Cleaner — I Was Furious and Put Him in His Place

Entitled Worker Belittled My Wife, Who Works as an Office Cleaner — I Was Furious and Put Him in His Place

Susan, a 61-year-old office cleaner, faced humiliation when a coworker, Mark, maliciously knocked over her mop bucket and belittled her. After HR dismissed her complaints, Susan and her husband Jack took matters into their own hands, exposing Mark’s abusive behavior and fighting for justice.

Susan enjoys reading | Source: Midjourney

My wife, Susan, is 61 and works as a cleaner in an office. She loves the job because it gives her some extra money and, with the flexible hours, she gets to spend more time with our grandkids. Plus, she can enjoy her favorite hobby — reading books. But recently, something bad happened at her job.

One evening, she came home looking upset. I noticed right away.

Jack notices Susan is upset | Source: Midjourney

“Susan, what’s wrong?” I asked, setting down my newspaper.

She sighed and sat down beside me. “You won’t believe what happened at work today, Jack.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

Susan tells Jack about her troubles | Source: Midjourney

She took a deep breath. “I was mopping the hallway floor, minding my own business. Suddenly, I heard the company manager, Mr. Thompson, yelling at someone. He was really laying into them for missing a deadline. Said it cost the company an important sponsor.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” I said, leaning in closer.

Mark shouts at Susan | Source: Midjourney

“No, it wasn’t,” she continued. “The yelling was so loud that even people walking by stopped to listen.”

“Who was he yelling at?” I asked.

“I don’t know, I couldn’t see from where I was. But then, out of nowhere, this man with an angry face stormed out of the office. He looked furious.”

A bucket with dirty water | Source: Midjourney

“What did you do?” I asked.

“I just kept mopping, trying to stay out of his way. But then he came right up to me and kicked over my bucket of water.”

“He did what?” I almost shouted.

Susan tries to clean up spilled water | Source: Midjourney

“Yes, he knocked over the bucket and dirty water went everywhere. It even seeped into the neighboring offices,” she said, her voice trembling.

“That’s terrible! What did you do?”

“I started cleaning up the mess right away. But then he yelled at me, ‘What a klutz! You’re so old, you can’t even mop the floor right?’ And then he just walked off.”

Mark attracted the unwanted attention | Source: Midjourney

I could see the pain in her eyes. “That’s awful, Susan. Did anyone help you?”

“No, Jack. People from the nearby offices came out and started telling me to clean up the mess. They thought I had made it.”

“Did you explain what happened?” I asked.

Sad Susan | Source: Midjourney

“I tried. But later, my boss called me into her office. She told me that if anything like this happened again, I’d be fired.”

“Fired? That’s not fair!” I exclaimed.

“I know. I told her what really happened, but no one believed me,” Susan said, her eyes filling with tears.

Angry Jack | Source: Midjourney

I felt my anger rising. “This isn’t right. We need to do something about this.”

“What can we do, Jack? They don’t believe me.”

“I’m going to the office tomorrow. I’ll talk to the HR manager,” I said firmly.

Jack somes to talk to an HR manager | Source: Midjourney

The next day, I went to her office building. As soon as I entered, I asked to see the HR manager.

“Hello, I’m Jack Johnson. My wife, Susan, works here as a cleaner,” I said when I was ushered into his office.

“Please, have a seat, Mr. Johnson. How can I help you?” the HR manager asked.

HR manager | Source: Midjourney

I took a seat and explained the whole incident. “Yesterday, a man named Mark knocked over her bucket and humiliated her. She tried to explain, but no one believed her.”

The HR manager listened carefully. “Let’s check the security camera footage.”

We watched the video together. It showed the man leaving the manager’s office angrily and heading towards Susan. But the camera angle didn’t capture him knocking over the bucket.

HR manager looks up the video | Source: Midjourney

“I’m sorry, Mr. Johnson,” the HR manager said, shaking his head. “Without concrete evidence, we can’t hold Mark accountable. He’s been a respected employee here for ten years with no complaints against him.”

