Chapter 8

The Kinney's Apartment, New Pittsburg, Mars

Monday, April 30, 2136, 6:00 pm

Marilyn arrived at her parents' apartment at exactly 6:00 and pressed the intercom button to announce her presence. Since leaving home, she established a ritual. She never entered unannounced, unless she was watching the apartment for her parents while they were away on vacation. This allowed them their privacy, and insured that they treated her apartment in the same manner. Nothing was more disconcerting than having your parents arrive while you were having sex with a friend, then stick around to critique your technique. Granted, they would have meant well, but she preferred to ask for pointers when her sexual partners were not around. Besides, if her parents wanted her to watch them, they would just invite her in and not stop what they were doing. Although some Martian parents did that to assist their adolescent children's education, almost all of them tended to stop the practice once their children reached adulthood. They just made sure their children knew they were available to provide guidance and tips on sexual positions and techniques. After all, wasn't that just part of being a good parent?

Both of her parents greeted her as she entered. Her Mother asked Marilyn to join her in the kitchen, and assist setting the dining room table. The long standing mother daughter ritual helped ease some of the tension caused by the surprises at lunch on Sunday. Meanwhile, her father settled into his favorite chair waiting for the announcement of dinner. It wasn't that he did not want to help. He knew however, from past experience that more than two people in the Kinney's kitchen were a crowd. After dinner, he would help Maria with the dishes as they discussed the events of the day. Ever since they married, this was part of the way they unwound from the day's tensions.

A few minutes after 6:30 Maria announced dinner as Marilyn set a small roast on the table. Maria had already placed carrots, mashed potatoes, and green beans on the table. After filling their plates, the conversation began in earnest. "Marilyn," Robert asked, "How did you become involved with not one, but two Earthling preppies?"

"Dad, they're not just Earthlings. They are two really nice guys who I happen to be falling in love with. I've known Will for three years, and I started out thinking the same things you thought yesterday. His dad is a Senior Vice-President at Pharma Brands who sent him to prep school on Earth. He sounds just like all his classmates. Don't judge him on his accent; judge him on what he does. He spent three years convincing me he really is a good man. He did that by treating not just me, but everyone else at the WHA like real people. He showed me he didn't care where you came from, only what you did. He was the best Earthling I ever knew until I met David Reed."

"I still don't understand David. He's sensitive to people's feelings, but he won't deliberately violate his own code of ethics. He summed up part of that code when he said he tries to do the best for the company, and if he can, he tries to do the best for other people. What he didn't tell you is he is always trying to right wrongs done to people. He cares more about his employees than he does about himself. He would rather cut off his right arm than use an ethnic or racial slur. From everything, he's told me, I have the feeling he would rip you a new asshole if you really fucked up. His biggest fear is he won't live up to his own standards."

"Dad, you were afraid David would use his position to hurt me if I didn't continue to go out with him. Last Wednesday he asked me if I would date him. I told him I was already dating someone, and thought we would make the relationship permanent. He asked me to do two things for him. He asked me to consider him if the other relationship did not work out. He then said that if the relationship worked out, he wanted an invitation to the wedding. He said if my boyfriend and I were happy, then he wanted to help us celebrate our happiness. Neither of us knew we both had a relationship with Will."

"From what Will said, David was devastated. He was afraid of two things. First, that I'd use the knowledge he's half rump ranger to destroy him. Second, he was afraid I'd think he would retaliate against me. He never even considered retaliating. He told Will that if I decided to destroy him, then it meant he wasn't worth saving. Does that sound like a mean, vindictive person to you?"

Maria asked, "Is this dawg for real?"

"Mom, you are at least the two hundredth Martian to ask me that question. Everything he's done since arriving on Mars leads me to believe he's for real. He tries to live his life honestly and honorably, and it tears him up inside every time he has to lie about who he really is. I don't know if it's love or not, but I just want to take him, hold him, and make the pain go away. When he's in pain, I hurt too and when he's happy, it makes me glow. It's not the exact same thing I feel for Will, but it's close. Whenever either one of them enters a room, it just seems to brighten up. It makes me want to sing. When I woke up Sunday morning between the two of them, it just felt so right. I wanted to stay there for the rest of my life."

Chuckling, Maria said, "From your last statement I take it that when David said he wanted to fuck you, he meant again."

"Yes mom, he meant again. He was also serious about having asked me to marry him and Will. I just don't know what to do. It would never be legal but, they love each other, and will never be happy apart."

Sol looked thoughtful then asked. "Why didn't Will tell you he was dating another man? Was he planning on hiding it until you stumbled over the truth?"

"Dad they just started dating a week ago Friday. Once he realized their relationship was serious; he arranged for David and I to meet. That was Saturday morning at the WHA hike. Rump rangers are so afraid of discovery that Will didn't even know the name of David's company or Administrative Assistant. Will also decided that it was time to trust me with the truth about his life. As David puts it, he trusts me with his life. With what I know about David and Will, I could have them both fired if I wanted. With what I've learned about rump rangers the last two weeks I'm not surprised Will didn't tell me sooner."

