by Randalynn
which was in turn a sequel to Case Closed by Randalynn,
which was in turn a sequel to A Legal Requirement by Angharad
The next morning, everyone in the office was talking about what had happened yesterday, and wondering what was going to happen next.
“You should have seen him,” Jocelyn crowed, a huge smile on her face, “Cringing and whimpering, curled up in the passenger seat trying to hide himself. When we got to his apartment building, he didn’t want to get out of the car. I had to kick him out with my foot. Then I pulled away from the curb and left him there, on the sidewalk on his hands and knees, still wearing the uniform. It was priceless.”
“Looks like Paula finally got what she deserved,” Lizzie said, satisfaction oozing from every pore. “And after how she reacted when I held her back from attacking the boss, I don’t think we’re going to see that smug little twit show his face around here anymore.”
Katie looked from one woman to the next, seeing nothing but the image of Paul, alone in a room full of enemies. Did he really deserve what they had done?
“Mister Macho Man.” Maisie’s voice was full of scorn. “Not so arrogant anymore, I bet. Did you see him on the floor, crying like a baby? He was sobbing like a little girl.”
“That’s a good question.” Mrs. King spoke from the doorway, her voice cold. Every woman in the room turned. As Karen walked into the room, they had the sense of a barely controlled anger, but none of them had the slightest idea what she was angry at. Almost as one, they realized that somehow, they had wandered into a minefield, or worse, the minefield had come to them. When it came to dealing with the absolute ruler of La Belle Dame, not knowing what she was angry about was a recipe for dismissal ... or worse.
After a silence, the one woman who could be called her friend spoke.
“What is, Karen?” Maisie said softly.
“Whether you saw him on the floor, crying like a baby,” she replied, the edge in her voice obvious. “Whether you noticed him there, sobbing like a little girl. That question.”
“Of course we did.” Lizzie spoke, still unsure of what was going on. “Hell, ma’am, we’re the ones that put him there.”
“Yes, we did. We all did.” Karen walked to the front of the office and turned around to face them all. “We banded together as one, all of us, to humiliate a man because he was an arrogant son of a bitch, and none of us liked him at all. You attacked him, stripped him, and dressed him in women’s clothing. Then I came out and, with nothing but a few well-chosen words, made sure he knew how powerless and friendless he was here.”
“So hooray for us. We showed Paul how weak he really was, took away every scrap of dignity and self-respect he had, and reduced him to a crying mass on the floor. Why? Because we didn’t like him.”
She stopped for a moment, looked down and shook her head.
“What if the same thing happened to you?” Karen raised her head and looked at each woman in turn, her gaze sweeping the room slowly. “What if you worked for a company that changed the uniform code for women so you would have to dress each day like a prostitute? And what if you found yourself in a room full of men, and they held you down, stripped you, and dressed you like a whore ... just because they didn’t like you? And what if the head of the company came out, complimented you on your new uniform, and dismissed your pain as unimportant — like you’re just another bitch out walking the street.”
Nobody answered her, because there was no answer. Karen looked at Maisie.
“If Paul had been the arrogant son of a bitch we all thought he was, he would have gone to an attorney and sued us all.” Her voice rose and shook, and the anger started to pour out with every word. “He would have risen up, sure of his own rightness in all things, and taken us all to court. And contract or no contract, he would have won. Because if a jury ever saw what we did ... in fifteen minutes of inexcusable cruelty, we made that man the poster child for sexual harassment, and he could have ripped this company apart and walked away wealthy.”
Karen took a deep breath, pulling the anger back, just a little.
“Instead, he came to see me last night. He didn’t come to tell me he was going to sue. He didn’t come to yell at me for targeting him, for humiliating him, for reducing him to tears. No, he came ... to thank me. He wanted to thank all of us for showing him how truly worthless he was ... on his way to commit suicide.”
“He brought back the uniform, with the footprint on the skirt bottom from when you kicked him out of the car in front of his building. He had trashed his computer and thrown away everything he owned, because he wasn’t going to need any of it anymore. He just stopped by on his way to kill himself — and we drove him to it!”
