Checking your email can be a mixed bag of emotions.

For example, do you hold your breath when your work emails load up, nervous that you EFFED up on something?

(This is a real fear for journalists; no one emails when they are happy with something you wrote.)

On the other hand, when waiting for someone to write you back, are you regularly disappointed when you see zero emails, zip, NADA in your inbox?

Email is a gamble!

But nothing could prepare my friend Zoey for the email she got from an unknown address.

Subject line: “Richard Weld”

Richard Weld was a doctor (supposedly) that Zoey had met online the week before, who she had spent a steamy night with at his hotel room while he was in town for a conference.

They had a ton of fun and had been sending flirty text messages and emails to each other ever since.

Zoey opened the email:

“Please tell me if anything happened between you and my husband Richard while he was in New Orleans. He says nothing did, but I have seen your pictures on his phone and I am not sure if I can believe him.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG.

Obviously, Richard had never mentioned a wife and didn’t wear a ring.

Zoey was devastated. She was a recent divorcee whose marriage had ended due to infidelity. She DEFINITELY mentioned that fact to Richard.

Now he made her the other woman!?!?!?

DICK.

While Zoey was struggling to catch her breath from this shock, she got an email from Richard, less than five minutes later.

“Please don’t tell my wife. I’m so sorry, but please please do not tell her.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG.

THIS WAS A FULL-ON ASSAULT ON HER GMAIL ACCOUNT!

Zoey did what any 30-something woman would do: She decided to do nothing until she went to see her therapist.

LOL

But then, an hour later, her email dinged again.

Another email, from the wife again.

“Richard told me everything and we are going to work things out. I’m sorry to have bothered you. I won’t contact you again and ask you not to contact me either, and please stop corresponding with my husband. Thanks and best wishes.”

BEST WISHES!

LOL

Zoey was relieved that it appeared to be the end of this drama.

She blocked Richard from both her phone and email immediately.

But she felt bad for the wife and wanted to apologize all the same. She wrote:

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Please know that I truly had no indication that he was married and I never intended to hurt you. I promise I will never contact him again, and I really hope you two can work it out. I just went through a divorce, and I know how painful it can be. I wish you both all the best.”

She hit send and decided to buy an industrial-sized bottle of wine on the way home from work.

That surely was the end of it, right??

RIGHT?!?!?!

WRONG.

About an hour later, Zoey got ANOTHER email from the wife:

“This is very strange as I didn’t send the previous email. It was Richard from my account. Please just tell me the truth and I will not bother you again.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, as if it wasn’t possible for Richard to be even more pathetic, he sent Zoey an email pretending to be his wife.

Writing, ‘Richard told me everything’ (LOL)

adding, ‘please stop corresponding with my husband.’ (LOL)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An in-person liar AND and email liar!!!!

Send this to the spam folder!!!

Zoey logged off immediately.

More wine needed.

-Jenny