"I have one question I need to answer, do I want to spend the rest of my life with the two of them."

"You will need to make up your own mind," said Sol. "I think you have eased my fears about both of your men. No matter what you decide, your mother and I will support you. They seem to have a lot more depth than I thought. Unfortunately, all I saw was their preppie accents and their Earthling manners. Maybe it was your mother and I who should have apologized instead of David. From what you've said, that's typical of him. He seems to take responsibility for events, even if he can't control them."

"Thank you for your support Mom and Dad. I love both of you."

"Marilyn, just how much are you going to need to teach them about sex?" Her Mother inquired. "Earthlings are notorious for being rankin' poor lovers."

"Saturday night was the first time with either of them. I owe David. He already started training Will to be a considerate lover. David approaches sex the same way he approaches everything else in his life. If his partner isn't enjoying it, David just isn't down with it at all. He listens to what you say, and seems to hear things neither Will nor I say out loud. He's a rankin' good lover by Martian standards. From what Will and David said, Will was a five minute wonder before he met David. He thought giving a woman one orgasm before he came was proof he was a great lover. David taught him to slow down and listen to his partner's body. Saturday night, the three of us went on for over an hour. Sunday we started in the shower, and I lost count of the number of times I came."

"How the fuck did David learn to have sex like that?" Sol inquired.

For the next fifteen minutes, Marilyn told her parents about the incident with The Joy of Sex, and filled her parents in on what she learned at Dorothy's Place. She even told her parents about people at Dorothy's still using cash. They were absolutely astonished to discover that anyone still used cash. That rump rangers and muff munchers needed to hide their activities from prying eyes didn't astonish Sol in the least.

He knew exactly what someone like his manager would do if he found out one of his employees was not one hundred percent heterosexual. If the employee were lucky, he would be fired quietly. Knowing his boss, the termination would be announced by shouted accusations in the employee's cubicle, followed by security frog marching the poor unfortunate employee out. Sol could picture his manager following along screaming, while carrying a box with the employee's personal items. The thought made Sol shudder in disgust. Maybe David did understand about treating people with respect. The prospect of that kind of treatment hanging over you every day would either make you hard and cynical, or you would end up trying to treat everyone else with respect in hopes that they would treat you the same way.

Marilyn finally voiced the worry that had been hanging over her head since Sunday afternoon. "Did you notice that David never retracted his threat to promote me to manager of the roach pit? Tomorrow, he will announce the new manager. After our talk this morning, I hope he picks someone else."

Sol said, "I notice he treated promoting you as a type of threat. What is the story? Why is a promotion a bad thing?"

"Dad, you know I wanted to be a manager since before I graduated from college. Until two weeks ago, I felt cheated because Alexander Industries lied to me about promotions from the administrative assistant position. I always thought that the job was unimportant, and I only did my best because that's how you and Mom taught me to behave at work. Because of his attitudes and behavior David is actually the most important person at the plant. He is really shaking up how things are done in the entire plant not just the areas under his direct control. He is a breath of fresh air blowing through the plant, especially after Ms Johnson."

"His only problem is, he ignores the potential consequences to himself. He needs someone to watch his back and keep him out of trouble. As his administrative assistant, that is part of my job, which makes my position the second most important position at the plant. For once in my life I have the chance to make the life of every Martian at the plant better. All I have to do is keep one half rump ranger, preppie Earthling from fucking himself."

"David found out how the company fucked my ass, and promptly wanted to correct the problem. I turned him down because, although he can't see it, I understand how important my job is right now. David just sees that I suffered mistreatment from the company, and he has the power to correct the problem."

Sol said, "I understand some of that now, but what were you and David talking about when you mentioned Ronda and The Third? How does that apply to your situation?"

"I sort of started in the middle of the whole thing. It took me several days to pry the rest of the story out of Ronda and Rufus. The first I knew about it, was a week ago last Friday, just before three o'clock. David, called me down to the roach pit to help the roach pit manager, Ronda Walker, get home after work. She looked pretty gnarly. I thought David fired her. As you noticed, he really likes food, and the food at the plant is rankin' bad. I practically had to carry her to the MarsTrans station. When I got her home, she broke down completely."

"What David told her, was that Robert Allen Trump the Third was returning to Earth, and David wanted her to take over as Purchasing Manager. What Rufus told me later, was that David actually arranged for The Third's transfer because he didn't like the way The Third treated Martians. He even checked Ronda's MPG records to determine if she would make a good Purchasing Manager. I didn't know it, but Ronda works in procurement for the MPG, and her evaluations are static. Ronda has been living in fear of being fired for years. She always wanted to work in purchasing, but was afraid to ask. Suddenly here is this preppie talking Earthling ordering her to apply for her dream job. Instead of fuckin' her over, he made her the offer of a lifetime. Poor Ronda's mind fused like a computer hit with a power surge."