“Do you know why he had been such a bastard to everyone? He had been told his entire life that he was worthless ... a nothing. He had been beaten, belittled, and abused by everyone he had ever known, and when he started working here, he was sure it was going to happen again. So he tried to pump himself up, make himself feel important by acting as if he was important. He put on a mask and hoped it would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
“It did, but not the way he had hoped. He became rude and nasty, arrogant and dismissive. Paul saw it happened, but as much as he wanted to stop himself, he couldn’t. Because if he took off the mask, the only thing waiting for him underneath was the certainty that he was ... nothing at all.”
“But we didn’t know. We didn’t ask. We didn’t see. Because we didn’t look. And really, ladies, we didn’t want to, did we? Because we didn’t see a person. We saw a target. We saw a self-important little man, and we hate self-important little men, so we didn’t see the damaged child inside. We just beat up on the symbol and ignored the pain, and in the end, there wasn’t an arrogant little prick in a skirt and blouse, raging at the humiliation he’d been given. There was just a hopeless little boy, realizing just how useless and worthless he truly was.”
The anger roared out again, and they all felt it stab them in the heart with each word she spoke.
“We almost KILLED a man last night, because we didn’t stop and look at what we’d done! We didn’t see him as he truly was ... because we didn’t want to look. We just wanted to hurt.”
“So I ask you all again, did you see him on the floor, crying like a baby? Did you notice him there, sobbing like a little girl? Because I didn’t, really ... until he thanked me last night for making him feel so worthless that death was the best of all his possible futures.”
The room was dead quiet, as each woman thought about what Karen had said, and what they had done. Finally, Maisie spoke.
“What happened? Is he ... is he okay?”
“No, he is not okay,” Karen replied, sarcasm dripping from every word. “But he’s not dead, and that’s something. I only managed to talk him out of finding a quiet place to kill himself by promising to help him see he’s more than he thinks he is. He’s coming back this morning, and he’s going to apologize for all the things he’s ever said and done to hurt anyone here. Honestly, I don’t think it’s necessary — not after what we did to him. But I’m the one who made him promise to, because I think he needs to apologize, to put all of it behind him. And because we almost killed the man, we’re going to apologize, too.”
“What? Apologize to that little prick?” Jocelyn’s eyes flashed. “Sorry, ma’am, but you can’t make me tell that bastard I’m --.”
Karen looked over and didn’t hestitate.
“Fine. You’re fired. Pick up your check from accounting and get the hell off of my premises.”
“WHAT?”
“If you don’t have enough compassion in you to realize that what we did to him yesterday was wrong, after everything I've just told you, I don’t want you working for me. Ever.” Her lip curled in a semi-snarl. “I only hire humans, you see. And you’re obviously not qualified for the position. Now get out.”
Jocelyn stared at her ex-employer for a second, then snagged her purse and her coat before marching out of the office.
“Does anyone else have a problem?” Almost as one, the rest of the women shook their heads, and Karen smiled. The tension left her, and the anger as well. None of them were truly bad, and she knew where their hearts would take them eventually. At that moment, Team Paul was born.
‘This could work,’ she thought, then shook her head slight. ‘No, it will work, or damn it, I’ll know why.’
“Thank you, everyone,” she said softly, “You make me proud of you all.”
She took a deep breath. “As you all know, the name of this company is French but I first saw it in the title of a poem by Keats, entitled La Belle Dame sans Merci. Translated, it means ‘The Beautiful Lady Without Pity.’” Karen looked at her staff, and smiled. “I think we’ll just stick with Le Belle Dame from now on, don’t you?”
Maisie smiled back and nodded, and the other women did as well.
She called her car, and told the driver to pull up and drop the young man at the front door. Then she turned back to the staff.
“All right, then,” Karen said. “Let’s see if we can show Paul that he’s more than he thinks he is — and show him that we’re capable of more than we showed him yesterday.”
He entered slowly, in his new black suit, crisp white shirt, and fuchsia tie. His hair had been cut and styled, and he was clean-shaven, but for all of that, he somehow managed to look older instead of younger. He was nervous, and it showed, and he stood by the doorway, not knowing how to begin. The women looked back at him, and as he opened his mouth to speak, a dozen voices joined his in a welcome chorus ... Karen’s included.
