174 Forward Avenue

Ottawa ON K1Y1L2

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Letters to the Editor

The Globe and Mail

444 Front St W

Toronto ON M5V 2S9

To the editor,

Re “Anti-corruption rules harming the economy, coalition says,” Feb. 19,

2015:

Why did I stay for this party, Ms. Nada thought nervously, nursing her Seven

and Seven while casting a glance about the familiar office setting again.

Ca—as she was known to her friends—was both petite and picturesque, and

did little to discourage this impression by adding a touch of risqué, setting off

her black pinstripe business jacket with matching skirt covering a no nonsense

white blouse, with Ruby-Glo luscious red lips. What could happen, she had

thought gaily, as she had got ready this morning for this late Friday afternoon-

-early evening soiree that her company had arranged, in order to enable its

executives to meet some prospective clients.

As she looked down at her glass to check how much of the gin and tonic

remained, she thought she overheard someone say, “Show us your tits!” but

when she looked up over the rim, there was no indication by anyone that this

had been voiced.

A stranger walked up to her, insistently smiling. She instinctively returned a

small smile by way of reply, seeking icebreaking solace by taking a hesitant

sip. The fumes of the gin were heady.

“So, Ms. Nada” said the smiling stranger, after peering closely at her nametag,

“what do you think of the revamping of the anti-corruption business laws so

that ‘convicted-felon companies’ are eligible?” Still smiling, he airily toasted

her with his own cocktail, gulping at it. His other hand was bunched in one of

his jacket pockets.

Ca felt a little confused, and looked away briefly, as if searching for a clue as

to how to she could answer this question neutrally without her compromising

her integrity. “Naturally, I’d be suspicious of .any agent acting on behalf of a

company having a criminal reputation.” She looked back at the anonymous

suit, who was missing a nametag, and now his other formerly hidden hand was

no longer in his jacket pocket. She didn’t know why, but she suddenly began

to feel lightheaded.

Still smiling, the impeccably coifed stranger—as if knowing in advance what

would happen—caught her as she started to pass out. She was in some kind of

unreal delirium, and barely felt it as he turned her and deposited her face down

on the desk behind her. She heard him get up and close the door to her office.

Barely conscious and unable to move, she heard his returning footsteps. As

she started to lose consciousness completely at the sheer horror of it, she felt

her skirt being lifted and her panties being pulled down to her mid-thigh. Then

she heard his zipper.

She thought she heard him say, “It’s alright. It’s the economy…”

She blacked out.

Yours truly,

Rolf Auer

(613) 617-9293