Elise (20 months later)
“Good evening. I’m Sally Winters with Channel 7 news, and we’re here tonight interviewing Elise Pierce. Elise is the Deputy Director of men’s rights advocacy group Daughters of Moral Progress.
“Thanks for joining us tonight Elise.”
“My pleasure; thank you for having me.”
“Daughters of Moral Progress was founded four years ago, correct?”
“Correct”
“And in this time, your membership has reached over a million women. Very impressive. How do you explain your group’s success?”
“I’ve found that women resonate with our ideals because they’ve seen glimpses of what can happen when we let our instincts take over. We propose a better way of living. What benefits the group, benefits the individual, after all. Women are smart – deep down, they know this is true, even if they don’t act like it every day.”
“‘Daughters’ supports a number of different gender equality initiatives, correct? Can you talk about those?”
“Well Sally, I’d say that’s a popular misconception. ‘Daughters’ does not advocate for gender equality. We acknowledge, and even celebrate, differences between the sexes. No one is saying that man is woman’s equal in every way.
“But that doesn’t mean men are inferior, either. Though we might not look on them as the peers they once were, they are the same doctors, lawyers, engineers, and educators that helped build the society we live in. We need to see that their value has not diminished; it’s more than simply fulfilling their ‘manly duty’.”
“An interesting point. So, men should be our peers, but not our equals. That’s a pretty tall order, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
“No one understands that better than we do.”
“So, you must have a plan. How do you hope to accomplish this?”
“Naturally, our ultimate goals are long term. Hearts and minds won’t change with the stroke of a pen. Right now, our priority is to reverse the rampant abuse and victimization of men.
Let me tell you some ugly truths: Today, a man goes missing every 24 minutes, on average, in the US. Of those, only a small fraction are ever found. Male suicide rates are up almost 800% from the same period five years ago. Tens of thousands of men were killed last year from bodily harm caused by women.
“But this doesn’t even scratch the surface of the social issues. Marriage is nearly a thing of the past. In the year before the virus, there were over 2 million couples married in the US. This year, that number has fallen to less than 250k. Permanent pair bonds – whether though legal marriage, or otherwise – are widely recognized to be a critical stabilizing element of society, and they’re disappearing rapidly.
“Men are working less, and earning much less than they were 5 years ago. They now occupy just 9% of all positions requiring higher education.
“Perhaps most disturbing, our national birth rate has gone from 70 births per 1000 women five years ago to 1.2 per thousand today. This may be the single largest threat the virus poses to our way of life. It is sure to doom humankind to extinction if not addressed. Scientists are working to solve this critical issue, and to date, are baffled at their limited success, given their understanding of the issue. We need every capable mind! Instead, men are pushed out or driven away by overbearing female coworkers.”
“Those are certainly some eye opening statistics.”
“You aren’t kidding, Sally. But you asked the question – how do we fix the problems?
“We start by making the world safer. Mandatory subdermal tracking implants for every male. Regulation of several substances known to be used in drugs associated with the abduction and rape of men. Even guardianship for all men. We need accountability, and can only take it upon ourselves.
“More stringent mandatory libido suppressants for women, along with random compliance testing.
“Did you know that there are drugs working their way through FDA approval that have been clinically proven to reduce sexual arousal by 60% compared to current mandatory supplements? Probably not. Certain organizations, like the Matriarchy, are doing everything they can to make sure these drugs never make it to market.
“And we can do more. Institute affirmative action hiring practices. Bring men back to those positions where they are dearly needed now: doctors, scientists, educators. Allow our sons, nephews and grandsons to see that they can be more than a breeding stud if they want to be.
“For decades, feminists loudly decried the toxicity of male aggression and objectification of women. The irony of the fact that women now embrace the very ideals we once fought so vehemently against should not escape notice.
“As you can tell, this subject is near to my heart.”
Winters nods, never losing her composure. I admire her professionalism as she steers the conversation toward more fruitful topics. All of my public speaking experience has not allowed me to master my emotions.
“You talked about more effective suppressants. Your critics have cited studies – some the work of lauded scientists - that indicate such drugs can have significant harmful side effects. In one case, they said: ‘While vastly more effective than today’s standard suppressants, new drug Lasciviaid reduced cognitive function of test subjects in recent FDA clinical trials.’
