Outlier 3A Dee
Dee “Storm” Smith
She hit the steel nail again and it buried itself in the wood. She would do this a thousand more times before the day was done.
“Dee.” the forman yelled.
“What!” She yelled back, annoyed to be interrupted on the roof.
“Where’s your damn harness?” The forman yelled up to her.
“Slows me down.” Dee yelled back.
The forman looked at the ground where her harness was lying, “Get your ass in a harness and hook up or get off my site.”
She swore under her breath and started to climb down off the roof, packed up her stuff and left the site. There were other sites where they didn’t care if she wore that stupid harness. It wasn’t made for a woman like her and it always chafed her which then caused her to miss work. On her way out the door she yelled at the forman, “I quit!”
The forman yelled at her, “Dee. Stop.”
Dee turned and waited for the foreman to catch up to her. “What?”
“You need to see the rep.” He told her as he got closer.
“Why?” She already knew.
“This is the third job you have walked off. They aren’t going to let you stay if you can’t follow the rules.” the foreman told her.
Dee straightened herself up. She was a very muscular black woman with short hair and stood just under two meters Tall. When she wasn’t slouching she towered over the foreman. “That damn thing wasn’t meant to fit me.”
“It's all we have.” The Foreman explained. “I can put you on the ground.”
Dee shook her head, “That won’t fly. I get paid twice as much up there.” She pointed to the roof. “Besides I already get enough flack from the guys.”
“There asses.” The foreman said.
“If I can do what da do, they’ll put me at the bottom of the list.” Dee told him.
“You’ll go to the bottom of the list if you walk off this site. You know that.” The foreman said.
She turned to walk away. “Paul, I can’t wear dat damn thing and if you’re goina keep me on the ground, well I can’t make enough to do what I need ta do.”
Paul Smith, Dee’s younger brother shook his head. He knew he wasn’t going to talk her into wearing the harness and he could show favoritism, but he didn’t want to report her either. She needed this. She was just too stubborn to accept that.
Dee kept walking. She would find someone to let her work like she wanted. She was only a few months shy of getting the farm on the south end. The old man would sell it to her if she had six thousand credits. Then she would work the land and do it her way. But she had to find another job and if her brother turned her in, then it would have to be under the table. Those didn’t pay as much, but she worked fast and she could still come up with the money by early spring.
She absentmindedly walked all the way to the commons. Her tool belt was now over her shoulder. She grabbed some lunch and then headed for a table and sat down.
She wasn’t there for five minutes and a man walked up to the table. “What are you?” he asked.
“Leave me alone.” She growled.
“It’s a simple question.” The man said sarcastically. He looked over his shoulder to three other man sitting at a table just ten meters away, “We saw you come in and couldn’t believe what we saw.”
“So your friends sent the dumbest one over here ta get his ass kicked.” She was done being teased by idiots.
“Who the hell are you calling an idiot?” The man took a step closer.
Dee stood up and swung at the man that was now in range. She hit him in the stomach which bent him over. Then with her knee she struck his head. He flew backwards and landed on his back. The other men that were his friends, stood and started Towards Dee.
Now Dee grabbed her hammer and looked at the other three men, “Come on!” she shouted. Standing tall and menacing.
They hesitated.
Two security men stood. One with gray hair and beard, the second a younger man that was skinny but muscular. “That will be enough.” the older one said.
Dee recognized the older man. It was Mike, head of the security forces and the younger man most likely was his son. These were two men you didn’t want to tangle with. Not only would they mess you up, but Mike’s best friend was Alan Scott the Lead Elder. The men knew this as well and changed from a challenging posture to one of just wanting to help their hapless friend. One addressed Mike, “This woman attacked my friend.”
Mike looked at him and said, “I saw what happened and I let her kick his ass.” referring to the man on the floor. “Maybe he will pick better friends in the future.”
One of the others wanted to protest but the man that seemed to lead this bunch held up his hand to stop him. That's when the younger security officers said, “Just get your man and head back to your logging camp.” He then looked at Dee, “Shouldn’t you be working.”
“I was.” Dee said.
“Did you have another spat with your brother?” Mike asked.
Dee hated how small this community was. Everyone knew everyone else’s business. Just another reason to get the farm and stay away until she had some crops to sell.
Mike then turned his attention towards the men. He wanted to make sure they moved on, not for Dee sake, but for theirs. Dee fights dirty and they would end up in the infirmary using up medical supply for no reason. Mike then turned back to Dee, but Junior was already handling that. He sat with her to find out why she was here and what her plan was to do next. She wasn’t bad, but she could be.
