Sally
It all depends on how you look at things...
Sally
Sally was so very conscientious; she couldn’t see how this could have happened to her. Even going back to grade school, she had all her assignments in on time. They were done neatly, and in the correct format as required by the teacher. She took notes in class and took notes from her textbooks. When it was time for a test, she was well prepared. She studied her notes, and that was about all she needed to do. Her themes and essays were done the same way. Working from her outlines, she wrote focused, precise papers that her teachers loved.
Not surprisingly, she got straight ‘A’s. Except for math. She didn’t entirely get the hang of it, but she still never got lower than a ‘B’, even in math.
And that all carried right on through to her job. Her reports were well researched and in on time. Her supervisor loved her. “Why can’t everyone do work like this,” he had said to her. Some in the office resented her ‘goody two shoes’ attitude, but not too much. She was such a nice woman, and helpful to those who needed it, that it was hard to resent her.
“Why don’t you and me go get a drink after work?” It was Wayne. Again. He bugged her rather frequently. She had no delusions. He was always on the make, and found no reason to be subtle.
Sally was a little bemused, but tried to look stern. “What you’re doing could be considered sexual harassment. No means no. I can’t believe you haven’t been run out of here long ago.”
“A nice guy like me? Who would want to do that? Would you want to do that?”
She had never really thought about it. No, she didn’t want to do that, even if she thought it would be appropriate. Earnestness seemed the best expression, “I don’t want to do that, but if you leave me no choice…”
“What are you saying? Leave you no choice? I’m giving you a choice. Whether you take advantage of it is up to you.”
His smile was almost a grin. Sally thought that he enjoyed doing this, even if he never got a date with her. She realized that she did enjoy these interludes. Somehow, they made her feel better, brighter. But that was all. She couldn’t imagine taking him up on the offer, or what it might lead to. “I’ve got work to do. And so do you. You should take your job more seriously.”
“I give it all the attention it deserves.”
That evening, Sally went grocery shopping, as she always did on Thursday evenings. She was in the produce section checking cantaloupes, when she heard a voice beside her. “I never can tell for sure which ones are the ripe ones. Do you know how to tell?”
Sally turned to see a reasonably handsome man, somewhat older than her. He was well dressed, and had a generous, disarming smile. “What I do is thump them,” she said. “The more hollow sounding, the better.” She demonstrated.
He picked up a melon and duplicated her motion. “Like this?”
“Yes. Did you hear how hollow it was? That’s a good one.”
“Well, good. I couldn’t have done it without you!” He smiled that disarming smile as they each put a cantaloupe in their cart. In a very natural manner, they finished their shopping together. He had just been jilted by his fiancé. They’d been together for three years and he was sure she was the one, and that it would go on forever. Then, out of nowhere, she found another guy. A small tear came to his eye.
His name was Richard. Sally felt towards him like she had never felt toward anyone. He was so nice, so gentle, so understanding.
They went out that Saturday. He took her to one of the great restaurants in town. He spared no expense. Sally felt special in a way she hadn’t felt since her father died, back when she was a child. Richard took her back to her apartment and she invited him in. Sally wasn’t a virgin, but she was not experienced, either. Richard treated her tenderly, and she succumbed readily, earnestly.
And it only got better from there. Richard showered attention and gifts on her. Sally had never felt so special. They talked of their lives and their plans. There wasn’t a lot for Sally to tell. Her life proceeded apace, with few highs or lows. But Richard was a serial entrepreneur. He had been many places she only read about. He promised to take her to Venice on his next trip, in a few months. Did he know when; she had to put in for vacation. No, he didn’t know for sure just yet, but he would let her know.
One evening, while they were out to dinner, Richard talked of a new opportunity he was pursuing. It involved AI, and a new means of using it to reduce CO2 from fossil fuels. If it all worked out, the sky was the limit on the returns on his investment. He expected to double his money in just a few weeks. His five hundred thousand would become one million! ‘Five hundred thousand’, Sally thought. She couldn’t imagine having five hundred thousand.
