When I became Indignant and Shrieked Into the Phone

One night, when we had been married just around a year, Tuan and I were lounging about watching television. The phone rang and I went to answer it. (We had no caller id--only a vintage rotary phone). Suddenly Tuan heard me shrieking and yelling and then I hung up the phone and came back into the living room. You would have to pardon my French if I told you how I felt at that moment.

Silence.

"Umm . . . what happened?" Thus inquired my still new husband.

This is what happened.

I answered the phone and a man asked for "Tuu--wan Lay". (This is always a good indication that we do not know the caller). I asked who might be calling and he said, "This is So&So from Girls Gone Wild and we just want to ask Mr. Lay a few questions."

I lost it. I had always heard about wifely, spousal jealousy, but until that point, such emotional exertion had not been required of me.

It was that night.

Words poured out of my mouth and as my anger increased, the pitch of my voice corresponded and thus in a loud, shrill, indignant voice, I began yelling into the phone:

"How dare you!!! How dare you call our house with your filth and your scum and nastiness! You should be ashamed! Don't you ever call us again!!!"

I also may have said something about "Does your mom know what you are doing?" But it all happened so fast and in such an emotional blur.

He hung up and was never heard from again.