Schadenfreude

Last Friday I was in the office, getting ready to leave for the day. I still had some snow on my boots from when I went to drop an envelope off at FedEx Kinko's. That caused me to slip and fall forward and my face hit my desk on the way down. Fortunately, there were no bruises or broken bones. Before I could pick myself up, I heard someone laughing at me from across the office. It was my boss. For the sake of anonymity, I will refer to her as Jane T.

Jane T. just couldn't get enough of the comedy of me falling and smacking my lovely face onto my messy desk. I don't know about other families, but in my religious military Filipino household, it was considered rude to laugh at people when they fell. I personally worry for the person's health when I see them fall. It all stems from the hours spent watching soap operas. People in soap operas only fall for three reasons:

1) To die
2) To miscarry
3) To become seriously injured resulting in paralysis or memory loss

Who laughs when someone dies, miscarries, or becomes seriously injured? Not me! So you can imagine how blown away I was when I heard her laughing. It was a real "what the fuck?" moment for me. And she's not exactly a graceful swan either! I find it revolting when people take pleasure in the physical pain of others. Oh yeah, then she had the nerve to ask me to get her a latte before I went home. I was like: you'll get your latte after I go put ice on my face.