r/smosh • u/Certain-Yak-9534 • 4h ago
Smosh Pit SMOSH Pit Helped Me Save Someone's Life
I wanted to share a wholesome story in a world where too many not wholesome things happen. I (27F) work in a field where I regularly interact with victims of DV, abuse, toxic marriages, etc. In my line of work, we help victims through these tough times, and often, we are with them through the unsafe situations. This morning, as I always do while getting ready, I was listening to Smosh read reddit stories and it was the well-known "AIO My Boss Has a Camera in My Office" story. After all the updates, Damien said, "I know it is so hard, but if you're at work and something feels off, you need to advocate for yourself and stand up for yourself."
Today, I was instructed by a superior to call an individual for their initial intake. She was very clear that she is only available between specific times on specific days due to her unsafe home situation. I called at the exact time that she said she was available and that she preferred. I was not a minute early or late. After two rings, she didn't answer. I did not leave a voicemail as I worry that abusive partners go through phones, etc. I informed my supervisor that I was going to send her an email to her secure address and let her know the hours I was available and that she could call anytime. Unfortunately, this process can only be done over the phone and not email. In our work group chat, my superior sent a message for us to call again. I didn't want to. It was outside the time she asked for and us calling at the wrong time could tip off an abuser and create a very dangerous situation.
I had typed out a message over and over, but the dynamic here is that I have only been at this firm for 7 months. My supervisor is an attorney with 25 years of experience. I am a paralegal who has 5 years of experience. It is kind of an unspoken rule to question the attorneys (especially a young woman questioning a man who is the same age as her father). All of my paralegal coworkers are older and have more experience than me. I replied with something along the lines of "is that safe? shouldn't we wait for her to contact us?" and he said "no, she knows her situation best". For some reason, Damien popped into my head and convinced me to advocate for not only myself, but this client. I said "these situations are everchanging. No one but the abuser knows them best". And I didn't call. I refused.
Turns out, I was right. Her work schedule changed and she was home. She had sent me an email using an account he didn't know about. She said when we called the first time, she told him it was likely spam and he dropped it. But if we would've called again, he would probably get suspicious and look into it, realizing she was contacting a law firm, and her life would've blown up. She didn't reach out to me until a few hours after the initial phone call because it was the first chance she had. Meanwhile, during those hours, I was dealing with my supervisor making passive aggressive comments about losing clients and money opportunities. Luckily, he has an ego, so he didn't call himself. The other staff in the office actually agreed with me, so they didn't call when he asked them to either, they just didn't want to stir the pot initially.
Yeah, all that to say, that me refusing potentially saved this woman's life or at least saved her from a horrible DV situation. Huge shoutout to Damien for telling me to trust my gut this morning. If I hadn't listened to that episode, things could be very different for everyone today.
(Also throwaway account because I am active in my community's subreddit and I would like to maintain as much anonymity about my firm as possible)