“How would you respond to this?”
“The simple truth is that it’s mostly FUD; financed by the same people that routinely kidnap men to use as playthings. I’ve read the reports. They aren’t nearly as conclusive as the media would have you believe. Don’t take their word for it. Don’t take anyone’s word for it – including mine. Pardon me for saying so Sally, but I would hope that no one takes what they hear from the media at face value. Think critically. Do your own research. Facts – in this case, medical journals – are readily available online or from your library.”
“Some believe that the ideals the Daughters preach are…unnatural. With Christianity now fractured, ‘new traditionalists’ claim that humankind’s new order can only be in accordance with a divine plan. A plan with a divine Matriarch, not Patriarch, as its designer. They suggest that the way of life proposed by the Daughters of Moral Progress is anything but Moral, and in fact, would have us all living “in sin”. Any comment?”
Choking down a laugh, I let a near-involuntary eye roll slip. I’d read about these folks, but the notion was so absurd I hadn’t expected it to come up.
“My mother taught me to keep quiet if I don’t have anything nice to say. Just keep in mind that we’re talking about a group of people that threw out thousands of years of religious dogma because of a virus. We need to hold onto reason. Let our heads do the thinking; not our hormones.”
“So let’s talk about you, Elise. I know you say that many women are drawn to your cause for the ideals you proselytize, but I suspect you, personally, are a more powerful influence than you realize. An intelligent, passionate, well-spoken, young spokeswoman. Maybe just what it takes to reach all those women out there who are not quite sure of where they should stand on the moral issues of today.”
I tittered, “I don’t know that I deserve all that, but I’m certainly enjoying what I do for the cause.”
“So…” she checks her notes briefly again, “you joined as a volunteer speaker at rallies just under two years ago. What made you get involved?”
“My mom. She kept asking me to attend rallies with her. One day, I finally let her twist my arm.”
“But there must have been a reason for her to join, originally…”
“Yes, sadly, my dad left her. She started attending not long after, at the urging of a friend. At first, I joined her only to show support, but I was moved by the stories that the women – and occasionally even men – shared with us.
“Then…someone very special to me was taken.”
I pause to collect myself. It hurt, but at least the tears didn’t come. They were all gone now; I’d used them all up. Winters’ sympathy appeared genuine, but I had grown tired of those looks long ago. Mentally, I shook myself.
“You’re referring to your fiancée, I assume? Alex Gray?”
“We were never engaged to be married, but yes. We had been close for many years, and were planning on getting engaged when we found an apartment together.”
Maybe ‘we’ wasn’t exactly true, but that was my plan, anyway.
“He was…irreplaceable, to me. The authorities did everything they could, but he was never found. It’s been almost two years now.
“The Daughters’ cause gave me an outlet. That time was…rough, and they helped me pull through it. Now I do what I do to make sure that no one else will have to experience that.”
“So, to go from a guest speaker at rallies to Deputy Director in two years? Very impressive. Still, I don’t know many that could done it – leaving a promising career with a growing law firm, moving two states away to be near headquarters in our nation’s capital, taking what must have been a substantial pay cut, and leaving your friends and family behind. All to support men’s rights.”
“Ha ha. It sounds kind of silly when you put it like that, but I believe in what we do, and I don’t regret my decisions. Sure, there were some concessions, but the truth is that I wasn’t exactly happy at DDPW.”
Her carefully crafted eyebrows rose slightly.
“Oh? What made you unhappy with the law firm? You had interned there for years, correct?”
“I won’t go into specifics, but suffice to say that I saw how men were being treated by the law, and it wasn’t a pretty picture. The euphemism ‘girls will be girls’ began as an ironic joke, but eventually became a very real way of thinking.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying that there was wrongdoing on DDPW’s part. Nevertheless, my conscience wouldn’t allow me to continue to be a part of the machine that defended the kinds of women that had taken away the man I loved.”
“So, now you’re a young, important, single woman living in the city. How do you find the new lifestyle?
