I saw the message request notification on my social media profile. I opened it up to find a very attractive man who called himself John Wilson had written to me.
“Hello Gracie” it started “I was looking up a friend when I came across your profile. Your eyes captured my attention I had to say hello” I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh “great another catfish” I said aloud to no one in particular. I was alone after all.
The story was always the same. They were looking for something when they came across my profile, I’m gorgeous they couldn’t look away, they had some tragedy happen where they’re all alone in the world looking for love. Except of course they’re on some top secret mission for the military with some crazy high rank. They need money sent right away or their unit will leave them behind. “I’ve never met a 38 year old General with scraggly facial hair and an obnoxiously thick gold chain” I had said to the last one before blocking and reporting the profile.
Catfish: someone who pretends to be someone else in order to pull a scam on an innocent victim. The fakes were bad enough but stolen valor irritates my soul with vigor.
I knew I should ignore the message but something told me to respond. I knew he was fake for how attractive he was with those bright blue eyes and dimpled smile. There were no fatigues with the name he gave plastered across it but sometimes the military part comes later. “Okay John Wilson we can chat but you must answer me one question.” “Anything doll face” he replied.
This is how I know he was fake. The over extensive flattery. My round cheeks dark brown hair, brown eyes and slightly crooked nose did not belong on a doll, maybe a haunted one. Anyway, John Wilson agreed to a question so a question he shall get. “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” I’m a bit of a smart ass but I always said it was better than being a dumb ass. The indicator appeared that John was responding. Then it stopped. Then it started again. Then it stopped for a long time. “Ha! I got him” I again said aloud. I really needed to stop talking to myself. I went and made a cup of coffee and when I returned there it was: “He would chuck, he would, as much as he could and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood.” I stared at the screen flabbergasted. He responded correctly. “Okay John Wilson you have my attention” I replied.
The saga continued on he told me he was in the army (shocking) but had no family. He never married or had children he enlisted right out of high school and made a career out of it. I listened to him. I listened to every word he said but I didn’t believe any of it. He was still kind of fun to talk to though, he made me laugh a lot.
We didn’t chat much as they’re busy overseas (of course. enter eye roll here) but over the next few months I enjoyed my sporadic catfish messages. We talked about everything and anything. I was careful to only allow very limited information what he could see as my friend on my profile. I thought about it showing where I worked but thought meh he wants money not me.
The more we were able to talk the more I started wishing those messages were from the real John Wilson. Every time my feelings were stronger I would just pick a fight about him being a catfish.
“Ffs Gracie you still don’t believe me?”
“Well” I’d respond “I gave you tasks to do in pics and you can’t and you won’t video chat with me so I have yet to see proof”
“Gracie these guys already tease me mercilessly about you the last thing I need is some jerk making obscene gestures in the background.”
“That’s a flimsy excuse” I’d replied. I didn’t hear from John for a long while after that. I was starting to think I had successfully broken his scam. Then it came : “Gracie I will be returning stateside next week I’d really like it if we could be friends.”
Oh boy I thought any second now he will need money to get home.
“Gracie please the army is bringing me back what I want is to continue to build what we’ve started here you’re special to me.”
The week went by and no request for money. I had broken the scam. He was done. I was in a way sad but still admired my victory that I didn’t give in. I went through my daily duties at the magazine I worked for. Wrote articles, played with products, banged my head on my desk.
Yesterday was the day “John” was traveling. I used air quotes to refer to him now. My work bestie Rebecca plopped in a chair opposite my desk and pulled out her lunch. I had told her everything in the last few days.
“I’d noticed” she said “you were on cloud nine and now, not so much.”
It was then I realized how much I was going to miss what had happened.
“I gotta get back before my department kills each other” she headed back towards the lobby to get to marketing. Advertising geniuses could be a challenge at times.
I shook my head as I edited the article I was working on. I saw a slow trickle of women head toward the lobby. Some giggled when they walked past. Strange I thought as I shook my head.