“So, my wife just has to take this? She’s the one who got yelled at and threatened with losing her job,” I said, my frustration growing.

Frustrated Jack | Source: Midjourney

“I understand your frustration, Mr. Johnson, but our hands are tied without more proof,” the HR manager replied.

Feeling defeated, I left the office. When I got home, Susan was waiting. She looked at me with hopeful eyes, but I had to tell her the truth.

“I’m sorry, honey. They said there’s nothing they can do without proof. The camera didn’t catch him in the act.”

Jack hugs Susan | Source: Midjourney

She nodded, trying to be strong, but I could see the hurt in her eyes.

I found it hard to believe that Mark had no complaints in ten years, so I decided to investigate further. I asked Susan to invite her colleagues over for lunch so I could get to know them better. Susan often shared how nice her coworkers were.

Jack explains his plan | Source: Midjourney

We had ten guests: eight women who worked as cleaners on different floors and two electricians. We had a wonderful time, but during the gathering, I had a plan.

Casually, I brought up the incident involving Susan and how HR had dismissed my concerns. “You know,” I started, “HR brushed off Susan’s complaint about Mark. Has anyone else had issues with him?”

Mark sabotages electricity in the office | Source: Midjourney

There was a pause, and then one of the electricians, Tom, spoke up. “Mark’s always been a jerk,” he said. “He’s sabotaged our tools a few times.”

A cleaner named Maria nodded. “He’s belittled me in front of others more times than I can count.”

Another cleaner, Linda, added, “He’s smart about it, though. He knows the blind spots where cameras don’t catch him.”

Mark looks at the camera’s blind spots | Source: Midjourney

It became clear that Mark had a pattern of bullying, targeting the cleaners especially, knowing their complaints were usually ignored.

With everyone shocked by Mark’s behavior, I devised a plan. “Why don’t we write a letter to the CEO?” I suggested. “Detail everything Mark has done.”

Susan and her colleagues agreed. They wrote a detailed letter, outlining how Mark had mistreated them. Not trusting HR, we sent the letter directly to the CEO. While we didn’t expect immediate action, we decided to gather more evidence.

Susan writes a letter to the CEO | Source: Midjourney

I bought a small recorder and instructed Susan on what to do. “Just get him talking,” I said. “We need his own words.”

The next day, Susan waited for Mark outside the office. When he came out, she approached him. “Mark, why did you humiliate me? What did I do to deserve that? What would your mother say?” she asked.

Mark smirked. “My mother would be proud of me for putting someone like you in your place,” he replied arrogantly. “Watch out, or I might spill dirty water again and blame it on you. You’re nobody here, while I’m an important employee.”

Mark shouts at Susan again | Source: Midjourney

I recorded the entire conversation from a distance, just in case. When he left, I saw a victorious smile on Susan’s face. “Got him,” she said.

The next day, we went to HR with the recording. “This is proof of what he’s done,” I said, playing the audio.

HR tried to cover it up. “This doesn’t prove anything substantial,” they claimed.

HR tries to cover everything up | Source: Midjourney

Fed up, I decided to take a different route. I uploaded the video online and included the audio from Susan’s recorder. The video quickly went viral, and various media outlets contacted us for interviews. Susan shared her story on camera, and we provided the evidence.

The following day, the company’s CEO issued a public apology. “I was unaware of the systematic abuse by my employee,” he said in a statement. “I apologize to Susan and her colleagues.”

The CEO makes an apologetic statement | Source: Midjourney

Mark and the HR manager were fired from the company, and Susan received compensation. She was happy that I had stood up for her in such a modern and effective way.

“I can’t believe it’s over,” Susan said, relief washing over her face. “Thank you, Jack. You really made a difference.”

I smiled at her. “You deserved justice, and I’m glad we could get it. Now, let’s move forward and enjoy some peace.”

Susan and Jack walk together | Source: Midjourney

Susan nodded, holding my hand tightly. “Yes, let’s do that. And maybe, finally, I can just enjoy my work and my books without any more trouble.”