“I’m not much of a city girl, to be honest, but I feel I’m adjusting pretty well. I do like how fresh and ‘with the times’ things are here, but part of me misses the more laid back pace of a smaller town.
“With your job, I would imagine you meet many interesting men. Anyone special in your life now?” she adds conspiratorially.
I chuckle, a little uncomfortable with how personal the questions are getting.
“No, no one like that. Deep down, I guess I’m still clinging to the possibility that Alex is still out there somewhere, alive and well, and that I’ll get to see him again someday…
“Besides, I’m kind of a workaholic, so I don’t even know if I’d have time for a relationship right now.”
“Well, that’s all the time we have. Elise, thank you again for speaking with us.” Turning to face the cameras, she addresses the viewers, “you can find more information about the Daughters of Moral Progress online at www.daughtersofmoralprogress.com.”
“I appreciate the opportunity. Thank you Sally.”
The “on air” sign went out after a few moments, and I felt myself deflate visibly. Sally thanked me again, this time without her stage persona. I didn’t feel very talkative, so I just nodded and smiled, getting up to head back stage.
Finally wearing some comfortable clothes after a 16 hour day, I walked toward the lobby exit. The two eye-candy male receptionists – the only men I had seen working at Channel 7 – shot practiced smiles at me as I left.
What a day. The valet delivered my new Mercedes hybrid and I climbed in, heading for my apartment across the river in Arlington. I loved the smell of new leather. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have splurged on such pricey vehicle, but in this case I made an exception. Finally, automakers had started to roll out cars that were designed from the ground up to suit women. This was one of the first.
As I rode the elevator from my parking garage to my newly refurbished loft, I checked my phone.
A text from mom read, “So proud of you! Want to hear details, call when you can. Love =D =D”
Another one from Lena told me how much I kicked ass tonight. I smiled, thinking about how much I missed both of them. Without a doubt, leaving them behind was the toughest part of the move.
I flipped the lights on in my apartment as I entered, throwing my keys on the granite countertop. As tired as I was, I decided to forgo watching the recording of my interview tonight. Instead, I popped my evening suppressant and dressed for bed. Climbing in, I had a passing thought about getting myself off. The cute receptionists had stirred something, but I couldn’t summon the effort to scratch the itch.
Leaning on my side to reach for the light, I told myself not to look at it. It was the same every night; just one of the many tests I put myself through every day. Little challenges to prove that I wasn’t ruled by my instincts.
My eyes found a piece of art hanging on the wall on the other side of the room. They stayed fixed there as I fought the impulse to look. But, just as trying not to think of something does nothing but make the task that much more impossible, my eyes eventually rebelled…immediately homing in on the pair of eyes I knew so well.
The photo was one of my favorites. Not long into my change, we were still close to the same size. My arms were wrapped around his upper chest, my head leaning over his shoulder and tilted to one side. Our happiness was so obvious and pure. Nothing would ever change…
I yanked on the light cord, shutting off the thoughts before they kept me up all night again. My mind reeled, trying to find something to substitute for the trench-like wound it wanted desperately to pick at.
Eventually, I reflected on the questions that Sally Winters had asked me during the interview. Particularly those that conflicted with my views. She was a solid interviewer – not afraid to ask questions from both sides of the issues. If she offered a viewpoint, it was likely that many women thought the same way.
What angles should I work on this one? How do I sell women on better supplements that they don’t feel like they should need to use at all, let alone ones with some potential side effects… As I started to think over new campaigns for public awareness, I drifted off to sleep.
*********
Pushing through the posh frosted glass door at headquarters at 8:00am, I found Steve at his post on the front desk. Our receptionist operated from a man-sized desk. It always made me feel good to think that we provided a comfortable work environment for our male employees, unlike so many other businesses. Most favored heightened chairs and desks to put them at eye level with visitors.
“Morning, Ma’am.”
“Steve, you know I don’t answer to ‘ma’am’.” I admonished, “Didn’t your mother teach you never to call a woman that until she’s old and gray?”
He was young…but ‘ma’am’?
“Uh, sorry, Ms. Pierce.”
“Better.”
