The story I tell here is one I must scream into the darkness, before the rage consumes me and I take physical action and move headlong into the fray. However, to do this, I give clues that may breach the warm cloak of my anonymity, so I walk a very fine line. However, this is a catharsis I need, as violence has become a very real, albeit nuclear, option in how I deal with this situation.

My education and learned ability would lead one to believe I should be working somewhere else than where I do. I sell games. Stores like mine are bastions to many socially inept, introverted (or overly compensating pseudo-extroverted) young men, many of whom have self esteem issues. The environment I provide is a safe place, where these people can be themselves and enjoy one of many hobbies in my hallowed halls where they will not be judged; they are part of the larger whole - they are the in crowd. This safe place is not just a business practice, but was a place I could have used 10-15 years ago in my life, so I have a vested interest in providing it and standing up for those who seek it out.

However, current economic climate forced me to embark upon this journey of self-determination and self-imposed responsibility with two partners, who have differing views (each to varying degrees) with my own.

The first is a long time work acquaintance. He was my general manager at a similar shop elsewhere in town. He is the business. He understands the core of distribution chains, he knows the people in the industry, he is the business back end.

I am the face of the business. I run the events, manage the schedule, deal with the regulars, and make sure I am providing what our customers want. People know the three of us are in business together, but to the vast majority of our regulars, this is known simply as "Nate's store."

The third is a longtime friend (almost a decade) and was supposed to be a silent partner. Unfortunately, he has been anything but.

The third has a habitual problem of his ego. He will never admit it, but according to him his are always the biggest nuts on the table, and no one shoulders the burdens he does. To paraphrase the Captain in Top Gun, my friend's ego is writing checks his body can't cash. And now it is affecting business.

Not so many moons ago, a new group of regulars started coming around to the store. Of this group, one was a guy with an attitude problem, and he had a girlfriend who shared his hobbies. However, my friend was in talking himself up, and flashing a lot of cash (none of it his, one of his jobs involves transporting not inconsequential sums of money between people - legitimately, cash collections from dartboards, jukeboxes, etc). The girl in question - as I would soon learn - took notice of my friends attention and set out to trade up.

The girl and her boyfriend had relationship issues. I would not hear of any of it, because:

1) I am not a licensed counselor, and
2) I appreciate the maxim: do not shit where you eat.

Unfortunately, the second maxim is one my partner never bothered to learn.

Whether consciously or subconsciously he had designs on the girl, and did not heed my warnings to not get involved. In essence, he was playing both sides of the field, and subconsciously making a poaching attempt. He was advising them both on the state of the relationship.

The girl claimed the main issue was her boyfriend was too clingy. She needed space. He was always there, she never had any time to herself, and she couldn't deal with someone so co-dependent.

However, as she made these claims, she was telling them to my friend, with whom she had spent every day, and was calling and texting on the magnitude of 5-25 times a day.

Two Mondays ago (9 days prior to today), she dumped her boyfriend and threw him out. Eight days ago, she took my friend to meet her parents. Seven days ago they started sleeping together.

And now the ex-boyfriend knows she's been sleeping with my friend, on of the owners of the shop.

Understanding information flow amongst this groups of friends as I had very quickly learned, I understood the knowledge chain and how word one got from point a to point b, and who along the way would distort the message and why. The now ex-boyfriend found out they had been sleeping together because I had set word in motion to get to his ear, knowing the people would distort it to the truth (or near enough for the aggrieved lad to find out himself) for their own ends. Unscrupulous as this may be, in this subculture I have to take a very public stand against this chain of events, else the store loses it's safe place demeanor, and I can not and will not allow that to happen. Full disclosure: if you've read any of my Rise and Fall of Hope series, you will very clearly know how I personally feel about the situation.

Here's where this becomes an issue for me. My business partner/friend and I are housemates. He is now bringing this clingy, co-dependent woman everywhere he goes (over the last 12 nights, she's been at the house for 9 of them). She is still telling her ex-boyfriend she loves him, but doesn't know what she wants, and needs time. In truth, she tells everyone else it's over. I can only define this in one of three ways:

1)Attention Whore
2)Stringing him along in case the thing between ehr and my friend go south (options open and all)

or (and most likely)

3)All the freaking above.

As she is around all the time, she can't understand why I do not want to talk to her, and why I no longer act as her friend (going so far as to de-friend her on facebook, which she only just found out).

My friend tells her it's because I don't mix business and my personal life (in this business is just plain impossible), and the de-friending on facebook has allowed her to tell my friend bullshit. She still does not get it. However, she is still driving me nuts.

Seeing how she treated - and is still treating - her ex has struck a very discordant chord with me. To such a degree where if she does not veer off and get out of my airspace forthwith, I will consider any such violations a hostile act of war and respond in kind. And she sure is not ready to deal with that.

In truth, she may bear the double brunt of my rage for the ghosts of Christmas past, upon whom my vengeance is still due.

And thus I rage.
May all of you live and not see what I do.

Nathaniel