Glimmer of Hope

Finally some good news amidst the financial nightmare. It may not be earth shattering... but it's still something positive. Mike finally quit. So if he shows up at work then I can probably have him charged for breaking the peace bond. Work was excluded before but since he no longer works there... It was rough seeing him every time I had to photocopy something, go to the printer, or even go to the bathroom. He was in my line of sight each time. It was a painful reminder... not like I ever forget. So it may not be much but it is something positive. I am a little more relaxed at work. It's a small glimmer of hope.

One Year Ago...

Okay so it's not one year ago today... but rather 1 year ago Saturday... a day that will live forever in memory. It's a day that really shook my sense of justice... as well as my sense of safety and security. It all started with an email that was sent to the entire company... about a birthday celebration at one of the local bars. We won't even go into proper use of the company email... or potential liabilities... but any ways... I decided to go out after work. Mistake #1 was going out. Mistake #2 was drinking. Mistake #3 was telling Mike he could stay at my place so he wouldn't get fired. Mistake #4 was either not going back to Tristan's instead... or letting Mike in. With the exception of the next day when I was at the police station I still have not allowed myself to completely relive the experience. It's still too painful, even a year later. Looking back, if I had known what the aftermath at work would be... and if I had known the charges were going to be dropped because of a lack of witnesses (what the hell did they expect... that it was being caught on camera??) I never would've pressed charges. I know that people have said I did the right thing... and that it took courage to report it and press charges. That may be... and you can think less of me... but if I had to do that part of it all over again I would not have pressed charges. I would've suffered in silence. And for those that say by not pressing charges then he wins... He won any ways... I was the only one that lost. I paid a high price that night and in the following months. It still haunts me...

Peace Bond

I learned today that a peace bond is basically meaningless. Mike decided to come visit the area where I work.... since he wanted to socialize. He did not have anything work related that he was down there for. I'm almost tempted to think that he wanted to make sure I knew there were no longer any restrictions.

So I called the police today to find out if there was a peace bond in place and if so, what the restrictions were. The cop that was involved in my case is no longer with the police force. I believe he transferred elsewhere. So they put me in touch with the secretary. She didn't know anything about it. Well she did know the charges were withdrawn and that a peace bond was agreed to... but wasn't sure what the restrictions were. So she recommended I call the courts office to find out.

This is what they told me. He is not allowed to have any contact with me or communicate with me in any way, except for at work. Now there are two things I notice there. 1. He doesn't really have any spatial restrictions (i.e. 500 feet) and 2. He is exempt at work any ways. Now I think I can safely say he doesn't want to contact me... But... I think the restriction should have included staying out of my section of the building. He has absolutely no reason to be there. Hell he works on a different floor altogether. But I can't stop him from hanging out in my area and visiting with people. Now that's frustrating. Not only were the charges withdrawn but he is free to wander throughout the building, including my area. When he wandered through yesterday I almost went into shock... Well maybe not literally but it did surprise me and took me a while to recover from it. I feel like I am the prisoner. Yes I can go upstairs now... not that I ever really had much a reason to... but I am reluctant to. I really don't want to see him. So I tend to stay in my area and not go anywhere.

So what the hell was the point of me even pressing charges? It caused my name to be dragged through the mud making it tough to go into work. One of the rumours was that I was "a lying bitch who charged him out of spite." That was a daily battle. The 10 hours at the cop shop/hospital was also spectacular. So I lost friends... heard some very hurtful things... even if I was lying is it really tactful to be discussing it at work? What if I am telling the truth? Ended up on a 2 month LOA. So it also cost me time and money (I also had to replace the items that went into evidence). Then the charges were withdrawn any ways making me look worse. And now the peace bond is basically just a piece of paper that means nothing. He can still make my time at work a living hell and there is nothing I can do. Sure I can talk to my TM but from a company standpoint they would likely just say that it was not related to the workplace so their hands are tied... aside from the fact you're not supposed to be socializing while on calls.

Apparently I am a little bitter today.... but it's been a long week already. I got off work late tonight... didn't get as much done as I wanted to... and am still feeling the effects from the dentist. Hopefully with some sleep I'll have a different outlook and not be so cynical.