We both knew it had been a tough journey, but seeing Susan’s smile made it all worth it.

This Is How I Won a Prank War My Neighbor and I Had Going for the past Year

This Is How I Won a Prank War My Neighbor and I Had Going for the past Year

It started off innocently enough. Selene parked her car in the wrong parking spot, fueling a prank war with Paul, the real owner of the parking spot. As the months went by, the pair continued their prank war, but Selen started to wonder about the future of these seemingly innocent practical jokes. She took matters into her own hands and asked Paul out for dinner, under the guise of someone else. Will it be the ultimate prank or something more?

It all began with a parking mishap. It was just one innocent mistake that spiraled into a year-long prank war with my neighbor, Paul.

An apartment building parking lot | Source: Unsplash

One evening, I accidentally parked in Paul’s parking spot in our apartment building’s lot. It was late, I was exhausted, and I just wanted to crawl into bed.

I didn’t think much of it until the next morning when I was on my way to the office. There, on my car, on an empty takeaway cup, a note was scrawled in messy handwriting.

A woman sleeping in bed | Source: Pexels

Thanks for ruining my day.

“Oh, crap,” I said to myself when I sat in the car. I needed to make amends.

A woman sitting in a car | Source: Pexels

The following morning, I left a warm cup of coffee on Paul’s car roof with a note that read:

Sorry for the mix-up. I hope this makes up for it.

A person holding a cup of coffee | Source: Pexels

If you’re wondering, Paul and I didn’t know each other. We just lived in the same apartment block and knew everyone’s names and door numbers.

A few days later, I found a bill from a car-washing service under my windshield wiper. It seemed that Paul didn’t notice the coffee that I left and spilled it all over his car when he drove off.

A car in a car wash | Source: Pexels

I refused to pay the bill, and thus, the little war began.

“I think that you and this mysterious Paul are either going to fall in love or end up despising each other,” my friend Daphne said at work.

A smiling woman holding a folder | Source: Pexels

“Probably the latter,” I said. “It was all fine until he gave me a bill.”

“Selene,” she said knowingly, “I’m telling you, this is just the beginning.”

The next day, I left my work phone number on his car.

Call me regarding the payment.

A piece of paper on a car | Source: Midjourney

Paul called me later that evening.

“Really? You thought that leaving coffee on the roof of a car was a good idea?” he asked, going straight into it.

“How was I supposed to know that you’d drive off without looking? Besides, it was a peace offering!”

A man using a phone | Source: Unsplash

“More like a disaster,” he said. “It was all over my window. Pay the car wash bill, please.”

“I’m not paying for it,” I said, hanging up.

After that, the pranks escalated quickly.

Spilled coffee in the air | Source: Pexels

“I told you,” Daphne said when she came home with me one evening. “It’s going to get more intense. You need to listen to me. Trust me on this, you and this guy are going to get under each other’s skin.”

“I don’t know about that, Daph,” I said, dishing out the curry we had bought for dinner.

Bowls of curry and rice | Source: Unsplash

“But you’re having fun?” she asked, tearing into a piece of bread.

“I am!” I said. “Mainly because it’s nothing serious.”

Flatbread on a board | Source: Pexels

One day, I found my car doors wrapped in plastic wrap.

The next week, I retaliated by covering Paul’s car in sticky notes, each one asking him to fix his parking.

A person tearing through plastic wrap | Source: Pexels

“If it rains tonight,” Paul said, immediately calling me after seeing the sticky notes, “you’ll have a mushy mess of paper to clean up.”

“I think you’ll figure it out for yourself,” I said, hiding behind my curtain.

A car covered in sticky notes | Source: Midjourney

I had to admit, I was attracted to him. I didn’t know if Paul knew who I was, but it was easier for me to watch him from my apartment. I had gotten used to watching him wash his car.

It turned out that it was comforting. There was a sense of intimacy that we had built up.

A person hiding behind blinds | Source: Unsplash

After months of back-and-forth pranks, ranging from balloons tied onto car handles and window wipers, to fake parking tickets, I decided that it was time to end the war.

