Imagine getting your first real job, and your only other professional work was in the military. Military life doesn’t always translate well to civilian life, so it might be hard to know what exactly is normal and what’s not normal in the work force.

What would you do if you found out that your coworker was trying to get your fired? That’s the situation the person in this story found himself in, but he didn’t actually know all the details until after the coworker was fired. He just put up with his nonsense and ignored his annoying and questionable ways thinking that this must be how civilian life is.

Once he learned the truth, he didn’t let it get to him too much until years later when he saw the former coworker again. That’s when he had the perfect opportunity to take him down!

Keep reading for all the details.

Tarnish my honor? How about no money or job?

Let me set the scene first, I had joined the Army direct from “high school” (for my colonial friends) and had a great time, however my contract was up and I had decided that I really wanted to go back into further education and redo my high school (As I failed everything as I was so focused on joining the Army at the time) with the intention on going to University.

So, with that in mind I did not sign on for another contract with the Army I just left.

Now, it’s a bit depressing being in my early 20s, ex serving solider and living at home with his mother but that’s the way it had to be as the money I had saved from the Army was going directly towards my higher education not to mention that I spent most of my time applying to colleges trying to get on a course.

I needed a part time job; it’s not that I was not applying for jobs the minute I was back at my mum’s house I just spent more time trying to get onto a course, it was just that within 6 months I was not even getting any interviews.

But he eventually got a job interview.

My friends and family all said its more than likely being an ex-solider and the social climate at the time in Europe would have been against me getting a job.

Then out of know where I get a phone call from Awesome Area Boss from a low tier model Retail Company (From now on shall be called AAB).

I go to the interview and get on very well with AAB, AAB tells me the position is what they called “Key timers” which in a nut shell meant weekend staff and public holidays which was fine with me as my goal was my education.

The pay was ok, I could not save anything but it would keep me afloat as it were, and to be honest from what I understood about the company it was quite relaxed worked.

Getting the job was almost too easy.

AAB offers me the job on the spot to which I was over the moon with, he asked me to start the following week.

The following week comes around and bright eyed and bushy tailed I get to the shop.

ABB introduces me to “Matt” our opposing force in this story.

Let’s meet Matt.

The opposing force,

“Matt” (not real name of course) is in his late 30s and has only ever worked at this model shop.

Matt at first seemed like a nice guy, a little unhygienic with his dirty work uniform but maybe that’s just me with uniforms, in hindsight he was only ever nice to me when AAB was on site and sadly AAB had like 6-9 shops to look after so this meant our tiny little shop was not a priority for him unlike the mega store in the capital city that was making the big money.

Matt took his job with a pinch of salt often being lazy with his duties and bashing our customers and their kids not to mention making fun of my military background, belittled me in front of customers (I took this at first as banter, you have to understand I thought what went on the military would more than likely move over to civilian life and just assumed this was a fact of life) then I started to notice a pattern that this was emotional bullying there is no way he could physically bully me as I was bigger than him and physically fit and to some extent had some training, he knew this and thus emotional bullying was his weapon of choice.

Matt wasn’t his boss but acted like he was.

When ABB was not there he would often “order” me (His words not mine) to do jobs he could not be bothered doing, such as set up sale displays.

He would often tell me he was “higher ranking” than me and that with my back ground I should do as he says (he was not higher than me he was just the full time employee at the store, same pay scale just did more hours than me).

I did everything he said, for a few reasons.

Here are some examples of the things he did and why he did them.

My first priority was I needed to keep this job and I had 3/4 month trial period, so I needed to keep in everyone’s good books to keep this job.

He gave me jobs like cleaning the toilet (Which has never been cleaned in years) as “I was used to this type of job”.

He would ask me to do big tasks like inventory stock 5 minutes before closing the store while he went out drinking with his mates over the road at a bar as apparently “head office had asked me for the stock take and not him” although a little store doing stock takes hours, yes this was paid work.

For context as I was new to the area I did not have any real friends anyway as my mother was divorced while I was in the Army and separated from my step dad and living in the new area. So at that time I did not complain and I also believed that they had asked me to do such things. I never questioned authority, something I later had to learn to do.

There was a big problem.

The recce

Anyway, the trial period pasts by really quickly and AAB asks me in for a post-trial interview. He sits me down and starts to explain this is serious and explains if I am ok with it anything I say now will be recorded.

I just assumed that this was part in parcel of what happens in these types of interviews and agree.

AAB goes on to explain that money and stock are missing on the days that I was working.

I was stunned! Even speechless, I started to panic and off the bat told the AAB that I had never stolen anything. Although I liked working for the company I don’t paint or play with models, and with the money gone I told him honestly I had no idea about this and was confused by all this.

Talk about a rollercoaster ride of an interview!

AAB then thanks me for the attending the interview and stops recording the conversation (Pen and paper recording). AAB then states that “I can’t prove anything, so even if I had stolen anything, nothing could be proven that you had done it”.

