Walk those rumours right up the street

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/02/2016 (3895 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I like to go walking, and I go out every morning before work at the same time. One of my neighbours does exactly the same thing at the same time, so we have taken to walking around town together. I am a man and she is a woman. We live in a small town outside Winnipeg. Now people have started talking, which doesn’t bother either of us much since we’re both single, but we are not romantically involved and sleeping together. I don’t want to stop these walks because of the gossip, and neither does she. What can we do? We know who instigated the gossip.

— Wise to Her, Small Town Manitoba

Dear Wise to Her: Tomorrow morning, both of you go knock on the door of the gossip and invite her to come out walking, and then ask her if she knows any more people who would like to join your morning walking group. She will be shocked, and won’t know whether to pass that development on or not because she’ll know she’s been caught. If you actually like the walking group idea, also ask other people if they would like to join your group and meet on a corner. Once it’s common knowledge, the gossip will lose its juicy appeal and disappear.

Most lazy people won’t come out early in the morning every day, anyway, especially in the winter, but you might get a few joiners here and there, and the more the merrier. Then your gossip lady will see the group of you pass by, waving at her in her window. Soon she’ll be shutting her curtains, as the joke’s on her.

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6

Miss Lonelyhearts
Advice Columnist

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