Okay, he read it.  Now what?

 
In case some of you don't know, there is a little tool by the name of "didtheyreadit," a computer program which allows you to know whether your e-mail was read and when, where and how many times it was opened, and the recipient has no clue.  Clever little tool.  There are a couple of similar programs, but they all work basically in the same manner.
 
How many times have you thought, "I wonder if Dude read my e-mail?"  "I wonder if Laurie is full of caca when she claims Dude's read it five times?"  "I wonder if something is wrong with my e-mail service because Dude is claiming he never got my nastygram?"
 
By using this program, you know.  You have confirmation. In fact, you may have confirmation that he read it the five times I told you about (and after all, we must not lose sight of the fact that the most important thing is that I'm right, of course).
 
Frequently I may tell a caller, "Yes, Your Little Love Dude is thinking about you," but since he is also exhibiting signs of being Broken Finger Dude through lack of communication, it's hard to believe.  Concrete proof tends to ease your mind.  So he read it, five times.  You have confirmation.  Someone who  isn't thinking about you isn't opening and rereading your pearls of wisdom five times. 
 
Seeing as this is not an advertisement for this program, let's look at the other side of the coin.
 
Befuddled Dude may not take kindly to this if he finds out.  As a matter of fact, I know of one Violated Dude who found out the girl was using this and broke up with her.
 
And then there's the problem of now you have all this wonderous info, and what if you find out something you wouldn't otherwise know?  Hmmmmmm.
 
Case in point, I know of a situation where Mr. Pants On Fire Dude said he was taking off work and going away for a couple days, and imagine this caller's surprise when she receives a didtheyreadit confirmation showing that he's at work and had lied to her.
 
Or what do you do if Mr. I Smell Something Burning Dude, in an effort to avoid a "talk," claims he never got your nastygram, even though you know he not only got it, but he was sitting with his mouth open staring at it for 15 minutes? (The catching flies with his mouth part you might have to get from me).
 
Aren't we in a dilemma now.  If you keep quiet, you probably will end up in the doc's office for stiches from biting your tongue so hard.  If you burst forth with your special info like Mt. Vesuvius erupting, you will now be dealing with Boomerang Dude.
 
Boomerang Dude feels that the best defense is a good offense, in other words:  "How DARE you spy on me," thus deflecting the fact that he's a big fat liar and points at the fact that you are Snoopy Girl.
 
What ya gonna do then?  
 
In my opinion, I'd take a step back and figure out what the reason for it was.  Does he need a little space and is trying to spare your feelings or is he really up to no good? 
 
Another thing to consider is how he's going to feel next time he sees your e-mail addy in his in-box, sitting there glaring at him, surrounded by flashing neon lights spelling out, "Boobytrap!"
 
Be very careful.  I'm not saying you have to keep it quiet.  It just might be time for that most dreaded thing, "communication."  But at the very least, count to ten and give some serious thought to consequences and if you will accomplish the desired effect before you blow.  In other words, think before you spew. 
 
It's sort of akin to reading someone's diary.  Sometimes you find out info you weren't meant to know  -- or were you?????