16
The Gaslighter
“He said he let you know.”
Within the covert bullying family is a particularly disturbing strain of bully, the Gaslighter, that lands somewhere between the Rat-Face and the About-Face. Gaslighters are the ultimate at head games. Like their covert cousins, they want you to know they’re in power; they’re in charge by keeping you guessing and off balance.
One day, Charlie was supposed to meet her boss in his office to receive her performance evaluation. He set the meeting for 7 a.m., knowing that she tended to get in closer to 8 a.m., because she had mentioned to him that she liked dropping her kids off at school on the way into work. Mistake.
She raced to his office, arriving a few minutes before 7:00, sweaty and red-faced.
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