This is… a horrible day. We never take the Key Bridge in Baltimore when we head north (we live in the northwestern ‘burbs of DC, but… the ship taking out the *whole* Key Bridge. That’s humongous. Still six people missing, poor guys who were fixing potholes.
And the major US port of Baltimore is out of service at least until the rubble is removed. And traffic will be much worse getting around the city for a long time.
We’re both still in shock. So far as I know, all local fen are safe.
Becoming Terran,
Our story thus far: the unnamed young Fulani woman has caught the attention of Tolliver (a trillionaire), and is brought to him to be interviewed. Part 1 is here https://mrw.5-cent.us/?p=379
Part 2:
Two hours later, dressed in a businesswoman’s suit found in a suitcase
from the checkroom, she was led into the office. It was not a large room,
with only enough space for the desk and a couple of guest chairs. The
walls were tan, with heavy beige curtains cutting the brightness of the
sunlight flowing in the windows. “You can go,” he said to the Asian man
who had brought her in. The Asian stepped out, shutting the door behind
him, cutting off the view of her sister sitting on the couch outside. He
stared at her for a while, running a finger over his phone, as she stood infront of the desk, his look more than stripping her naked. Finally, he asked,
“How old are you?”
“Twenty, m’sieur.”
“And you’re a maid at this hotel.”
“They ’ave started me working in accounting….”
“You’re eighteen, if that. Any other family here?”
“Only my sister. Our maman died in the virus that came through a few
months ago, along with some of the oilfield guards and hotel staff.”
“You and the brat didn’t go home.”
“The staffing company for the hotel told us we needed to work another
year to make the money to go home.”
He nodded. “You service anyone the hotel tells you to?”
Her features grew cold and immobile, and she looked far older than her
age. “No, m’sieur. They only offered me twice, and I only serviced one,
someone close to the owner of refinery.”
His stare had become like a spotlight. “How does the hotel see you,
other than this?”
She changed her whole body language. “Why, m’sieur, I am just a
young woman from Niger, without much education, who can certainly be
useful if the tasks assigned me are not too compli…complicated,” she
said, pretending to have trouble with the longer words.
He broke up laughing. “What’s your name?” She told him, and he
replied, “Too hard for me. You’ll be Francoise. You’ll address me in
public, as M’sieur Tolliver, and in private as Phillipe.” She looked at him,
and he added, “Oh, yes, you’re hired. I’ll buy out your contract. We’ll find
something to do with your sister, school maybe. If she’s anything like you,
she could be useful in a few years. In the meantime, we’ll get you a
wardrobe, and you’ll be introduced as an assistant. You will use that other
personality, the simple girl from Niger, and will give me reports on what
you overhear. Understood?”
“Oui, m’sieur. Of course, the first report I should give you is that your
French accent is terrible, and French speakers probably laugh at you
behind your back.”
His mouth fell open. He closed it and rose, nodding, and came around
the desk. “By damn, you just earned a raise. You’ll give me lessons, then.”
She nodded, and then he slapped her face, hard. “You will never be
insubordinate.”
She stood, cheek red though the dark brown, showing no emotion.
“Oui, Phillipe.”
Later, when now-Francoise and her sister, who was to be called
Amelie, were alone in one of the hotel rooms near the office, the girl
looked at her. “What you did today….”
“Years ago, I told you that you should not remember papa striking
maman, only good times. You should not remember this, either. Just
remember I am always on your side, and will do whatever I can for you.”
Amelie looked at her for a few minutes, then asked, “But who is on
your side?”
Francoise’s face grew harder. “Every chain has an end. For this one, I
must be there for me. I must stand up to the world, as hard a place as it is.”
She held out her arms, and her sister came close, and she leaned over and
held her close, keeping her warm in the coolness of the hotel.
end of chapter 1