He made his usual joke about her being uptight about dishes. This time, she smiled politely and said, “You’ve said honesty is important, so I appreciate you being honest.” He laughed, but it sounded awkward and unsure.
She kept this up for weeks, staying calm, pleasant, and completely neutral. She also stopped covering for him. When the landlord asked about the overflowing trash, she repeated his words: “He said it’s not a big deal.” When friends mentioned the messy living room, she explained, “He thinks people should be tougher about that stuff.”
Gradually, people started to notice. They didn’t get angry, but they raised their eyebrows and paused awkwardly. His jokes became clumsy, and he often added rushed explanations or said “just kidding” after the fact. Eventually, he confronted her and accused her of being weird and passive-aggressive.
She calmly told him she wasn’t. She was just following his advice and trying not to be sensitive.
He went quiet. After that, the comments mostly stopped. He never apologized, but his behavior changed. A month later, he moved out and told others she was “hard to read.”
She considered it a win.
Author: Kayitsi.com
