October McFarlane was a reasonably pretty woman of thirty-five. She’d had a difficult life, but had been an expert specialist feller of dangerous trees all her adult life. She’d learnt her trade from her father, Stewart McIvor, who’d been a professional in that line of business for all of his life. October had been raised by her dad, for her mother had left them when October had been a baby and she’d no memories of her. From the age of fifteen October had worked as a climber, possibly the most dangerous job there was in tree felling. She’d soon become highly respected by all the local climbers, for she’d never made a mistake and had always erred on the side of caution and safety. High in trees or working from a cage on a lifting platform, she had taken the weight out of leaning, split and dangerous trees. She was devastated at the age of twenty when her dad died early aged forty-five from an unsuspected heart condition called long QT.

October had married Joseph McFarlane at the age of twenty-one and though happy about that had been saddened that her dad had not been able to see her happiness and walk her down the aisle. It was a marriage made in heaven, for not only had they been desperately in love their abilities and interests complemented each others’. October knew all there was to know regards felling, topping, thinning and pruning dangerous trees and Joe was a one of a kind self employed scientist working on somewhat esoteric nuclear based applications. His invention of the nuclear blade which had replaced other cutting mechanisms, notably chainsaws, made October’s business the most successful and cheapest in the world. He’d enabled her to name her price and insist on payment in advance.

If a potential client said no to her conditions she just smiled and said okay, no it is. She didn’t try to negotiate she merely walked away, for there was always more than enough work piled up in front of her. When a potential client re-approached her, usually after having received several other much higher quotations, her price was twenty per cent higher than she’d first quoted. Her usual deal was that’s the price if the tree is ours. We guarantee to pay for all and any damages and leave no mess at all. We’ll take all away and it is ours to sell. If you want any of the tree the price will go up, for we make money from selling the tree. If you wish the tree for fire wood we will not cut it unless paid for that. If you sue us for breach of contract and you loose you pay us the contract price again and you are signing your agreement to that now before we begin the job. You are also signing that you understand the terms of the contract. Most companies charged extra for removal, so her modus operandi was unusual.

However, Joe had eventually rendered all that to be unnecessary. His subsequent development of nanotech nibbler technology had enabled the nanite nibblers to turn the tree into dust starting from the branch tips working back to the rootlets with no need for cutting leaving a gentle rain of fine wood dust as the tree was rapidly reduced. The dust was removed by vacuum and processed by a machine that reduced the water content to less than ten percent and spat out compressed dry fire wood blocks ready for sale. For McIvor Tree Work chain saws, climbing gear, lifting equipment, cranes, chippers and stump grinders along with much else had become history. A somewhat specialist aspect of their work was the removal of trees whose roots were damaging, or about to, property or services. Once the roots were nibbled to dust they did not regenerate and the saving to property owners and utility providers was considerable.

To start with October did the job overnight without telling the client. At nightfall the tree was up and at dawn it was gone including the stump and the roots leaving just the nanite generated dust to be removed. The hole was back filled and the job was essentially done. Many clients in the early days had sued McIvor Tree Work for a reduction in the price for what had been less than a day’s work, but the contract was watertight and the price they had paid was substantially less than any other company would have charged, so they lost the case and had to pay double plus the legal fees October had incurred. She never lost a case, and it wasn’t long before the court cases ceased.

A few years later Joe came up with a way for the nanites to turn the wood dust back into timber slabs of any given dimensions, high quality real wood of value with all the appearance and properties of quarter sawn timber and nothing like OSB, chipboard or MDF.

Over time the nature of October’s workforce had changed as all of her original workforce had left. All had been men and the company no longer provided the dangerous opportunities for the macho behaviour most of their employees had craved. Now the workforce comprised drivers and operators of the sophisticated vacuum equipment and processing machinery that managed the clean up and many were women.

Though not a classically beautiful woman, October was far from plain, and men were attracted to her behaviour if not mesmerised by her looks. That she in no way responded to their reactions to her because she had Joe made her more attractive. The most important male in her life after Joe had been her dad and she’d never forgotten that most important of conversations that they’d had when she’d been six, the one of reëvaluation when they’d discussed her future. He’d said, “One of my friends once told me that sons carry your name into the future, but daughters love you unconditionally in a way no son has ever been able to, so maybe I’m getting the best of all possible deals here. Never forget the most important thing in your life is to be true to yourself, October. There’s no rule that says girls can’t be climbers or take over McIvor Tree Work when I retire. Whatever you want to do and become, ignore those who will try to stop you, and there will be many, and just do it.”

With his help and support she’d just done it. She’d become a respected climber, but she’d had to take over the business on her own twenty years too soon, and many in the workforce had refused to take orders from a girl. They’d been stunned when she had fired them on the spot saying, “I respect your opinions, but I don’t need employees who don’t want to be here working for me. It’s too dangerous, for there can only be one person who makes the decisions and that is me simply because I own the company and if anything goes wrong I’m the one who pays for it. I need to know every employee will respond immediately to an order and not try to hold a committee meeting about it, so I’ll pay you for the rest of the month and give you a month’s severance pay, which I don’t have to, but you leave as of this instant. Before you try to argue about it it’s what Dad told me to do if anything happened to him. I wish you well in your employment, but it’s no longer with McIvor Tree Work. Goodbye.”

October smiled as she remembered the most important thing her father had said in that conversation so long ago, “I love you no less because you are a girl,” and with his love and support she’d become a girl too. Despite all the opposition, she’d just gone and done it.