Just then Rebecca’s voice came over the intercom: “Gracie Johnson you have a visitor in the main lobby!” Odd I wasn’t expecting any appointments today. I got up and smoothed out my skirt as I headed for the lobby.
The marketing department was gathered there I could see through the small door window. What on earth? I wondered. I pushed open the door as a couple of the girls let out soft squeals.
I stopped dead in my tracks. His bright blue eyes looked right into me as he cracked that dimpled smile. The big bouquet of flowers almost blocked the name tape on the fatigues that said “Wilson”
“what? How?” I stuttered. My knees buckled and the squealers stood on either side holding me up.
“Hiya doll face” he said “maybe you believe me now?”
I ran with everything I had across the lobby and wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could. I couldn’t believe it!
My boss appeared then and told me my day was done enjoy my weekend. I looked over at Rebecca who had a huge smile on her face and she winked at me.
John took my hand and led me out the door.
I’d tell you what happened next but Amanda says this is a PG-13 story. - Gracie
Yes Gracie we can all imagine - Amanda
About the Creator
Amanda U
a creative mind that goes in lots of directions. I’m not even sure what’s going to come out next
10 Things I Discovered When Learning to Like Myself
1. Trying to please everyone doesn't please anyone, most of all you. I was a healthcare social worker for 18 years. The job of the social worker is to basically tie together all of the other departments working with a patient to ensure all of their goals and needs are met. When multiple departments are involved, multiple people need things. Most often, multiple people need things right now. I did my best to try and do everything for everyone. At the end of the day nothing was completely done, everyone was mad and I was burned out. Don't do that. Focus on the order of importance and some other people will have to wait. The same goes for family. Every holiday was Mom's family and Dad's family who wanted time. Then it became the parents families of my significant others. It's impossible to be in four places at once, no matter how many desserts are offered. Plan your schedule with what works for you and work on compromise. If someone refuses to cooperate then that is their choice. Some may be mad but they will get over it. Do not ruin your holiday trying to appease everyone else's. Make your effort definitely, you can't blow off your family but if someone is unreasonable and behaving badly then it is okay to choose not to interact with them. 2. It's okay if people don't like you A supervisor once told me 10% of people will love you no matter what. Another 10% will hate you no matter how hard you try. Do what you can for the 80% in the middle that can go either way. Not everyone is going to have warm and fuzzy feelings toward you and that's okay. A friend of mine was self conscious about her legs. She's a beautiful woman but she doesn't see herself that way all of the time. She told me it was 90 degrees out, her air conditioning was broken and she was wearing sweatpants. Our conversation went like this: "Why?" I asked her. "I don't like the way people look at me when I go out." she said. "What people?" I asked her. "Oh I don't know, whoever is around" she replied. "So, strangers?" I asked. "Yes I suppose so." Girl are you listening to yourself? "What effect does the opinion of a stranger, who you will never see again have on your life?" "None" was her answer. "Exactly. put some shorts on." Now of course you have to follow rules of society but wear what you want, do what is right. If someone has a problem with you, that's exactly what it is: their problem. 3. Love what you do or find a way to do what you love Day one of social work school I will never forget the professor saying if you're here to make money or change the world I can tell you to start off that you won't. Pssshhhh.... that's because no one has done it yet I thought. The professor was right. There were weeks I would sit in my house that needed repairs, stirring my hot dogs and ramen noodles and looking at my empty bank account thinking how did I get here? I would go into work and, well, see number 1. Years upon years of the same, in a job that couldn't go anywhere wears down on a person. Now I love the field of social work, I do absolutely love solving problems, making goals, meeting varieties of people and helping people out of bad situations. Some people didn't want to be helped. Some people blamed me for their problems, some people thought I could create a solution that doesn't exist. It was my job, I was told. Eventually you wear out, you need a break, you burn out. I needed a break long before I was told I needed a break. Rock bottom came when I wound up in intensive care and the diagnosis list was so long the doctors couldn't figure out how I was functioning as well as I had been. I can't anymore. I can't hold an office job, I can't be available at a moment's notice and I have my health to worry about. Writing was always my outlet. Most