“Well, it takes money to make, money,” Richard said. He took a bite of his brussels sprouts. “Say, would you like to invest?”
Sally gave him a bemused look. “Do you really think I have that kind of money?”
“You don’t need to have that kind of money. Normally they wouldn’t let anyone in for less than a hundred thousand, but I can piggyback your investment with mine. How much money do you have.”
“I don’t have that kind of money. I have a little over three thousand that I’m saving for a car.”
“Well, put off buying that car, and I’ll take that three thousand and turn it into six thousand, maybe more, in a few weeks.” He had moved on to his pork chop.
Sally contemplated a moment. She just wasn’t used to this sort of thing, knew nothing about it. “I’m not so sure…”
Richard lowered his utensils and looked into her eyes. “It’s time for you to stop living like an insignificant peon. There’s a whole world of opportunity out there, and I would love to show it to you. Here’s your chance to see how the other half lives.”
Sally had never really considered that there was another half. She decided that she would be foolish to not take advantage of this opportunity. Richard suggested that she take the money out of the bank in cash. There wasn’t time to wait for a check to clear, and she could get in on the returns all that much sooner. On Monday, she went to the bank and withdrew the cash during her lunch break. That evening, Richard took her to dinner to celebrate. After that, she didn’t hear from him so much. She would call, and he would explain that putting this deal together took much of his time. It wasn’t that unusual, he said; that’s the way deal-making worked. Once everything was set, he could spend more time with her, and she would have plenty of money.
After five weeks, Sally had to face it. She had been swindled. Even then, she didn’t entirely believe it. She wanted to believe Richard. He was so reassuring. But then he stopped answering her calls. She felt like such a fool. But what to do about it? She was equal parts upset and vehemently angry. She vacillated between being resigned and seeking violent vengeance. She didn’t like either feeling. She kept it all to herself, being too embarrassed to talk to anyone.
But then she went to the police. She wanted her vengeance, she wanted her money, and she wanted to stop this from happening to anyone else. The detective took her statement.
“I have to be honest. There’s little chance of our finding him, or your money. I can assure you that Richard is not his real name. And, well, you were never at his apartment, and we have no way of knowing where he lived. In any event, I doubt he’s still living there.”
“I can’t believe I was so stupid. He was so nice. I felt I could trust him. I didn’t know a guy could be so devious yet seem so nice.”
“Honestly, that should have been a clue. He was treating you better than you had any right to expect. As they say, ‘if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.’”
Sally had to realize how many times the detective had taken a report like this; tried to console a victim. It was new to her but just more of the usual to him. “I guess so,” she said. “I look back, and everything seemed so genuine, yet he was using me right from the beginning!”
The detective regarded her for a moment. “Do you know what the ‘con’ in con man stands for?”
She only looked at him. “Confidence,” he said. “Once they have your confidence, they can do just about anything. Once a person believes in them, they pretty nearly own you.”
Sally recognized that it was true. “But why me? Is there something about me? I know you don’t know me, but is there something about me that he recognized? Or do they just pick anyone?”
“No, not just anyone. Trusting people, of course. People who have never ventured far outside of their comfort zone. People who are timid about the bigger world and are glad to have someone with, well, confidence who will lead them and make them feel secure.”
“I’m an idiot.”
“You were an idiot. Not anymore, right?”
She looked at him. She was almost like the father she wished she had never lost. “No, not anymore.”
“If it’s any comfort, consider that you will get over this soon enough. You are young. You’ll recover.” He paused a moment, shifting in his chair. “I’ve had older women. Widows. Tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars gone. They’ve been ruined. I know you don’t think so, but you got off easy. And you’ll never make that mistake again. Am I right?”
Sally managed a little smile. “Absolutely.”
A week or so later, Wayne was hitting on her again. “I really don’t see why not. I don’t bite. A few drinks, and then wild sex. Or not. Your choice.”
Sally smiled. She knew she should be incensed, offended. But she wasn’t.