"David, on the other hand views the whole thing as helping the company by moving people into jobs they are suited for. When she tried to apologize for her behavior, David stopped her by telling her he was sorry he surprised her. Now David needs a new roach pit manager, and I never received my promotion into management. In his usual style, he sees promoting me as a solution for both problems."

The three Kinneys talked for another hour before Marilyn announced she had work in the morning, and needed her sleep. She also told her parents that both Will and David accepted the invitation to dinner on Friday.

Alexander Industries Ammunition Plant, New Pittsburg, Mars

Tuesday, May 1, 2136, 7:45 am

David Reed swept into his office like Sherman marching to the sea. This morning was going to be important for lot of reasons, most of them having to do with the selection of the new Cafeteria Manager. He reached all the way into the back of his office refrigerator to pull out an airtight 250 gram package of Kona coffee. Opening the coffee, he poured coffee beans in to his coffee grinder. After grinding the beans into a coarse powder, he poured them into a coffee filter and put the filter into his drip coffee maker. Turning on the machine, it began to make the coffee with prefiltered water directly from the plant's water supply.

With that task completed, he looked into the reception area for Marilyn. As he expected, she was there almost ten minutes early, ready to start work. Stepping into the reception area, he said. "Marilyn, would you please join me for coffee in my office." He then returned to his office as Marilyn followed.

After determining if she wanted cream and sugar, he motioned her toward the conversation area. Taking his own cup, he then sat in a chair opposite her. "Marilyn, I want to ask you to forgive me for being stubborn and pigheaded. I want to apologize for trying to promote you into a job you don't want. Last night I did some serious thinking about what you said to me on Sunday and yesterday morning."

"I realized that maybe you are right. I tend to try correct injustices, even if the people affected don't want me to do that. I am not going to promote you to Cafeteria Manager because you asked me not to do it. Additionally, I will not promote you into any management position until you specifically request a promotion."

"One other thing my love, if I ever start acting like that again, remind me of how stupid I acted this time. As my Administrative Assistant, I want you to point out to me when I'm about to make a major blunder. As the woman I love, I want you to be persistent until I listen to your advice. I really hate admitting it, but you may be correct when you implied that sometimes I do need a keeper."

The faint smile on Marilyn's face masked a much bigger smile on the inside. It was nice to know that he would not just run off a cliff in spite of someone pointing it out to him. "David, I accept your apology. You can count on me to try to keep you from making a serious mistake. I was beginning to think stopping you was like trying to stop a MarsTrans train by standing in front of it."

"I want to know one thing. Who is the lucky winner of the roach pit manager's job?"

"I really planned to call him first, but I intend to offer the job to Manny Sanchez. His stuffed pork chops and crème brulée were outstanding. Also, I'm a sucker for a square peg in a round hole story. The fact that after finishing his accounting degree at University of Mars Eden, he went out and paid for cooking courses and management courses makes me believe he'll succeed in the job. Once he accepts the position, I'm calling Charles Miller to see if I can expedite the hardship transfer for Manny's wife, Lyn. As she is already an accountant working for Alexander Industries, it should be no problem to find her a position with the plant's accounting staff." Reaching over and stroking Marilyn's arm, he went on. "Now my love, you and I need to go back to work so we can keep our jobs." Carrying her coffee cup, she returned to her desk.

Alexander Industries Ammunition Plant, New Pittsburg, Mars

Wednesday, May 2, 2136, 8:30 am

Thomas Nichols looked around the conference room for a final check that everyone was there. Charles Miller, Head of Accounting, was at the other end of the table and the various department heads were ranked around the table. David Reed on his right hand side, with Rufus Farley just to David's right. On Thomas' left was Robert Allen Trump III. This was Robert's last meeting before he returned to Earth. Charles actually found himself envying Robert, it would be another five years before he could retire. Charles knew that the day after he retired, he was taking the company's offer and relocating back to Earth. There was a sweet little house in Seattle just waiting for him and his wife.

Thomas faced Charles Miller and asked him to provide the weekly financial reports. For the next ten minutes, Charles talked about costs per unit for the various types of ammunition and the marginal profit per unit on each one. He asked David to check on why the cost of 5mm pistol rounds was up 1.2 cents per round. That did not sound like much, until he pointed out that last week's production was 100,000 rounds, so this represented $1,200 of additional cost for the week. David promptly said he would check into it.

As Assistant Plant Manager, David made the next presentation. David started by announcing that he hired Manny Sanchez as the new Cafeteria Manager. David made a brief presentation on various projects underway in the departments that reported to him. Thomas frowned when David did not follow this with a presentation about where and how the plant would produce the new 250mm practice round. Thomas made a mental note to reprimand David once the meeting was over. He did not mind waiting for a week while David planned everything out, but it was unacceptable to wait two weeks for a project like this. He was so busy mentally dressing David down, he almost did not hear the start of Rufus' report.