Tough Talk,
My husband died after succumbing to an unexpected illness. We worked at a company that is a leader in our industry and my husband was well-liked and respected. After he passed, the outpouring of sympathy and was overwhelming and inspired awe in me. It took me weeks to write to everyone who had expressed their feelings of loss. However, there was one friend that didn’t say anything. My husband helped his career enormously and after receiving years of training and grooming, he went to work for a competitor. It happens but we tried to stay in touch as we really liked him. But he never returned our calls. I am surprised and hurt that he did not reach out to me and our family as I know he found out. Should I tell him my feelings or just forget it? I will see him at trade shows or other events. (Grampus, Michigan)
Grampus,
You should realize that this so-called friend and colleague was nothing more than a backstabbing piece of manure. Take it in stride that there are people who don’t give a damn about anything other than themselves. However, if you feel so compelled to take action and express your feelings, the next time you see him say hi and when you say goodbye pretend, as an afterthought, that your husband left a large envelope with a lot of important papers addressed to him and marked Privileged & Confidential and you think it might be related to a huge deal he was working on. I was going to throw them away, but wanted to know if he wants it. If he takes the bait, jerk him around as long as you can. (You misplaced the envelope, too busy, etc.) And then you finally send him a package of newspapers with a large note, “F&*!! YOU **&$%#@.”
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Tough Talk 