“I’m sorry.”
Comments
again, thank you
I have known a number of people who needed a "Team Paul", and sadly, didn't get it. Me, I'm blessed with a "Team Dorothy" who keep me going.
"You can survive a couple of weeks without food. You can survive a couple of days without water. You can even survive a couple of minutes without air. But you cannot survive for even a minute without hope."
Dorothycolleen
double post
posted twice, sorry
Great Sequels
I just love how you took Angharad's short story and extended it. It is like Paul Harvey said, "now for the rest of the story." Very intense and moving.
Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Trish Ann
~There is no reality, only perception~
Hugs,
Trish Ann
~There is no reality, only perception~
Yes, Paul could have sued but you still have it wrong tho.
In every contract of employment for a contracted worker there is a clause that says something like this; "every contracted employee shall abide by the rules and policies of the company as amended without question. Should the said contracted employee quit, the company may file a lawsuit for breach of contract." Something on that order and usually contracted employment is for 5 years. Even if Paul had sued the company all he could charge them with was assault without provocation. The sexual harrassmentand and clothing issues would be dismissed on respondent's motion to dismiss, using the signed contract as evidence that Paul either abided by the company pilicies or be sued.
Having said that, most employers only contract employees who have skills the rest of the company does not. Paul was one of the accountants, yes, but he also programmed the office computers. I think he purposely wrote programs for those computers knowing they would fail, and then the women would count on him to "fix" the problem. Karen did what she had to to keep her contracted employee. Now Karen may be the queen bee and the head bitch of her company, but in society she is just another woman. She may even have a kind heart. So stopping Paul from committing suicide was not only in Paul's best interest, but also Karen's because she still has her contracted employee.
Jocelyn is another story and I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of her. I hope Paul fares well in this company of females, and learns that the woman inside of him needs to really come out and be one of the girls, that he so deperately needs to be. Only he doesn't know he needs this....yet. Thank you for sharing.
"With confidence and forbearance, we will have the strength to move forward."
Love & hugs,
Barbara
"If I have to be this girl in me, Then I have the right to be."
"With confidence and forbearance, we will have the strength to move forward."
Love & hugs,
Barbara
"If I have to be this girl in me, Then I have the right to be."
Paul is TG?
I missed that somehow in any of these four stories. And I was looking for it too, hoping for it, since it would be a tidy answer to his issues that I could relate to. But from what I read, while Paul definitely needs to learn to feel better about himself deep down inside, to become more emotionally honest and to socialize with others without being a combatitive jerk, I never got that the "woman inside him" needs to emerge so he can become "one of the girls". This diagnosis of Paul as transgender reminds me of that famous quote from Abraham Maslow: "It is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail."
~~hugs, Laika
"You can either fly Over the Rainbow or Under the Radar but you can do both..."
What Paul really needs...
...are colleagues who will accept him for who he is, who won't try to belittle him because of his stature, and will generally support him. Lodging with Karen is also a good idea, as she will no doubt encourage him to tidy up his slovenly habits. The combination of Karen and husband at home, plus a more enlightened attitude from his colleagues, should help him build his self-confidence and rebuild his life.
Katie, the other trainee accountant, has already shown an element of sympathy - so there's a chance she can work with him to get him up to scratch on the areas of accountancy he currently finds difficult. Socialising might be a little tricky at first, but with everyone hopefully having a more enlightened attitude, there's a possibility he may be able to get used to attending company socials with the girls... as himself (I doubt very much his future will mirror that of "A Summer of Changes"!)
The story could quite conceivably end here; alternatively a few brief glimpses into the months ahead as Paul settles down. You never know, one or more of his colleagues might be single... :)
There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
UK Employment Law
There is a formal legal process in the UK for breaches of contract - if Paul had been sufficiently motivated, he could have gone to an employment tribunal claiming constructive dismissal.