Walking to my office, I noticed only closed doors on the few offices lining the hall. Still early for this bunch, I supposed. I had few coworkers, which wasn’t unusual for a not-for-profit that relied heavily on volunteer contributions. It was just me, my boss, our legal team, and maybe a dozen others at this site, so we were all pretty close.
Our office space wasn’t palatial, but it did have a fantastic view of the city. Entering my suite, I passed by another man’s desk just outside my office. It was unoccupied. Hmm, he was supposed to arrive at 7:30 am. I hated scolding him, but I couldn’t let this slide again.
Shutting the door behind me, I followed my morning ritual: eased into my leather executive chair, powered up my Mac, and swiveled toward the floor length windows to gaze outside. As much as I disliked city living, my stunning view of the Potomac and cityscape of our national capital from 12 floors up was one of the upsides. Watching the diminutive people going about their business so far below made me think of that music video of the Gary Jules cover of Tears for Fears’ Mad World.
The startup tone from my computer announced that it was time to get to work, so I turned around to start going through emails. As I mindlessly worked through correspondence, I heard a knock at the door. My clock read 8:42. He’d better have a damn good reason for this.
“Come in”
The door opened slowly, the man behind it laboring to slip through. Jeremy was thin and short, even for a male, standing about 5 foot 8. His light blond hair had that feathered, unkempt and too-long appearance that high schooler’s favored. No coincidence, considering that I had hired him right after graduation. Those first several weeks, when I struggled to get him to dress professionally, were a real trial. Still, he was a good kid, and he tried hard.
“Hey Miss Pierce.”
“’Hey’? You realize it’s almost 9 o’clock, right?” He nodded, lowering his head. “And that your start time is 7:30?” Another nod, even lower.
“Jeremy, you’re a hard worker, and I can tell you care about this job, but this isn’t the first time I’ve had to say something about getting to work on time!
“I hired you because I need you on my desk first thing in the morning. I recall being very specific about that detail when I interviewed you, and you told me that you could handle it. Our organization depends on a number of important stakeholders for contributions and favors, and we need to be responsive to them. These-”
He sniffed, his eyes showing tears starting to form. Sigh. Guess I was on a bit of a rant there, but jeez! I wasn’t even yelling.
Easy Elise, deep breaths. Gotta put the kid gloves on. I still wasn’t accustomed to how sensitive this generation of males was.
He collected himself. “Sorry Miss Pierce. I would have been here on time. I swear I tried. But I didn’t have a ride. My sister had to get to work early today, and my mom was at the rec room again, and-“
“Stop, please. It’s alright. I’m not angry. I’m sorry for raising my voice with you. Let’s just get to work, OK?” I smiled brightly, trying to exude a gentle attitude.
“But I guess this means you didn’t have time to stop for my coffee, eh?”
My teasing drew a small smile from him.
“I’ll go get it right now!” He ran out of the room, letting the door swing shut behind him. So impulsive...
My heart went out to him though. It was one of the reasons I picked Jeremy. There was no shortage of applicants; we were known for how well we compensated our male employees, and there were always too few vacancies to go around for those types of positions.
When I interviewed him, I could see all the signs of a classic broken family. Father gone, mother obsessed with visiting rec rooms to have a man get her off, and an older sister who was too busy trying to put food on the table and deal with her own problems to take care of him.
An email alert snapped me out of my thoughts. It was from Dr. Kandler, one of a group of scientists we worked with that was responsible for developing the experimental drug Lasciviaid. It was a highly effective female arousal suppressant which we hoped would ultimately eliminate women’s dependence on men for sexual satisfaction.
Our group didn’t fund them directly, of course, instead acting as an intermediary on behalf of their investors. Many male researchers reached out to us to make connections with the right contacts, as government grants for male-focused research had been all but eliminated. What I had told Sally Winters was true – there were quite a few people that saw the direction society was taking without men. Some of them had the money or connections it took to bring about real, positive change.
His note was brief: “Ms. Pierce, we’ve had some rather remarkable results with the latest formula. Please contact me at your earliest convenience so we can share the good news. V/R, Dr. Joshua Kandler”
I made a note with his number on a sticky, intending to have Jeremy contact him for me.
