The Gossip Train

Just finished watching an interesting movie this evening called "Gossip". Pretty telling.

It's about a woman who goes back to her hometown while she's in the midst of her divorce. She's not been back home much in the years since she'd left because she got so sick of the small town gossip train. Once she shows back up, the gossip gets juicier and juicier until it spins out of control and threatens to really destroy some lives unnecessarily.

Being from a small town myself, I felt rather a close tie to this character. I still remember my mother receiving calls from unidentified people telling her things about us that weren't true or skewed to make it sound as if we were getting into trouble when it was all completely innocent. If only they'd had caller ID back then.

I'll never forget the one time my mother took all three of us girls to a local clothing store to try and support our hometown with back-to-school shopping. This store had some really nice and stylish clothes and was throwing a terrific sale. We all had our budgets to adhere to, but just imagine - three teenaged girls in a clothing store tailored to girls.

Needless to say, there was quite a pile of clothes on the small counter when all three of us were ready to checkout. My poor mother was so humiliated by the idiotic crowd that had gathered around the register to see what the total ended up being, even though the sweet owner was trying to be discreet. People actually were leaning over my mother's shoulder trying to see what she wrote the check out for.

My father had stayed down at the family restaurant while we were all out shopping. Someone went straight to him and asked him if he knew where his girls were (and of course, he did) and all the hubbub we'd caused at the store. I think he even found out about the total before we even got down there to show him our new clothes.

Never again did we shop in that store after the circus that trip generated. Sad to say it, but I've rarely been back to that town after leaving it except to visit my folks while they still lived there. They no longer do and I'm rather glad. Sometimes it isn't so great being notorious.

Small towns have alot to offer in many ways, but I wouldn't want the meddling busy-bodies ever again. Watching the movie tonight seemed rather painful to remember what some of those days felt like.

But it was just a movie after all.