cornered

GL's humming to herself as she steps into the pantry to refill her coffee mug. GL's a coffee addict. She would have easily been a highly-rated coffee taster... in another lifetime. GL sees a colleague in the pantry... alone and looking around.

Colleague(morose again): Hi.
GL( all defences up): Hey.
Colleague: How's life?
GL(cautious): Good.
Starts to make coffee.
Colleague(doesn't give up): And me so down.
Colleague makes a sad face. GL thinks of nuclear fission - how big blasts are caused by the prodding of a miniscule portion of a single atom - the nuclei. GL doesn't want to prod.
GL: hmmm.
Colleague(not discouraged yet): you know... I had a fight with my husband this morning. And I have been yelling at everyone today.
GL: ohhh.
GL doesn't understand what's with this particular colleague and her temper. Now, GL also strictly stays out of married people's marital problems - tempered by past experiences!
GL's coffee is ready and smells good. GL looks at it lovingly.

Colleague(irritated by GL's indifference): you will realise all this later GL, when you get married yourself(GL's single, remember). It's always this way. If you can't win an argument at home, you'd want to prove your point at your workplace. It's impossible to overcome this urge to show someone down.
GL's aghast.
Colleague(continues): Why do you think Kay is such a tyrant? ..Simple, cos he has a bossy wife at home.
GL can't believe a thing she's hearing, especially after having had to survive Kay's misplaced temper.

The door of the pantry opens to let a cacophonous group in.
Colleague: See you later GL. Take care.

GL nods and pours her coffee down the washbasin.