However, there's a big but. Employee protection generally only kicks in after twelve months' continuous service. Employers will usually pay up until the last continuous day of service, but if he'd been working less than a year, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything about claiming compensation etc.
There are 10 kinds of people in the world - those who understand binary and those who don't...
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Contracts are not ...
... as iron-clad as you think, Barbara. According to my husband, the attorney (yes, I'm pulling out the big guns *grin*), unless wearing women's clothing is a requirement of the position (as in, he works in a restaurant where the waiters all cross-dress), such a policy falls under the heading of sexual discrimination, and as such is unenforceable. An organization can specify a dress code, but not one that forces someone to assume the dress and grooming of a gender not their own unless the job cannot be done otherwise.
Paul is an accountant, and could do his job wearing ANYTHING -- from a black Speedo to a full top hat and tails ensemble. He doesn't HAVE to wear the female uniform to crunch numbers or program spreadsheets, and therefore no contract can make him.
Paul can refuse to wear the uniform, and Le Belle Dame cannot sue him successfully. If they try, the court would find in his favor because of the reasons stated above. On the other hand, creating the policy and attempting to force Paul to adhere to it IS sexual discrimination. And because forcing a man to wear women's clothing without the job requiring it would be punitive and malicious. Paul would have a valid claim for a suit of his own against Le Belle Dame. When you add the staff physically forcing him to dress in the women's clothing (and his superiors humiliating him by addressing him with female versions of his name AND female pronouns), and he can add sexual harassment to his suit.
I am glad you're enjoying the story, in spite of our "contractual disputes." *grin* I'm not sure how much farther I'm going to go, but I'm thinking I like the idea of an entire office full of women teaching Paul how to be a man by building his self-confidence. Sort of a positive anti-forced-fem story.
Thanks for reading! *hugs*
Randa
P.S. Of course, to be fair, I only have an expert in U.S. law at my disposal. *smile* I have no idea how this would play out "across the pond," but I imagine it might be parallel in intent, even if not identical in execution.
a positive anti-forced fem story
I'd read it hon.
"You can survive a couple of weeks without food. You can survive a couple of days without water. You can even survive a couple of minutes without air. But you cannot survive for even a minute without hope."
Dorothycolleen
*Another* positive anti-forced fem story
My second most favorite anti-forced fem story is Drew's Meltdown by Kate Hart (available on Maddy Bell's Gaby fanfics page). Your sequels just took its place as my #1.
Interesting Concept
that women in an office can teach a man to be a man. But
that has been going on for centuries. It is women who
define are manhood on a daily basis when we are growing
up as boys. They tell us when we can cry and what toys
we can play with. At games they are the ones more vocal,
I have heard mothers tell their young boys who been hurt playing
sports, "Don't cry, your a man." That is something I have
never heard a father tell his son. Then when it is all said
and done some women are still not happy with their handy
work. When your out on a date and you try, all you want is
sex. If you don't your some kind of fairy. Your damned if
you do and your damned if you don't.
Good story
More double binds
There is a list of them that circulates on Internet humour forums and archives. More sarcasm than satire, though, it is really "kidding on the square."
Exactly, Randalynn
and as I have said in numerous comment on this series... Contract Law does not and CANNOT supersede the law of the land. There is no such thing as a contract that means you have to put up with abuse of ANY KIND.
I am one of those who
I am one of those who generally just read the stories here and never comment. But I could not pass this up. I know what depression is and although I have never contemplated suicide, I have known those who not only have, but succeded. Hopefully, your story will bring some people to their senses before it is to late and we lose another human being. A life is to precious to waste.
I'll volunteer to be Dr. Ian Malcolm's sister for a moment?
...the key isn't so much 'legal,' since the issue isn't written in any code but one; do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When she presents her colleagues with the question of 'what if the tables were turned?' We could discuss all day the legal precedents both for and against Paul's legal claims, but in the end, the issue is settled as everyone recognized the need to take the moral high ground. "I'm sorry," is about the best testimony this 'trial' will ever see. Great as always.
Dio vi benedica tutti
Con grande amore e di affetto
Andrea Lena
Love, Andrea Lena
Who said sequels have to suck?