A brief knock announced he had returned with my coffee. Approaching my desk, he reached up to move my coaster with the seal of the US Senate – a gift from Sen Nichols – within my easy reach. The steaming Starbucks Tenta Latte he set on top.
The teenager stood next to my desk, his blue eyes searching for something in my look that would tell him that everything was alright again. That things were back to normal. I smiled at him and leaned back from my desk, relishing the feel of the warm paper cup in my hands as I smelled the delightful aroma.
“I hope you don’t mind me saying so, Miss Pierce, but that sweater looks really nice on you. It goes really well with your eyes.”
Little flatterer…
“Thank you Jeremy. That’s sweet of you to say.”
“No, I mean it. You always look so pretty. Like last night when I saw you on TV. You were amazing! Some of my friends saw the show too, and I probably got a dozen snapchats about how jealous they are that I get to work for you every day.
“You do so much for us, and don’t even get to see how much it means to us. I…I wanted to tell you that I appreciate it. You make me believe that I might be able to be something more than a rec room stud.”
“Well, I don’t do it for the thanks I get, but it means a lot to me to hear you say that, Jeremy.”
His blue eyes bored into me. From less than four feet, I could feel the warmth of his slender chest on my left thigh. The smell of his shampoo and clean skin mingled with my steaming beverage, tantalizing me. Sometimes, like now, when his guileless flattery eroded the barriers I had erected around my heart, he reminded me of Alex.
“Can I do anything else for you, Miss Pierce?”
It had been abundantly clear to me that he had developed a hopeless crush on me approximately 7 seconds into his interview. Worse, I knew he would gladly do anything I asked, so it made the temptation to be something other than boss and subordinate with him that much more real.
But this was another of my daily trials: to keep this sweet young man close, yet resist him. To prove to myself that my will was strong; women were not all animals, thralls to their base instinctual urges.
Deliberately taking a large sip of the burning liquid, the pain on my palette snapped me out of my reverie. I turned back to my monitor to continue my correspondence.
“No, thank you Jeremy. Please go ahead and handle all my calls until I can get these emails responded to. I also need you to setup a staff meeting for me at 1:00pm for two hours in my office. Please send out a meeting maker to my team. Topic: brainstorming session for a new public awareness campaign on suppressants.
“Oh, and please get Dr. Kandler on the phone for me at 10:00. Here’s his contact.”
Jeremy nodded, taking the sticky note from me and returning to his desk. He was halfway there when the door opened, admitting a slim, attractive redhead with angular features. Armani for Women wafted over me a moment later. It complemented the twenty-something’s low cut sweater top and short pencil skirt, all obvious implements of an ensemble manufactured to entice a certain young man.
The hawk sighted its prey.
“Oh, Jeremy! There you are.”
The woman moved in front of the door, preventing his exit, so he stopped from a distance. His body language was defensive. I had to remind myself that this was just a job for some of the women that worked here. We all had our own level of zeal for the organization’s mission.
“Uh, Morning Miss Adams. Did you need something? Miss Pierce just asked me to get back to my desk.” He pointed to the door behind her.
“Hey, we’re coworkers, right? Call me Deidre.”
It was kind of disgusting to see it happening right before my eyes, but I had to remind myself what I was thinking of not five minutes prior.
“Knock it off Deidre. Let him get back to work. I need him manning the phones. It’s almost 9:30 and I still have at least 30 emails I need to get to.”
“Oh, you’re no fun.” She pouted, moving aside. She held the door for him like a gentlewoman, so I nodded, and went back to work.
“Oh, Jeremy, one second!” Jeremy stopped cold, and Deidre knelt down next to him, reaching out to grab his tie with both hands.
“Just wanted to fix this for you, Cutie.” Her eyes pierced his as she needlessly adjusted the tie for another moment, brushing the front of his shirt when she finished. “There, now you look sharp. Gotta be presentable for the big boss lady, right?” She got to her feet and started to move toward her office.
Jeremy took his queue to escape, quickly moving to his desk to appear busy.
“Deidre…I need to speak with you in my office.” I was going to put a stop to this. A moment later, she leaned into my office, keeping her hand on the door.
“What’s up boss?”
“Come in here…and shut the door behind you.”