I tolerate most human beings. In most cases, they don't mean to be utterly frustrating. Howard. Howard, is a different problem all together.
He was my...boss, at the lab.
I don't like the guy.
It takes a lot for me to dislike someone. I've grown tolerant of most people. Him though, he just gave me the creeps.
That must mean a lot if everyone else thinks I'm the creepy one.
Me, I don't do it on purpose, my 'creepiness' as some call it, is learned. It took effort to see everything, know everything.
Howard is like the ugly man with a black tinted mini van convincing kids to come get candy with him. And smart. Not a good combination. He lead everyone else around the lab by the nose with all his 'high and mighty speak.' i.e. Scientific terminology and random gobbily gook he threw in to sound impressive. Didn't like it when I called him on it. At least I was considerate enough to put him in his place when no one else was around. He could have given the same courtesy to the rest of us, especially in the hygiene department.
He only washed his hair every fourth day. Maybe fifth depending on if I saw him after a weekend. He always tried to cover it up with a cologne that smelt like a cross between wet dirt, and rotting bananas, with his hair pulled back in a pony tail. Totally not a good look for him. He should have shaved it all off for said hair grew to his shoulders. What hair grew. The guy has a shiny bald track with the hair stopping suddenly an inch above his ears like trees at the timber line. That's just his hair. His eyes, too close together reminded me of a rat. He had three missing teeth, the rest were either crooked or growing over one another. And he was too skinny. Guy obviously sits around at home all day after work, eating Cheetos by the bagful judging by the crumbs around his mouth, and the orange tinge to his fingers while exercising his thumbs on the TV remote and video games. And if you turned him sideways he disappeared. He could obviously slither through a crack in the door. Or a mouse hole. Plus his voice. Deep, like gravel in a blender. Hard on the ears.
Overall an unpleasant fellow.
And the disdain he had for me was pretty obvious from the first day. Curl of the lip, snide remarks, wouldn't talk directly at me,
Basically, I eclipsed his rising star.
You know in time that wouldn't bode well. I knew it too, I've eclipsed many a rising star in my other jobs.
Personally, I thought I was just going to get fired again, nothing more.

Martin Elek