Gossip Victim - Short Fiction

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On a sunny morning, Rina rushed to attend a social event in a small southern town. Rina is a beautiful and smart 21-year-old woman. She was invited to give a seminar. After the seminar was over, Rina was invited by the committee to have a meal together. Because she hadn't had breakfast this morning, Rina ate heartily and very much. Unconsciously Rina was uncontrollable seeing so much delicious food in front of her. She ate so much food at the banquet that her stomach grew a little bigger.

After eating her fill, Rina headed home. On the way home, someone noticed Rina with an astonished expression. In her neighborhood, Rina's beauty and friendliness were often the centers of attention, making her a target for gossip and baseless stories.

"Hey look, there's something different about Rina," said one of the gossiping residents.

"Her belly is slightly enlarged, it looks like she's pregnant"

"What a slut, she must be cheating on someone"

Various unpleasant stories began to spread in Rina's neighborhood. The beautiful woman was rumored to be pregnant out of wedlock. News of Rina's growing belly began to spread in her neighborhood. People began to question whether Rina was pregnant. Gossip began to develop among her neighbors and close friends. Without any clear facts, wild speculations and assumptions went viral.

The rumors also reached her ears. Rina, who initially didn't take the rumors seriously, began to feel disturbed by the spread of this false news. She knew how quickly the rumors would spread and impact her reputation. The fake news made her feel sad and angry, but she chose to remain calm and not exaggerate the situation.

In the afternoon, one of Rina's friends named Aini came to Rina's house, asking the truth about her pregnancy.

"Rina, are you pregnant? Who impregnated you?" Aini asked.

"Listen to me, today an unpleasant gossip happened to me. After attending a seminar, my appetite got out of control, I ate so much that my stomach got a little bigger," Rina replied.

"OMG, who spread this fake news?" Aini asked again.

"I don't know, it's not just once that I've been gossiped about. Today a very outrageous fake news spread quickly". Rina replied.

"Then, let's stop this rumor that has been circulating. You must face this situation with your head held high and maintain your dignity" Aini said.

Aini began to meet her friends and set the record straight about Rina. Aini explained to her friends that Rina was not pregnant. Her enlarged belly was caused by the amount of food she ate during the seminar. Her belly would return to normal in some time. Her friends were shocked and felt guilty for being involved in spreading gossip without knowing the truth.

"Rina, we apologize for believing the negative gossip about you. We promise to help maintain the truth and eliminate the false rumors circulating" said Amelia, one of Rina's friends.

"It's okay guys, I always forgive you" Rina replied.

The next day, Aini, a social activist, organized a fundraising event for a charity foundation. Aini asked Rina to be a speaker at the charity event held by Aini. Of course, this was an opportunity for Rina to straighten out the gossip circulating about her.

At that time, the fundraising event was lively and attended by many people. With confidence, Rina performed stunningly. In her speech in front of the crowd, Rina talked about her life journey, including the challenges she faced with false rumors. Many people were amazed and mesmerized by listening to Rina's speech. All of Rina's words were very inspiring to people. In her speech she emphasized.

"So ladies and gentlemen, no longer be trapped by prejudice and baseless gossip. True self-worth and strength lie not in what others say about us, but in how we face and overcome life's challenges."

After the speech ended, people applauded and gave Rina their appreciation and support. Some of them came up to her and apologized for spreading untrue gossip. They admitted their mistake and vowed to stop listening to or spreading gossip in the future. By the next day, the gossip about Rina being pregnant out of wedlock began to fade and disappear.

The End.