Bear with me please; this  may take a bit...

When i began my job i was in one of four offices the owner has. With some
small expansion, and a growing need for my services, I started first trading
time between the law office and the pre-litigation collection office,
eventually transferring full-time to the pre-litigation office. I had a good
friend at the law office, with whom i went to lunch almost every day and
talked a lot with her outside of work. Her husband works at the location I'm
at now.

EArlier this week the husband came in and took a man aside into the office
next to mine. Through the walls I heard him--the husband--ask the other guy
if he knew of either a good divorce lawyer, or someone who would "whack" his
wife on the cheap, saying he could no longer live with her but he'd do her
some damage if she left. For two solid hours he walked about the office
complaing about my friend and was dropping the C-word--you know what I mean,
especially you ladies--so frequently and so loudly that I made a complaint to
the boss, a man whom I loathe unquestioningly. I told him that this was
creating a hostile work atmosphere, that it was an abusive and offensive term,
that I was not above contacting my own legal advocate and he had best address
the matter with the male employees in general and the specific man in
particular.

Later my friend told me her husband had beaten the Christ out of her the
night before. And after I complained, i heard the manager and the husband in
the front office laughing about the C-bombs previously dropped.

The next day the husband was saying that my a.s was his because i had given
his wife the phone numbers to pet-friendly apartments and a realtor friend of
mine, as well as for emergency assistance to people in domestic violence
situations. While he was talking to co-workers about finding a way to get me
removed from the office, I can't help wondering if this may include a threat
against me physically.

I have not been able to get in touch with the owner.

The good news is that, not two hours after I gave her the phone numbers and
told her how to negotiate with a landlord about keeping her little dog (I had
done this many a time with Fritzie, before getting the house) she found a
place where she and Woman's Best Friend can live without getting beat on.

My conscience would not allow me to say to a friend in such a situation, "Gee,
i can't help you because of work." Conflict of interest be damned. I'd been
beaten on, I lived my life getting beaten until I came to the city. I'll be
damned if I don't help a person get out of it when they come to me asking for
help.

The owner and his lackeys are a collective bunch of dicks. The fact of the
matter is, the husband is a moneymaker in a collection office. I am a schmuck
who puts payment authorisations on a recorded line to keep within compliance
laws. I don't make money for them, I cost them; anyone can do a two-m inute
recording when a payment comes in, they just don't want to because it doesn't
credit phone time to a collector and they want to be making money, not
recorded payment authorisations. If push comes to shove, and I'm afraid it
might, they may sacrifice me for the moneymaker, and then what do i put on my
unemployment claim and job applications?

Better fired than another woman get beaten, though, and if this is why my
karma was to work in this place I am satisfied with the result. She's safe,
thank God.

Blessed be,
Baha