Margaret was domineering. Margaret was bossy. Margaret was overbearing.
She was also, at 36, very attractive. Slim. Good figure. Long black hair.
She was also really sweet - when just chatting to friends, or wanting to give a present, or wanting to help when you were in trouble.
Too often, though, she ruined it all by switching to overbearing mode. And if there was something to be done, or something to be organised, or something to be said, she was, for most people, unbearable. She had to be in charge. So much so that she had driven her husband Steve mad, and he had left: they had been divorced three years ago. The trouble was - it made her worse. With Steve no longer around, all the bossing she gave to Steve she now passed on to her friends, her neighbours - to anyone who would come within her circle of influence. And influence was what she did best. What was worst was that she just assumed she was right and everyone would do and should do what she said and be organised as she wanted them organised.
It was the "influencing" Margaret which turned up on our door step a couple of weeks ago. She wanted to make the area "safer". We should run a campaign to slow traffic, to get traffic calming introduced. And worst - she wanted me to run the campaign.
"Margaret, stop telling me what to do!" I said it with a humorous tone to the voice, hoping she would get the message. "I don't want to run your campaign."
"Of course you do, Bill. All you have to do is go around the neighbours and get them toβ¦β¦β¦β¦β¦"
"Margaret," my tone was sterner this time. "I do not want to lead your campaign."
She obviously hadn't heard. "Then you get a petition organised and take it to the town hallβ¦β¦β¦.."
This time I answered more forcefully. "Margaret. Stop telling me what to do!"
"I'm not telling you what to do. I'm just helping you get started with the campaign you want to run." She was not to be stopped.
"Margaret." This time I snapped. "I do not want to run any campaign. I do not want to be told what to do. I do not want you controlling my life. You've already driven your husband away by trying to control him. You will not do the same to me."
The reference to her husband caught Margaret's attention. "What do you mean about Steve?" She spoke with a harshness in her voice.
My voice softened a touch. "That's why Steve left you. All the time you wanted to control his life. You made him do what you wanted him to do. You made him take on the things you wanted to take on. You made him give up the things he liked because you didn't like them. And you never asked him." As soon as I said it, I regretted my outburst.
There was a long silent pause as Margaret stared hard at me. I expected her to walk out - I wasn't ready as her arm looped around and slapped me hard across the face. It bloody well hurt.