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Chinese whispers conjure up rent boys (long)
This is my first post on this site, been lurking a while though. Thought I'd share this as it's quite a story.
Background: I worked in a hairdressers when I was 14, running errands, washing hair, sweeping, never cutting. It was pretty unexciting. My parents had recently gotten divorced and everyone knew because it was in a really tight community. If anyone said anything about anyone that person would find out by the end of the day and it would have been through so many people that the message was inevitably completely distorted by the time the person heard about it. This caused a few problems everyone now and again between customers, but nobody ever raised voices, it was mostly a few catty comments which were intended to be heard and stuff, nothing scary.
Anyway, on with the show.
Dramatis Personae
Panda: Li'l naive 14-year-old me
B: A regular
Mr & Mrs J: Regulars who lived on my street
Jenny: Mr & Mrs J's dog (not her real name, but she needs one)
T: Awesome store owner
I was washing B's hair and she was telling me about her last bridge night.
"My husband and I played Mr & Mrs J, the couple on your street, aren't they?"
"Oh yes, I saw Mr J the other day on the green on my way home from school."
"Oh really? How is he?"
"I didn't get a chance to say hello. He went into the woods before he saw me. I think he was looking for Jenny."
"Oh really? Are you sure it was him?"
"Positive. I saw that hat of his a mile away and I passed his car which was parked right beside the green."
"Did you see Jenny?"
"No, but they always take her off the leash."
"Did you see the leash?"
I was wondering what was with the 3rd degree at this point but I just went along. "No, I figured it was in his pocket or in the hand I couldn't see or something."
"About what time was that?"
"Um... I don't know... half fiveish... I was on my way back from swimming club."
"I see..." No idea what she saw. "How's your swimming going?"
"Pretty well, thanks, can I get you a tea or coffee or something?"
"Yes please, a tea with one sugar, no milk, dear."
"Okay."
Needless to say the rest of the conversation was pretty typical but she did give me a massive tip (£10!) when she left. Most I'd ever been tipped for a simple hair wash and tea fetch but I wasn't going to complain.
As the day was ending there were a few customers who weren't quite finished but they didn't mind that we started getting ready to close up. I was just about to wash the mirrors of the empty seats when I hear the door burst open and in storms an irate Mrs J.
"PANDA!" She screamed, actually screamed for me.
"Um... um... yes, Mr J? Wha- what's the... problem?" I was pretty scared as she marched over to me since she's a pretty big woman and I was quite little for my age.
"You've been spreading rumours about my husband!"
"No, I haven't! Honestly!" I never passed on any rumours and I hadn't even heard any about Mr J so I had no clue what she meant.
"YES YOU DID! You said that he's f***ing rent boys in the woods!"
Have you ever had one of those moments where the world seems to stop for a second? I did just then. I didn't even notice one of the hairdressers slip into the back to call T who had gone home for the day.
"No... no, Mrs J! I would never say that!" I didn't even know what a rent boy was!
"YOU DID! You told B this morning that you saw MY Mr J in the woods getting his d*** s***ed by a guy called Benny!" Her body language was very threatening at this point and she was towering over me.
I was shaking and on the verge of tears. "But- but- I didn't! I saw him go into the woods, looking for Jenny! I- I- never mentioned a Benny!"
"Don't lie! You little b****! What's your mother going to say when I tell her you've been spreading such FILTH!"
I started crying at this point and couldn't think of anything new to say, so I just cried, shaking my head.
"Oh look at the crocodile tears! Look at her go! I bet those tears work on Daddy but not me, you lying little c***!" Not a particularly nice thing to say since my parents' divorce was largely due to the fact that my dad was pretty useless. Then she actually pushed me, I didn't fall but I did have to step back.
Luckily at this point T entered the shop and came over to me and put a hand on my shoulder, he had seen the shove. "Mrs J, now I understand that you're angry at the rumour about your husband but there is no reason to take it out on Panda! Please, leave now."
"She's the one who started it!"
"I didn't! I just said to B that I saw him go into the woods and I thought he was looking for Jenny!"
"So, then, she didn't start this rumour."
"Oh of course you'd defend the pretty little piece of a*** you want to f***!" She then went on to describe, highly graphically, what T wanted to do to me. I guess she got it all from the hand on my shoulder.
T is gay, widely known, so needless to say we were all confused and embarrassed.
"None of that is true, Mrs J. Panda said nothing of the sort about your husband."
"How do YOU know? Were you there?"
Now I have to admit I was worried about how I'd prove myself here. It's not like B would stand up for me and I hadn't noticed anyone else at the basins when I had said all that.
"Yes, I was."
Mrs J seemed to deflate at this point. "What?"
"I was replacing some shampoos while she was telling B that story. I heard every word. She saw Mr J go into the woods and assumed he was going after Jenny. Now, please, leave. If you don't I will have to call the police, and none of us want that, do we?"
Mrs J turned and left, pushing a display of shampoo over as she left. T then took me in the back so I could cry the tension out. He was super nice, he made me a cup of tea, called my mum to come and picked me up and explained the situation to her and sat with me until she came. While sitting with him, something occured to me.
"T? Did you really hear me telling B?"
"No, but I knew you wouldn't say something like that, plus why would you have been in those woods?" T wanted to give me the day off but he really needed me in, so he let me come in late, which I really appreciated.
Mrs J came back the next day, tail firmly between her legs and apologised for the incident. I didn't forgive her as such but I really wanted to forget about it all.
The real irony of the story is that Mr J was in fact paying rent boys! Those woods were apparently a hot spot for unhappy husbands and their male affairs! I found out about this a couple months later after learning that he had been arrested along with his beau for indecent conduct!
Sorry for the length, but there's a lot to it!