I loved this one. I was kind of hoping to see some scene of how his coworkers reacted, the aftermath of that grotesque little auto da fe, but this totally exceeded my expectations. Karen is looking more & more wise and beautiful as a person, the kind of characters you create so well, Randa. The kind of humans this world needs...
~~hugs, Veronica
"You can either fly Over the Rainbow or Under the Radar but you can do both..."
At that moment, Team Paul
was born. The only possible problem is Jocelyn. She might be able to get a hacker to cause problems or do a bit of corporate espionage by selling business secrets to rivals.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Truly the march of sequels
I've only just had time to read all four stories, both Angharad's and yours. You really are going full speed ahead with this one, aren't you? Not that I'm complaining. ;)
Well, the first step is done, and we all know it is this step that is the hardest. Still, there is a heck of a path ahead for everyone. Except Jocelyn, who is apparently quite like what Paul's mask was, only real. And the threat she may represent in the future, is also real. She will blame Karen, for being two-faced. She will blame everyone else in the room at the time, for being spineless. She will blame Katie, for being weak. And she will reserve a special place in her thoughts for Paul.
But, you don't stand in front of a moving steamroller. Because it's not wise in the least. :)
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Maybe some of us were like Paul?
While I was living as a male, I tried to be gentle and kind to people, but over the years it got irritating how people from the church would call me that I did not even know, wanting free electrical work. Yes, I was an Electrician for over 30 years. The work also frightened the hell out of me, especially the medium voltage stuff (Over 12,000 volts). How they could ever call that Medium, I can't say? Several things combined to turn me into an irascable, mean person.
So, I hit a time in my life when I got taken down, and guess what was under that hard shell? Of course that does not mean that Paul is TG but ...
Khadijah
12,000 volts
How many people from the church used 12,000 volts?
They must have really been charged up!
LoL
Rita
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)
LoL
Rita
About the only thing I can
About the only thing I can think of to say about this series of short stories is brilliant as always. :-)
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
This is what was missing
This is what makes the group of stories a sturdy, nice little quartet.
Wow!
I am so impressed and so envious. Three well-written sequels in three days. It would take me weeks to do something even roughly comparable. And I loved the story!
Deni
Thank you
This is what I needed. Yay Paul, and yay foreshadowing. *Evilly Cute Grin*
Why can't my grin be just evil *pouts*
He entered the hall to get warm. She left it two hundred years later.
Faeriemage
He entered the hall to get warm. She left it two hundred years later.
Faeriemage
I admit I read the last one first.
Then went back and read them all in the right order.
It was an interesting story with a very important message!
We all need to learn that what we see and read and understand is not always
right.
I guess it's like doing a paradigm shift, looking at something from a different angle or point of view and analysing the new option.
Isn't this what most of us would like others to do and accept our chosen path and give us all an opportunity to live our lives happily?
I enjoyed the stories and felt the compassion that Karen showed Paul, and believed I became a little wiser in my old age.
LoL
Rita
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter!
(Mark Twain)
LoL
Rita
Brilliant.
Wish I could get at the emotional stuff, the real stuff like you have in these stories. They are truly a fitting end to Angie's beginning.
Dammit now you've got me hooked on another good author. I won't have time to go to the looe at this rate.
Thanks for the finale.
Hugs.
Beverly.
Growing old disgracefully.
I keep hoping Kindle prices drop a bit...
... so I can load up on reading material for when my internet's down, or when I have to be away from my PC. I just can't justify $400 when I'm so close to being out of debt.
Randa, I've been following this from Ang's original posting, and I have to say, fantastic work from both of you. The flow from one author to another felt, to me, almost seamless in terms of the characters' personalities.
It didn't feel to me like Karen King so much 'changed' as had her worldview rocked. That sort of thing happens sometimes. I've had people I've misjudged, even when I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Like she said at one point, she thought she was kicking a pitbull, and instead she almost killed a puppy.
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thank you
That was a beautiful story, Randalynn. I was in tears by the end of it.
A thought provoking Chapter
This is getting good, how will it finish?
Cefin