My first angry, anonymous caller

My angry child behaved a bit like a child, in my opinion.

Last Thursday morning, I received the most unsettling phone call in the office. I had just arrived after delivering the newspapers, later than usual because Canada Post lost the Mile Zero News somewhere between Manning and Grimshaw. There is still no explanation as to where the newspapers went. My boss ended up reprinting last week’s issue.

Anyways, more to the point of the story. I arrived into work, sorted out the money for the paper deliveries when the phone rang. Carmen, our office receptionist, said “Kristin, there is a woman on the phone excited to speak with you.” I said ok, and with a smile headed towards my desk thinking the excited woman was an organ donor enthusiast who had called me several other times before.

When I picked up the phone and uttered a cheery “Good morning!” The anonymous caller said, “You made a terrible and huge mistake in a recent paper.”

“You made a mistake publishing Jane Doe’s name beside supporter of  that community initiative. Jane is having an affair with Joe Blow.”

I began to explain that Jane’s personal life shouldn’t affect all the work she is doing in the community when the angry caller said, “But it does, because she’s having an affair with Joe.” The caller said a few more angry things to me and then she hung up on me as I was defending both my integrity and Jane’s.

I was so shaken after this call. Are people really that petty that they would ostracize a woman for having an affair. I mean it’s not 100 per cent her fault. Joe is also having an affair with Jane after all. He is just as guilty – but no one seems to think of that.

Also, are people that petty that they would not support a community project because a person is doing something in her personal life that is socially unacceptable?

I don’t like that Jane and Joe are in the middle of an affair. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like Jane or Joe. They’re fine people, doing great work in the community. Great work that a lot of other people won’t do. It’s not my job to make their relationship public, I work for a newspaper, not a gossip magazine.