Mike came over and heard Dee explain, “This is not what I thought my life would be. I was… a star.” She was referring to her days as an Womans NBA up and comer. A power center with the ability to sink three pointers and slam dunks on the other end. This life. This was not me.” It was her brothers and she hated it. But if it wasn’t for his desperate midnight run to Portland and back she would probably have died along with so many. “I owed him her life. So I try, but this insistence on wearing safety gear that does not fit and chafes me so bad that I can’t work. Can do that.” Then the whole union thing.” She remembered when the union used to protect the worker. “All they do now is protect the trade. Meaning that if I don’t perform the task as they prescribe it and at the pace dat they set, you were considered a problem.”
Mike Junior listened, “So. What’s your plan?”
“Well I need six thousand credits and I can buy out old Stromp.” She explained.
“That place is a wreck.” Mike said. “He is overcharging you.”
“I know, but no one else has a farm for sale and his kids want nothing to do with him, so that leaves me.” Dee stated.
“You have a union rep?” Mike asked.
“Yes and he tells me the same thing.” Dee said exasperated.
“How about a partner?” Mike Junior asked.
Dee looked at him and said, “If you haven’t noticed the majority of you people are white and straight.”
Mike kinda bristled at that statement, “Now wait here. I haven’t heard a single issue with your color. Your size on the other hand and your temper, but not your color.”
Dee kinda hung her head. “No. I didn’t mean that. Oh hell. Not sure what-I-mean. I…” she stopped. She didn’t really want to discuss her issues with strangers. Mike senior was a lot like her. Straight to the point and yet, not mean. She decided to tell them, “I don’t have my meds. They’re out.”
Mike Senior and Junior looked at each other then back at Dee. Finally Mike Senior asked, “Please. Don’t tell me you were on any psychosis.”
Dee shook her head, “Hell no.”
The men both looked relieved.
“No.” Dee got a little closer and spoke quieter, “I don’t have my female parts. They were yanked.” she confided.
“Oh.” the men said not fully understanding.
“I had meds to compensate. For the loss. An now, I don’t have ‘em. It’s… messy.” Dee said.
“I’m sorry, but can our doctors do anything?” Mike Junior asked.
“Nothing to do. I’m going to live and die and that’s it.” Dee stated.
“Can I ask what happened.” Mike senior asked.
“Well they were gettin in the way. The whole female thing and then the sists. So, the team doc said I could quit or they could be removed.” Dee looked South, “Didn’t think I’d need em. So…”
“No kids…” Junior shook his head. Every female was registered. They had to have kids by different males in order to broaden the gene pool. It was all done in the clinic. Nothing weird. That was one of the trade offs.
“So I gotta produce like a guy.” Dee said.
Mike senior shook his head no, “I don’t think it’s quite that cut and dry.”
Dee straighten up a bit, “The men make more. They work the better jobs and no guy is going to take me as a partner, not that I’m interested. But I can’t give-um anything.” She looked around, “My partner was not a guy.”
“Why did you say it like that?” Mike looked her in the eyes, since they were both seated, “It’s not like we didn’t know.”
Dee relaxed a little. This was a quiet little community way out in the boonies as far as she was concerned, so she really stuck out in so many ways.
“To be honest, That’s not your issue.” Mike senior said. “You’re trying too hard. You’re still playing to win the short game.” He looked around and then back at her, “You’re never going to be normal around here. Besides, normal is overrated. Either way this is not a game that a single person can win. You need family, and I don’t mean blood. I mean a group of people that unite to accomplish something. Roofing and building may not be your stick, but farming may. See if the old man will partner with you.”
“He already said no.” Dee said. Then indicated herself.
“Maybe I can talk with Alan and see if we can put some pressure on him.” Mike Junior said.
Again Dee shook her head no, “I don’t wan-it dat way.” she looked around, “I have a bad rep already. If I force an old man outa his home, then it wouldn’t mattar what I grew, no one would buy it.”
“Okay.” Mike shook his head not knowing what else to say.
“Hey.” Dee said to Mike Senior as she started to stand, “Thanks. You right, about this not being a short game. I gotta play the hand I have and keep my family close.” She turned to go but then said, “Im goina get my farm.”
“You do that.” Mike said. But he had a bad feeling about all this. Even if she got the farm, who was going to help her? She was right about the community. They might not hold it against her, but they were certainly not going to support it. This community was founded on a single minded focus to maintain safety, produce what we needed and play the long game which meant selective breeding of animals and humans. Everyone mattered in that respect, but if you couldn’t or wouldn’t support it, well then you weren’t an asset but a liability.
Book 2 is available in paperback or Kindle: "Graham Heights"
Comments
Post a Comment