You'd think with my experience with toxic people, I'd have known better than to have had anything to do with this woman, although through my job it would be difficult to ignore her (it's complicated). And, yes, at one point I did feel bad for her, and I'm kicking myself for that. 

As a young adult, Old Toxic Monster was on the edge of being famous for her daring (and impressive) expeditions around the world. She rubbed shoulders with famous people and was married to a well-known (at the time) journalist.   
Then she got divorced and moved to a small town. It was here where people were so impressed with her background and in turn began kissing her booty, which fed the monster. I'm sure it's why she chose this place to live--she would be "the big deal." 

Well, she is "the big deal" all right--she has maddened nearly everyone, takes turns targeting people with her wrath, and she's almost like the sick town joke, the obnoxious child who calls out approvingly people who are helping her at the moment while purposely ignoring--or worse--people who have done things for her who happened to disagree with her about something, who "fail" to help her, or who apparently just look at her the wrong way. She can be outright vicious (publicly) to those she imagines have wronged her in some way. And it is EASY to "wrong" this person. She is always "reporting" people. 

Well, I knew it would be my turn one day. People really do laugh about this. In the midst of our crisis with our dog, this woman, angry at me because I did not agree with her about her idea for a public event, texted me an "order" to do something at my job (no, she doesn't work there...she doesn't work). It was a clear anger-induced message  because she had been stewing over me not agreeing with her a week or so earlier. I texted back that I did not want her to contact me about work when I was not there, and I reminded her of my work days and hours and told her we could talk later. 

Well, you do not do that with Old Toxic Monster. She went dead angry-quiet for 2 weeks straight. Then this week I got an email from her at work with underlying threats about how I was mistreating a disabled person. She threw a few other zingers my way. I forwarded the email to our director. I was on fire. 

There is honestly a part of me that feels like, "B, you have finally met your match." I have such a distaste for bullies. Her "issue" is that no one ever strikes back . . . no one ever puts her in her place. That is my impulse, although I know that reaction would further feed the beast. I think we are just going to ignore this. But, I have to be honest, it's been a couple rough weeks and this kind of stuff is deflating. I know she's a miserable lonely b living in a nasty hovel because of her own poor planning and actions in life, but I see why she lives like this and why she's so miserable. At her core, she is a nasty, spiteful, ego-driven person. 

Unfortunately, she has inserted her nasty self in so many aspects of the community (to keep torturing people, her favorite pastime) that I will never be "rid" of her. I just need to keep my head about me and be a stoic, non-reactive sane person. Wish me luck. And thank you for letting me vent (again).