Jaye Michael

PART THREE: REVOLUTION

Chapter Twenty Four: Mammon

A billion here, a billion there,
and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.
– Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen

MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 4:40 P.M., SUITE 1443, QUEEN’S CASINO AND HOTEL, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

“Well Joanie, ah’ll grant you’all somethin’s happenin’. That there is one sick li’l puppy. But ah still don’t have that there proof you’all were promisin’ me.”

“John, I promised you results in three days. This is just the first day. If nothing else, look at the weight loss. He’s lost easily twenty pounds in just one day. How many people do you think would be willing to feel bad for a day or so to loose that much weight?”

MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 6:50 P.M., ROOM 417, DRAKE HOTEL, 423 WEST 55TH STREET, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

“Five teams have already been out visiting every hotel and motel in the New York City metropolitan area and we get to duplicate what they’ve already done,” Eunice grumbled. “How can you wear those heels all day? My feet are killing me.” She groaned as she sat on her bed rubbing her stocking clad feet.

“Actually, my feet hurt too, but I’ve learned a few tricks to make it a little bit more bearable. I wear the lowest heels I can. These are only one and a half inches. I also get them one width larger than I should and I have two pairs of cushion inserts in each shoe. It helps.” She sat down and rubbed her feet too. “So how do you like the role of investigator?”

“Actually, I had expected something a bit more interesting, certainly more exciting, than this. How many hotels and motels did we check out today?” Eunice L. asked as she slumped back onto the bed and put her feet up.

“I believe it was twenty-nine, and I would guess that Lyle E. and Kevin covered a similar number. The bad news is that there are over four hundred motels in the New York City metropolitan area. At a worse case we could be doing this for another week.” Deborah flopped back onto the bed also. Eunice noticed the slit of her dress slide open to reveal most of her leg.

“May I ask you a personal question?” Deborah asked as she rolled over onto her side the better to see Eunice L. She tucked her legs up to keep them from hanging uncomfortably over the bed and the slit fell open more revealing her lacy black panties.

“I don’t know,” Eunice said, staring at the frothy black underwear. “I guess it depends on the question.”

“Well, I read the file on you. After all, I wanted to know as much as possible about the person with whom I was about to be partnered.”

Eunice L. rolled over and propped her head up with her elbow. She tore her eyes away from Deborah’s panties and silently looked her in the eye. She looked very good.

“In about fifteen minutes we'll need to get dressed for dinner with Kevin and Lyle. Lyle is kind of nice isn’t he?”

“Yes. We’ve been through a lot together.”

“Is it my imagination or are you interested in him?”

“Huh?” Eunice L. looked totally baffled.

“You know working towards being a couple? Dating?”

“Oh.” Eunice took a long, deep breath and let it out in a whistling sigh. “I don’t know.”

“Talk to me girl. Is there something wrong with him?”

“No.” Eunice L. sighed again. “No. There’s nothing wrong with him. He seems to be adjusting to life quite well.”

“But...”

“No but. I’m just not sure what to do about my own life.”

“Oh.” There was silence for almost a minute. “Is it true that you used to be male?”

Eunice L. glanced back down at Deborah’s panties before answering. “Yes.”

“What made you decide to have gender reassignment surgery?” She rushed on before Eunice L. could ask. “Please. I know this is a very personal question, but I really need to know. My younger brother is considering the surgery and I just don’t understand.” She stopped breathless and flushed with embarrassment. She couldn’t make eye contact.

Eunice let the silence drag finally answering when Deborah again looked at her, tears in her eyes. “Your file wasn’t complete. My sex change was unwanted, unintentional, accidental and definitely not related to surgery.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, hell. Cover yourself and I’ll explain. This is going to take a while.”

MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 7:35 P.M., ROOM 417, DRAKE HOTEL, 423 WEST 55TH STREET, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

“Before we leave, let me do your hair in a slightly fancier style.” Deborah offered. Taking the brush from Eunice L.’s hand, she began brushing with one hand and applying light mists of hair spray with the other. “By the way, I should warn you that Kevin is probably going to hit on you.” She said while working. “He thinks he’s a real lady’s man.”

“Thinks?”

“Yeah,” Deborah explained, “well, you know. He always uses the same line, ‘Would you like to dance?’ and then steps on your foot which gives him the chance to apologize, buy you a glass of wine, talk for a while, etc., etc.”
“Does that stuff really work? It never did for me.”

“No, but I haven’t been able to convince him of that.”

“Is that his only line?” Eunice sounded skeptical.

“I don’t know. We’ve only been together for the past week and a half, but he’s tried it three separate times so far.”

“Is he really that much of a shmuck?”

“No. Actually, he’s witty, intelligent and knowledgeable when we discuss work. He just has no dating skills.”

“Great. Maybe Lyle will take pity and tell him we’re a couple.” Eunice noticed Deborah sadly shaking her head no.

“Oh yeah. If he was going to be doing that he and I would be sharing a room, wouldn’t we?” Deborah expression was unchanged as she nodded her head up and down.

“So, I’m about to live through the date from hell?” Deborah smiled and nodded her head again. She put a comforting hand around Eunice’s shoulder.

