When Good gets a bellyful, Evil best watch out.

by Angela K. Durden

For several years a lot of people thought I was having an affair with the head of a large company who was my client. I was oblivious about that because I've always had this ability to focus on the task at hand to the exclusion of all else. When I have a job to do, well, I gitterdun.

It's a little something called Customer Service.

I found out about this alleged affair when another man, new to the company, let it slip. To say he "let it slip" would be about like saying Crunk News Network "let it slip" that Trump colluded with Russia. That is to say, the man came right out and said it.

My accuser smirked. He leered. He looked me up and down like I was a piece of cheap white trash and all he had to do was snap his fingers and he, too, could get some of the free stuff. When I told him he was wrong, he scoffed. "After all," he said to me, "You are a nobody. There is no way you would have us as a client if you weren't f***ing [the big boss]."

Allowing him opportunity to back peddle graciously, I stared a hole through him and attempted to get on with the meeting. He took my stare as confirmation of my easiness and proceeded with more insulting language. After disabusing the man of his notion of getting whatever goodies he thought he was going to get, I left the meeting.

All these years and people thought that?

This attitude was not shown to me by location managers and other employees. Their attitude was always happiness to see me because I delivered great customer service. They never had to worry that what I did for them would be wrong or late. I made them look good and helped even when it was not my core reason for being there. 

But, upper management was another story. From the time I was openly accused of the affair, every meeting I was in was tense — for me, at least. I now looked at the responses of the upper management I had to deal with. And sure enough. There it was. A simpering tolerance of me. Not based on the awesome job I was doing for the company and the amount of money I was helping them save, but on the fact that I would not have had this gig if it hadn't been for the spreading of the legs — or the getting down on the knees. 

Reputation: What does that mean?

Who sets the reputation for another? Obviously, my reputation was not up to me in this instance because my real actions were completely ignored in favor of oft-repeated titillating gossip.

That is why I distrust headlines that smack of lurid gossip, and I do not pass them along until the person in question admits to it or accumulated and verified evidence is overwhelming. 

Sex is a tool used by both males and females for manipulation. You know this. 

I was a faithful wife, a good mother, and a loyal friend. After having set up a business in which I was dependent on people relying on my smarts and abilities...well, I can just say that I felt stupid that I had let my guard down and believed that each smile from the bigwigs was genuine. 

I beat myself up that I had not paid more attention to the swirling drama around my public reputation because, frankly, the signs of the belief in my sexy customer service skills had always been there. 

Still, the question is this: Would my knowing have made a difference in the final outcome of the situation?

I think not. Once I found out about the alleged affair, I became distracted from the task at hand. Who was involved in this project? How should I approach them now? Whereas before I had a freedom of speech based on my belief they knew I was trustworthy, I now had to watch each word and gesture, parsing their meanings through a new filter. 

Let me tell you, that is hard to do. Takes a lot of energy. Sucks the joy out of a body. Makes one want to hide. But like anyone with a strong will who is under sustained attack will do, one comes up with new strategies for dealing with the enemy. When the enemy comes out in the open, then one can see their plans in their entirety. 

I felt sorry for myself for awhile, even scared, but eventually I hunkered down and studied the situation. I grew up having to use psychological warfare every day with my mother and stepfather. I had hoped I would not have to use it again once I left their home. 

But I dusted off the old skills and became bolder. That confused the hell out of those desperate, in-debt-to-their-eyeballs, ladder climbers. 

But it wasn't fun. 

See, good people don't like to play those games. Which is why evil people believe good people are weak, are suckers, are stupid, are lazy. Which is why evil people always believe they are strong and smart. Explains politics, especially these days, doesn't it? MSM pushes headline after alleging headline.

Collusion! Affairs! Golden showers! 

Minimally, let's talk about acronym agencies lying to FISA courts. Let's talk about the wannabe dynasty called Clinton and their bought and paid for fake dossiers. Let's talk about the DNC burning Bernie. Let's talk about Tech Giants taking money from foreign governments and using their algorithms to be duped into subverting another nation's political process and sow discord. 

Oh, the fun we are having watching them squirm because...

...let me tell you, when Good gets a bellyful, Evil best watch out.   

Citizen Journalist.  Novelist. Author of other stuff. 

Business writer.  Songwriter.  Protecting creator's copyrights.