of my writing I never let people read. Now that I've been out of the workforce, I've been writing. I published a book. Another one comes out in a few days. People read my work and they liked it! Guess what? I love writing! Now, writing doesn't currently pay the bills. It may never pay the bills. I am still having to file a disability application and sacrifices are being made but my stress level is mostly manageable. I still have panic attacks, I don't like to leave my house much but now I don't have to. Lesson learned: There is always a different path you can choose. If you're not happy with the one you're on, take the fork in the road. 4. Your parents were right. Rules? I don't need their stupid rules. When I grow up I don't have to clean if I don't want to, I can stay up as late as I want, I don't have to go to school. I'm never going to treat my kids the way they treat me. I was about 25 and had lost both of them before I realized I was in way over my head and should have listened. There's so many things I do today that I wished I had learned more from them. Managing money, cooking, deep cleaning, self care, the list goes on and on. Bottom line: no matter how old you are, you still need Mom and Dad in whatever shape they may come in: single parents, two moms, two dads whatever. Remember them, talk to them if they're still here and most importantly learn from them. 5. Living for anyone but you is not living Your. life. cannot. revolve. around. other. people. the end. 6. just because you were trained to do it, doesn't mean you have to. I graduated college in 2002 with a Bachelor's degree in social work. I did that job for 18 years, I physically can't anymore. Sometimes I feel my degree was a waste but in reality it has helped me in so many other areas. Just because I have a social work degree, doesn't mean I have to be a social worker. I learned how to actively and passively listen, I learned how to pick out what someone is telling me and make sure I understand it correctly, I learned empathy and how to think outside the box. These skills are things many people lack yet come in handy every day. They also help to create characters, enabling me to get inside of a character, to feel what they would feel and to solve problems. The fact that I wrote the problem into existence in the first place is beside the point. 7. Don't work too hard, your dog misses you Once upon a time I lived alone. Not completely alone, My dog Daffy was there. Daffy is my best friend. We walked every morning. I went to work. She got crazy hyper when I came home, we played in the yard, we played with toys and then we cuddled in bed when it was time to go to sleep. My hours became later and later. I couldn't say my work load was unrealistic, it all had to be done. My hours got longer and longer. I was too tired when I got home. I did a deep clean one weekend and found all of Daffy's toys under my bed. She'd been trying to play with me for goodness knows how long and I had been too tired. Go home on time. See your family. Play with your dog. Remember what they say, dogs are part of our life but to them we are their whole life. Dogs deserve good lives full of fun with their owners. 8. Want what you need. Needing what you want is bonus. We as a culture like stuff. We like buying a lot of stuff. There are certain things that we need. We need nutritious food and water, decent shelter, clothing, ways to get places etc. Everything else is bonus. Learn to live within your budget. Save for a rainy day. be happy when you are able to acquire everything you need. When there is extra money for things you want then splurge but learn to distinguish between need and want in your budget. You don't have to impress anyone with the latest anything. You need to make yourself comfortable. 9. Ask for help Asking for help is sooooo hard. We feel weak, we feel we should have handled things ourselves. We hate these feelings. Sometimes everything is too much, or we don't understand. Maybe we're not strong enough. Maybe it's addiction, mental illness, Whatever the case may be, a job needing more people is better than a job not getting done. When the task at hand is too much, seek help, if you don't get it, seek from another source. 10. Be led by leaders, if you can't find one, be one. Jobs have a hierarchy system. There's a boss, there's managers, there's employees. That boss is appointed in their position to lead. Managers help the boss do that. Sometimes, we got stuck. Your boss needs to be the person you can go to and say 'I don't understand' or 'I need help.' A leader will help you through whatever situation you are in. Help you to figure it out and point you in the right direction. Have you ever had a boss that told you to figure it out yourself when you sought help? Or how about "I'm not doing your work for you." What about a co-worker that vents to you because they have been to the boss and gotten that reaction. How about community projects? 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By Amanda U4 years ago in Motivation
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