Well, the bully has left the place where I work. It is the fall-out of his leaving that I am now dealing with. Mainly that his few friends, those who don't mind being teased, picked on and made fun of, those who think his off-color jokes and stories about ex-wives and ex-girlfriends are funny, have blamed ME for his leaving and have made it uncomfortable for me there now sometimes.

Folks have made comments, or asked me questions which were intended to stir up trouble or are just in general giving me the cold shoulder or a scowl. Nothing outright is being said. It is all just under the table or underhanded kinds of things. I am just getting this feeling like folks are miffed at me, including my boss, for his leaving. In other words, because *I* have a hard time accepting being bullied (as does at least one other person), it is *MY* fault that he decided to leave, because I have been the most outspoken against his nastiness.

Also, he made a point, I see now, of making friends with folks at the TOP of the totem pole there. He made close relationships with the folks who are above me on the employee's chain of command. I'm the lowest one on the totem pole, and he has either attempted to or actually succeeded in making friends with every other person who works there, so that they have all acted toward me in a negative way of one kind or another since his leaving.

I am pretty sure he is pulling some strings from behind the scenes, so as to make me very uncomfortable there. I think he wants ME to leave, so that he can return and carry on with his bullying. He only picks certain folks to bully on, the weak, the frail or the unstable in some mental capacity. Some are easy to spot, others, I am not sure how he picked us out, but he seems to have a knack for finding those that have a hard time fighting back, who don't know how to be bullies themselves, in other words, those who find it hard to "dish it out right back in his face."

I am just not that kind of person, never have been. In fact, I usually don't even catch that someone is kidding me or joking or picking on me in a "light hearted" kind of way. I see it more as belittling or chiding. I don't like it. And at one point I told everyone that I was "not in the mood to be teased today." and since that day he has not spoken to me, other than to get very angry at me for my coat sticking out in the bus isle 3 inches maybe or so. It was supposedly in his way. I mean, really? Was that a reason to blast me with high volume anger? I don't think so, and neither did the bus driver think so. She wrote a report to that affect. However, my boss sees it differently. The bully supposedly has some grievances against me. And she claims she cannot take sides. So if he returns, I am stuck with the situation unless I decide to quit my job and move on. However, there really is no place to move on to, so I would just end up sitting home alone and moping and being lonely. SIGH....