“Let me offer some helpful advice.” Her smile got even larger.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 10:55 P.M., ROOM 417, DRAKE HOTEL, 423 WEST 55TH STREET, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

“My God, you weren’t kidding.” They stumbled into the motel room, supporting each other and holding their sides to prevent themselves from falling to the floor from the intensity of their giggling.

“How many times did he try to step on your foot?” They barely made it to one of the room’s beds before collapsing as they continued to laugh convulsively and hug each other.

Eunice L. took several deep breathes in an attempt to regain some self control. “At least four times.”

“All in that one dance?”

“Oh yes, and when he wasn’t trying to stomp on my foot he had his hands roaming all over my ass.” Eunice broke down and started giggling again.

“I still think the best part was when you grabbed his tie during the dance and pulled his head down to your height.”

“Yeah, I’d always thought that was sexy when a girl did that. Of course, I didn’t expect him to end up almost burying his head in my boobs.” Eunice L. had managed a seated position. She looked down and cupped her breasts through her light cotton print dress.

“Amazing how they fascinate guys, isn’t it?” Deborah noted as she too struggled into a sitting position. She turned away from Eunice L. and yawned.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately and I think I have a relatively unique perspective.” Eunice started undoing the buttons of her dress.

“So what is it already?” Deborah dropped back down onto the bed and then rolled over on her stomach, propping her head up with her arms.

“Well, I think Freud had it backwards. It’s not penis envy; it’s breast envy.” Eunice L. finished working on her buttons and slid the dress off her shoulders while Deborah waited.

“Okay, breast envy,” Deborah prompted. “How do you come to that conclusion?” The dress slid to the floor and Eunice L. picked it up and hung it up before answering.

“Well, think about it. Do you really want a penis? It’s small, it’s wrinkled and it’s attached to these two hairy little sacks that can cause excruciating pain if you’re not careful and let them get bumped. And remember, I speak from personal experience here.”

“Okay, then what do women envy and how does a man envying a breast make him do all the weird things they do?”

“I’ll answer that when I get back. Just give me a minute.” Eunice L. entered the bathroom and closed the door. Deborah watched her go. After several seconds she groaned and began undressing also. She was in her nightgown and had just laid a second nightgown on the other bed for Eunice when the bathroom door opened.

“I got out a nightgown for you,” Deborah noted as she passed her on the way to the bathroom. Let me clean up a bit and then I want to hear your explanation.”
Eunice was in bed when she returned to the bedroom. Deborah got into her bed and turned to Eunice. “I set the alarm clock for 7:00 A.M.,” she noted. “Do you want the lights on?”

“No thank you.” Deborah turned the lights off.

“Now, will you please explain?”

“Sure. It’s really very easy. Like I said before, a penis is not exactly pretty. What we women desire is what men desire, some control over our lives. It’s not the penis we envy it’s the power and control over a stronger body; it’s the ability to impact on those around us that women envy. Much as Freud theorizes happens with penis envy, women know that they are smaller and weaker so we find ways to control by manipulating others into doing what we wish, and to put it bluntly our breasts are major weapons for controlling men. Men just about worship them. They’ll do almost anything to touch one, lick, one, see one. They worship them and they worship us because we have them.” Eunice took a deep breath before continuing. “Like I said, Freud was wrong, if anything, he should have been talking about breast envy, not penis envy.”

“You’re serious aren’t you?” asked a bemused Deborah. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond.

“No, but it sounds good, doesn’t it?” Eunice smiled hesitantly. After several seconds, Deborah began laughing and Eunice joined her. Suddenly Eunice became serious.

“Deborah, I really like you and think you’re a great person. I’d like you to be my friend...”

“Sure, I’d like that and I already think of you as a good friend.” Deborah smiled.

“No. Please. I need to finish.” Deborah stopped smiling. She rolled so she could see the dim outline of Eunice, now sitting upright in the other bed.

“When we first met I didn’t like you. You were so sure of yourself, so in control of your life. I was jealous. I was afraid you’d come between Lyle and me.” Eunice swallowed hard. “I was afraid he’d like you better than me.” Tears were seeping out of the corners of Eunice’s eyes.

“Oh Eunice, please don’t cry. I understand how you must have felt.” She slipped from her bed, slid onto the covers of Eunice’s bed and hugged her tightly. “It’s okay, dear. It’s okay,” she crooned as she gently wiped the tears from Eunice’s eyes.

Reaching out, Deborah gave Eunice a tremendous hug. “We are friends, best friends, now and forever.” Deborah’s bed was unused the rest of the night.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 9:00 A.M., AN ISOLATED FARM, LOCATION DELETED CONSISTENT WITH PROVISIONS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ACT

“It is no longer speculation. We have succeeded in developing a ‘fixative,’ an agent to nullify the virus so it is no longer contagious.” Dr. Harriman was beaming as he sat at the dining room table discussing his progress with Captain Schultz. “All the animal trials have been one hundred percent successful.”

“So are you ready for the first human trials?”

“Well, I understand your urgency, but, I would note that despite my optimism, it would be best to assure the results with some longitudinal studies.”

“You mean make sure the virus does not come back over time?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“Dr. Harriman, please remember we have five human beings locked in that barn. They are no longer covered with fur and trying to be very large rats, but they are little better than infants. We owe them their humanity, but they won’t really develop into functional human beings if they can’t interact with other human beings, human beings that are not wearing biohazard suits.”