Karen thinks that I'm a cost co-worker and chokes me when I don't help her.

About six years ago, I worked as a phone rep for a telecom company.

They had a security rule that you needed to wear a lanyard with your photo ID tag visible at all

times. Otherwise, security could get you into trouble. After a while of working there,

I totally forgot that I was wearing it.

After this following incident, I put myself in the habit of always removing it and putting it in my purse when I left work.

One day after work, the man that I'll call my boyfriend husband and I, stop at our local wholesale cellar that begins with a sea and ends with an O.

I like to go during the week since it's less crowded and noisy. I have PTSD and borderline personality disorder,

so crowds and loud noises are really hard for me to handle at times. The boyfriend husband is

not only my partner in life, but also acts as my emotional lifeline if I get triggered.

He hates it when I refer to him as my service animal.

Any whoozles? We've been here for about ten minutes when my bladder reminds me that having

a large tea at about 3pm might not have been the best idea, and we should probably find

the restroom soon. I grab my cell phone, but leave my jacket and purse

with my partner and head to the restroom. My partner walks me as far as he can and then waits

with the cart in the book section that's about 20 feet or so away from where I can duck into the

washrooms. I usually text him when I'm coming back out and he can meet up with me. Now, I have to admit, I was wearing a red dress shirt that day, but never in my dreams

that I even expect to be mistaken as an employee who wears a red vest.

So I'm on my way back to my partner, who I can see about 20 feet away, when a woman, now to be

referred to as stupid lady, talks to me as I'm walking by her.

Do you know where the blonde hared eye is? I say, um, no, sorry. And I start walking along my

merry way to my partner. Then I hear, excuse me. Okay, so that's trigger number one,

...