Catherine’s day was turned upside down during a job interview when an arrogant man poured hot coffee on her at a café and then blamed her for the disaster. He had no idea that the tables would turn spectacularly the next day, offering him the ideal dosage of karma. My name is Catherine.
It was a typical afternoon at the cafe near my office. While my companion and I were having lunch at the counter, a man swept past us, knocking spilling my coffee.The hot liquid splashed all over my dress, leaving a big stain. Accidents happen, I reminded myself. I wasn’t really angry, just somewhat annoyed by my damaged clothes. I expected a swift apology, even an offer of assistance. But the man turned towards me with a sneer.
“You should be careful where you sit. “That was entirely your fault,” he said. I was stunned. “Excuse me?” “You heard me,” he said, his voice full of disdain. “Women like you often make a fuss about the slightest things. Perhaps if you weren’t so self-centered, this wouldn’t have occurred.” All eyes are on us. My companion appeared to be about to erupt, but I placed a hand on her arm and told her to be cool. Despite his degrading statements, I chose not to argue. I simply picked up my handbag, wiped off what I could, and exited the café, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment and wrath.
Little did he know, it was not the end of our encounter. The following day, I arrived at work early. I’m a project manager at my company, and we were supposed to interview a new consultant for an important project. When I came into the conference room, who was seated at the table, waiting for the interview to start? None other than the entitled café patron.His eyes widened when he recognized me. He tried to remain calm, but the color drained from his face as I marched straight to the head of the table.
“Good morning, everyone,” I began, keeping my tone professional yet forceful. “Let’s begin the interview.” I identified myself as the project’s leader, which he was interested in joining. The other members of the panel had no idea what had happened the day before, but I could see him becoming increasingly uncomfortable with each question I asked. Though I stayed fair and objective throughout the interview, I made sure to question him on his capacity to work respectfully with a diverse team. By the end, he was clearly sweating.
After the interview, I left the room and ran into him in the hallway. He sputtered, “Look, about yesterday—” I stopped him. “There is no need to explain. Your actions spoke volumes. We expect a high level of professionalism and respect at this organization, and I do not believe this role is a good fit for you.”He opened his lips to respond, but I wasn’t waiting to hear what he had to say. I walked away with my head held high.
The following week, the team hired a new consultant who was qualified, collaborative, and courteous. As for the entitled man from the café, I can only hope he learnt an important lesson about treating others with dignity and decency. Sometimes karma works quickly, and I was able to observe this personally.