I was at work today, and Mrs Tolley phoned in requesting a new PIN as hers had been tampered with in the post. So I'm arranging a courier for her, and she mentions something about how the envelope is 'probably covered in her ex-husbands finger prints'. She asked for a courier because she is disabled, and so would find it difficult to get to the post office.

She goes on to tell me about how she has begun filing for divorce, because she found out her three year old daughter had been being 'severely sexually abused' by her 20 year old step son (her ex-husbands son). Her ex strongly defended his son's actions, and refused to leave the house (which they co-owned). She told me how awful all of this was for her, as she too was sexually abused as a little girl and consequently grew up in care homes her whole childhood. The three year old is now in counselling.

So the woman took her daughter and moved into rented accomodation. She then found out that her ex was having an affair with a 19 year old girl for the previous year (he's 46), and had got her pregnant. She also found out that her ex had been writing letters of a 'sexual nature' to a 13 year old neighbour called Emily, and was arrested for it

So the 19 year old (who is full aware why the father of her child had been arrested) mistress gives birth to the baby (which was named Emily - after the 13 year old girl). She is soon taken into care for mistreating the child, and it emerges that she herself has the mental age of a nine year old

Social Services rang Mrs Tolley, asking if she would like to adopt Emily as she is technically the half-sister of her own daughter. She declines, but feels hugely guilty about it.

The 19 year old (who is now 21) has come out of care, and together with the ex husband is now harrassing Mrs Tolley and telling her daughter (who is now five) that they will kill her mummy. The stress of this is making the little girl ill, which worsens her condition as she is on the waiting list for a liver transplant. Apparently the police are doing fuck all about it either (although I have no idea why)

The whole way through this conversation I felt like sobbing out of pure sympathy, yet Mrs Tolley sounded upbeat and adopted the most 'these things are sent to try us' attitude you have ever experienced in your life

Why do some people get all the shit? And how did I end up having this conversation while working part-time for the Royal Bank of Scotland?