I was red with anger by this time with the implication that people thought I was stealing but kept my mouth shut as I’ve learned when I was in Army never open your mouth to a senior rank when angry (3 days cleaning a parade square with a butter knife for that life lesson but that’s another story).

ABB then says that I’ve passed my initial trial period and have moved on to being an employee.

This shocked me even more; I thought I was going to be fired there and then.

It’s not too surprising who claimed OP was stealing.

ABB then said he believed that I did not take anything but had to investigate any accusation made by another member of staff and that it could be a input problem with the machines we use for stock and the till system we use for payment but he needed to ask all staff that worked these days.

ABB being a full on dude just under toned what happened.

Matt just told management that I was stealing.

Ok Matt, the game is on.

Finally, Matt got what he deserved!

The calm before the storm

Matt was later asked to leave the company as his constant bashing of our customers and their kids one day led to head office getting to many complaints from customers about Matt.

AAB then came to the shop to fill in for a full timer until someone was employed. Me and AAB get on really well and worked well together.

I filled AAB on the finer details on working with Matt to which apparently he knew what was going on but could not move on anything until I complained about it to which I never did thinking this was a normal way of working life to AAB surprise but could also understand coming from my sort of background.

Matt had made up a lot of lies.

Matt had made it very clear to AAB that he did not want anyone else working in the same store as him before I got hired but as the store was growing he needed help and so my position was made and the rest is history.

AAB told me that Matt had tried to get me fired for months saying that I turned up to work late, drank beer before starting a shift and that I am possibly on drugs.

The worst was that he suggested that I was to “close to the kids” that come into the store.

AAB backed me 100% to the company directors and said these are false accusations (This is why he’s Awesome Area Boss).

He eventually saw Matt again.

Into the breach my friends

Years later I see Matt working as an estate agent for a local firm. Matt is wearing a full on suit, stuff and shoes driving a company car looking pro.

I was in my final year of my course but had left the model store I worked at as it was closed down. I got a part time job working at an internet café which funny enough was right next to Matt’s new estate agent firm.

He even came into the café telling me “this is all you must be good for” and that he “earns more money than my education is worth”.

He used his words to shut him down.

So, it seems like hes out for me still for some unknown reason.

Maybe he’s not happy with himself? Or very insecure?

I could of completely shut him down physically again but it would only ever end up me being in jail and not him so there was no point to it. I just verbal told him if he carries on that a smack in the mouth would be the least of his worries.

He leaves the internet café.

Matt apparently didn’t know who overheard the conversation.

A woman comes over to me who was using one of our computers and asks what that was all about.

I said that he and I go way back and he holds some hostility towards me.

She then introduces herself as one of his customers and is in the final process of buying a house of him not only this but she has recommended him to all of her friends who are looking to sell their houses.

“CONTACT FRONT” All I say is that she should be very careful as I know him to be very dishonest so much so that when we worked together he was let go because of some very shady actions but did not give her full details.

He shares how little he would trust Matt.

She then divulges all this information how her husband did not like him but she thought he was ok to buy a house from which Matt stands to make some good commission % on (Before housing bubble economy in Europe) which would have been in the thousands.

I said that to be honest I would not be surprised if something under handed was going on if he was their estate agent I would not trust him with a coffee order let alone a house.

The women then asks me some more in-depth questions about the situation to which I did explain to her I feel uncomfortable about but I do want revenge on this scum bag.

Turns out her husband is also ex services and can now understand why her husband did not like him either.

Here’s how it played out.

I tell her everything that went on.

Few days went past and I see Matt walking down the street past my café I think nothing of it but then noticed though out the day he did not come back to his office. Oh well he must be on holiday or something.

Turns out this lady complained about him to the firm and he quit before he would have been fired, I later heard that he made next to nothing as it was a commission based job and that the women had told all of her friends not to use this guy or the company anymore.

The company was told nothing about my situation with Matt but about how Matt represented the company in such a bad way with how he talks to people that the company had to let him go or the women would take her business elsewhere.

Justice is served!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who reported her manager to HR after being forced to work 24-hours straight.

Matt really should’ve left OP alone. Let’s see how Reddit responded to this story.

This is funny!

Another person can relate to having a hard time transitioning to civilian life.

Here’s some praise for the revenge.

One person has a question.

Matt sounds like a horrible person and an even worse employee. I wonder what he had against OP. Was it simply that he wanted to work alone? If the store was expanding and needed two employees that doesn’t give him any good reason to be mad at his coworker.

What did he think was going to happen if he had been successful at getting his new coworker fired? He’d just end up with another coworker.

It’s an interesting twist of fate that their paths crossed again years later. If Matt had been on his best behavior during that interaction, he wouldn’t have lost his job. Matt really brought himself down. OP didn’t have to do anything in order to get revenge except for telling the truth.

It’s pretty bad when telling the truth ends up being revenge, but that’s exactly what happened. I’m glad Matt’s client happened to overhear the conversation.