Small Town Gossip

I have lived in a small town for some time now and you would think I would know how gossip works. You would think I would not let it bother me. You would think I would know how to effectively shut it up at the source. I did not do any of that today. I let it bother me and I questioned "how did this rumor get started?!" Why did I let it affect me? My poor mother was the target today. The rumor was my mother was saying my husband's ex-partner was incompetent. Uh no. My mom would never say that. My mom knows we don't even talk about that horrid man in a negative fashion in public. And furthermore, any negative talk we have uttered amongst ourselves (and this blog hahaha) have NOTHING to do with his skills. I say he cooked the books. I say he diverted clients away from my husband. I say he approached a huge business prospect and urged that business to not use my husband for their services. He tried to bankrupt my husband before my husband had a chance to get started. Of course it didn't work. But to use the word "horrible" in regards to his skills? Never. My mom wouldn't say that. However, now it's her name tied to it. And she is visibly upset by this. I wish I could help her through it. Someone she trusts has said something to someone else who said something to someone else and so on until it got back to my husband all distorted. I think if it were about me I wouldn't care. My conscience is clean. I just hate my mom being blamed. I think that is what I'll tell her. "Don't let it bother you. Just keep smiling and people will make up shit just to be shit stirrers. They get joy from that." It is a hard lesson when it comes to small town gossip. I knew I didn't believe it for a reason.