The said "AFFAIR"

When I went into management in 2005 I was 22 years old. I was a friendly girl, I was a pretty girl, I was in shape, I was attractive..... and I do not mean that in any sort of bragging way. Those characteristics made me hate who I was.  I was naive.

Who would have thought they would hate "looking good"? Be careful what you wish for.

I was never a bad looking girl I was more lacking self confidence. I went to a small town high school with a graduating class of 220. I was a transfer from catholic school freshman year. I never found my place. I was always a tom boy and a majority of my allies were men. College helped me open up. I lived there two years, met amazing people, and was able to blossom. I was head of my class in my major (business management, marketing).

When I took the job as a manager, it was basically handed to me from the company I worked for. I went through a program and had several interviews and lo and behold (one semester before graduation) I had a job offer for a management position. I was going from a part time clerk to an assistant store manager. In an instant I was going from $6.75/hr to making $40,000 a year. I was on top of the world. My favorite professor (who has since then passed on RIP prof. Wolk)shook his head in disappointment and told me I could do so much more. I wish I listened then but hindsight is always 20/20.

A year into my new job I was acting still like a 22 year old bubbly girl on top of the world. Women, unfortunately, did not like me. Unfortunately I did not like them. Perhaps it's because I still saw them as a threat and and allied up with men. No, that's not a perhaps.... that's a most likely.

I had one man in particular in which I felt very comfortable around. We became friends. He was my trusted ally in the store. But he was good looking; Mario Lopez was his twin. And he was married. And he was the object of affection for many of the women in the store. Rumors started to fly by three women in particular.

Nothing was actually there but we decided if they're going to talk, let's make them jealous. (childish and stupid I KNOW) And jealous they did get.

One day I intercepted a letter addressed to the store manager, now it was my job to open all the mail. It was a letter written to my store manager for her to open her eyes and see what is going and went on to describe this imaginary affair.

I thought this was ridiculous and I was outraged so the first thing I did was call my ally and let him know what these bitches had done. Then I called my store manager and told her about the letter and about how this has gone too far. I also brought up some sexual harassment things they had said to me.  She was appalled and said she was on my side and that we would take care of them.

Two days later I was sitting in the office with my store manager and HR. Them telling me they know about the letter. When I said I know they know because I'm the one who told them, they said why don't you tell me about the other letter.

Apparently these three women created this story about a letter I wrote to this man declaring my love for him and explicitly detailing our relationship. No letter was ever found as evidence but "three corroborating stories" were enough evidence. And they took my speechless, panicked, blushed response as guilt.

I was transferred 60 miles from my house effective the next day. I was not to talk to anyone and not to try to contact the store.

I was fucked over. And I was too young to know.