DEAR ABBY : Fifteen years ago, my partner and I moved to a new community, befriending a neighbor whose initial kindness and generosity impressed us greatly. Related Articles Advice | Dear Abby: My stubborn mom quit the senior center because of all the old people Advice | Dear Abby: I was only helping, and now I’ve been accused of stealing a ring Advice | Dear Abby: My husband stood in the pulpit and told everybody I had cheated Advice | Dear Abby: For 10 years, my ex-husband has kept me from sleeping Advice | Dear Abby: My partner of 13 years says I can’t meet his son, for privacy reasons When the neighbor learned I was unemployed, his influence enabled me to secure a position with his company. In a professional setting, however, the neighbor revealed a personality that was manipulative, condescending, backstabbing and mean-spirited, often reducing colleagues to tears with his profanity-laced tirades.
His was literally a Jekyll-and-Hyde transformation. After a decade of his tyranny and the suicide attempt of a colleague he had mercilessly badgered, I accepted a position with another company, and later retired to another state. Since then, he has contacted me at regular intervals to say he misses us as neighbors and friends and would like to visit.
While working for his company financially empowered us to make plans previously beyond our means, I lack the ability to prioritize gratitude over the memories of the emotional abuse to which he subjected my co-workers and me. My.