“But you need a grand finale,” Daphne said as we sat in our office, trying to work through month-end reports.

A woman using a laptop | Source: Pexels

“Like what?” I asked, typing away at my keyboard.

“You’re into him, right?” she asked, sipping her coffee.

“I think so,” I said. “But I don’t know much about him.”

A woman drinking coffee | Source: Pexels

“Then get to know him,” my friend pressed on. “There’s something there; if not, this would have ended a long time ago.”

“Fine,” I said. “But you write the note. He knows my handwriting now.”

We intended to write a note from a secret admirer.

A person writing a note | Source: Pexels

“She can just be someone from your apartment,” Daphne said. “And it’s not like you and Paul have even interacted in person, Selene. To be honest, I don’t know how you’ve managed to stay anonymous for so long.”

“It’s the thrill of it,” I said.

A smiling woman | Source: Unsplash

Early the next morning, I left the note that Daphne had written on Paul’s car.

Hey, I saw you leaving your car and couldn’t help but notice how handsome you are. Let’s have dinner?

I added my personal number that he wouldn’t recognize at the bottom.

A folded piece of paper | Source: Midjourney

To my surprise, Paul called me later that morning.

“Selene, you’ll never guess what happened!” he said excitedly. “Some woman left me a note on my car.”

“Really?” I asked, feigning surprise. “What did it say?”

A woman on the phone | Source: Pexels

“She said that I was handsome and she wanted to have dinner. She left her number, too. So, I’m going to text her and go.”

Paul took the bait and texted me. We set up a date, and I, still pretending to be someone else, agreed to meet him at a local restaurant.

A table at a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

I was already seated, suddenly nervous. We had been at this for so long; what if everything blew up in my face?

What if I was living in a romantic comedy and Paul actually couldn’t stand me?

Almost ready to leave, Paul walked into the restaurant.

A man in a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

“Hey, you’re here! You look familiar,” he said. “But I suppose I have seen you around the building.”

He spoke quickly, as though he was just as nervous.

“I’m sure that’s exactly it,” I said, smiling.

A smiling man | Source: Pexels

“Your voice reminds me of my neighbor, Selene. I’m sure you’ve seen us pranking each other recently,” he chuckled, his eyes glazing over as if lost in a memory.

“What’s that been like?” I asked.

A smiling woman at a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

“Well, Daphne,” he said, as I had introduced myself over text, “it’s been hilarious. It’s been the best few months of my life.”

“It sounds like she’s grown on you,” I said, smiling.

“She’s feisty, all right,” he said, ordering himself a whiskey.

A man holding a glass of whiskey | Source: Pexels

The rest of the evening went by smoothly, but the more Paul spoke, the more I found myself genuinely enjoying his company. He was charming, funny, and surprisingly sweet.

By the time our meals arrived, I couldn’t keep the truth from him any longer.

Plates of food at a restaurant | Source: Midjourney

“Paul,” I said, picking up my cocktail, “there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What’s that?” he asked, looking me in the eye.

“I haven’t been very honest about this date,” I said slowly. “I’m Selene.”

A cocktail on a table | Source: Pexels

Paul’s jaw dropped.

“Wait, really?” he asked. “Why did you want to meet like this?”

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “Call it insecurity? Daphne is my best friend; I asked her to write the note, and I used her name. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have deceived you.”

A shocked man | Source: Pexels

“No, no,” he said, a large smile forming on his face. “I’ve never had this much fun with anyone. I’m glad we got to meet. Finally.”

The rest of the evening went much smoother, knowing that we had something in common. It was something to bond over. And more than that, there was chemistry between us. It wasn’t just me.

“I’m glad we did this,” Paul said as we went our separate ways in the parking lot. “It needed to happen.”

An empty parking lot | Source: Pexels

“And now, we’re here,” I said, taking his hand, suddenly feeling brave.

I don’t know where our relationship will go or what it will become, but I do know that I’ve taken the first step toward something.

What would you have done?

A couple holding hands | Source: Pexels