Mr & Mrs J are now divorced and both have moved out of the area. I have no idea what's become of them.
Background: I worked in a hairdressers when I was 14, running errands, washing hair, sweeping, never cutting. It was pretty unexciting. My parents had recently gotten divorced and everyone knew because it was in a really tight community. If anyone said anything about anyone that person would find out by the end of the day and it would have been through so many people that the message was inevitably completely distorted by the time the person heard about it. This caused a few problems everyone now and again between customers, but nobody ever raised voices, it was mostly a few catty comments which were intended to be heard and stuff, nothing scary.
Anyway, on with the show.
Dramatis Personae
Panda: Li'l naive 14-year-old me
B: A regular
Mr & Mrs J: Regulars who lived on my street
Jenny: Mr & Mrs J's dog (not her real name, but she needs one)
T: Awesome store owner
I was washing B's hair and she was telling me about her last bridge night.
"My husband and I played Mr & Mrs J, the couple on your street, aren't they?"
"Oh yes, I saw Mr J the other day on the green on my way home from school."
"Oh really? How is he?"
"I didn't get a chance to say hello. He went into the woods before he saw me. I think he was looking for Jenny."
"Oh really? Are you sure it was him?"
"Positive. I saw that hat of his a mile away and I passed his car which was parked right beside the green."
"Did you see Jenny?"
"No, but they always take her off the leash."
"Did you see the leash?"
I was wondering what was with the 3rd degree at this point but I just went along. "No, I figured it was in his pocket or in the hand I couldn't see or something."
"About what time was that?"
"Um... I don't know... half fiveish... I was on my way back from swimming club."
"I see..." No idea what she saw. "How's your swimming going?"
"Pretty well, thanks, can I get you a tea or coffee or something?"
"Yes please, a tea with one sugar, no milk, dear."
"Okay."
Needless to say the rest of the conversation was pretty typical but she did give me a massive tip (£10!) when she left. Most I'd ever been tipped for a simple hair wash and tea fetch but I wasn't going to complain.
As the day was ending there were a few customers who weren't quite finished but they didn't mind that we started getting ready to close up. I was just about to wash the mirrors of the empty seats when I hear the door burst open and in storms an irate Mrs J.
"PANDA!" She screamed, actually screamed for me.
"Um... um... yes, Mr J? Wha- what's the... problem?" I was pretty scared as she marched over to me since she's a pretty big woman and I was quite little for my age.
"You've been spreading rumours about my husband!"
"No, I haven't! Honestly!" I never passed on any rumours and I hadn't even heard any about Mr J so I had no clue what she meant.
"YES YOU DID! You said that he's f***ing rent boys in the woods!"
Have you ever had one of those moments where the world seems to stop for a second? I did just then. I didn't even notice one of the hairdressers slip into the back to call T who had gone home for the day.
"No... no, Mrs J! I would never say that!" I didn't even know what a rent boy was!
"YOU DID! You told B this morning that you saw MY Mr J in the woods getting his d*** s***ed by a guy called Benny!" Her body language was very threatening at this point and she was towering over me.
I was shaking and on the verge of tears. "But- but- I didn't! I saw him go into the woods, looking for Jenny! I- I- never mentioned a Benny!"
"Don't lie! You little b****! What's your mother going to say when I tell her you've been spreading such FILTH!"
I started crying at this point and couldn't think of anything new to say, so I just cried, shaking my head.
"Oh look at the crocodile tears! Look at her go! I bet those tears work on Daddy but not me, you lying little c***!" Not a particularly nice thing to say since my parents' divorce was largely due to the fact that my dad was pretty useless. Then she actually pushed me, I didn't fall but I did have to step back.
Luckily at this point T entered the shop and came over to me and put a hand on my shoulder, he had seen the shove. "Mrs J, now I understand that you're angry at the rumour about your husband but there is no reason to take it out on Panda! Please, leave now."
"She's the one who started it!"
"I didn't! I just said to B that I saw him go into the woods and I thought he was looking for Jenny!"
"So, then, she didn't start this rumour."
"Oh of course you'd defend the pretty little piece of a*** you want to f***!" She then went on to describe, highly graphically, what T wanted to do to me. I guess she got it all from the hand on my shoulder.
T is gay, widely known, so needless to say we were all confused and embarrassed.
"None of that is true, Mrs J. Panda said nothing of the sort about your husband."
"How do YOU know? Were you there?"
Now I have to admit I was worried about how I'd prove myself here. It's not like B would stand up for me and I hadn't noticed anyone else at the basins when I had said all that.
"Yes, I was."
Mrs J seemed to deflate at this point. "What?"
"I was replacing some shampoos while she was telling B that story. I heard every word. She saw Mr J go into the woods and assumed he was going after Jenny. Now, please, leave. If you don't I will have to call the police, and none of us want that, do we?"
Mrs J turned and left, pushing a display of shampoo over as she left. T then took me in the back so I could cry the tension out. He was super nice, he made me a cup of tea, called my mum to come and picked me up and explained the situation to her and sat with me until she came. While sitting with him, something occured to me.
"T? Did you really hear me telling B?"
"No, but I knew you wouldn't say something like that, plus why would you have been in those woods?" T wanted to give me the day off but he really needed me in, so he let me come in late, which I really appreciated.
Mrs J came back the next day, tail firmly between her legs and apologised for the incident. I didn't forgive her as such but I really wanted to forget about it all.
The real irony of the story is that Mr J was in fact paying rent boys! Those woods were apparently a hot spot for unhappy husbands and their male affairs! I found out about this a couple months later after learning that he had been arrested along with his beau for indecent conduct!
Sorry for the length, but there's a lot to it!
Mr & Mrs J are now divorced and both have moved out of the area. I have no idea what's become of them.
to 
!
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