Chapter 1: Really Proving Myself
" AMM Corporation. This is Jennie speaking. How can I help you?"
This is what I said every day, about a hundred times daily; perhaps even more. I was a secretary, a good one. I was a multitasker, and I didn't hide it. When I obtained this job, they gave me a screening day. They observed me as I answered the phone, organized documents, and replied e-mails at the exact same time. I was like a centipede. I could do it all at once.
" You're in," they said after seeing me being busy.
I was delighted. I was exceptionally happy. I knew I would do well at this business. Nevertheless, what I didn't see coming-- which is always the case-- was that connecting with colleagues and colleagues would be one of the most crucial things. You see, there are a lot of people who do what they really love but hate their job because they can't interact well with other employees. At the same time, there are those who don't perform their preferred tasks but really love the comradery at work, and that makes all the distinction to them.
In my case, I was at a job with all men. It was a competitive company, and all they did, was take the risk, exchange stocks, and a lot of other complicated stuff.
All they needed me for, was to answer the phone and make appointments and such. I didn't know anything about the business, and in some cases, I had the gut feeling they looked down on me for that reason.
It all began on a Thursday. I would have the next day of rest, so my weekend would be long. It was afternoon and one of those men, whom I believed to be a big bully in high school when he was young, came by my desk and told me to get him some hot chocolate.
" Uhm ... I am kind of busy now," I said. "The machine is right over there."
" I know," he said, "but I think you should get it. You don't do anything important here anyhow, and my time is a lot more valuable. Besides, you're lady."
I could not actually believe my ears. Unexpectedly, the remainder of the world was gone from my concentration. My senses blocked out all other sounds, smells, and images. All I heard was "you're lady."
I stood up and put the phone on hold. Then I looked him in the eyes and said, "Excuse me? I am lady? What does that have to do with anything?"
" Well, it's your job to get me what I want," the man said.
I swallowed some words I wanted to say to him and took a deep breath. This arrogant loser was going to get it.
" Listen to me, Devil ..." I said.
" Dean," he said, correcting me.
" Whatever. Perhaps if you wanted to lose some weight, you would drag your own fat body over to that device and get yourself some toxic, sugary drink. However, I don't think you could resist the temptation of an addicting substance, because you're just lazy. I hope you do not treat your spouse the same way."
" I'm not married," Dean said.
" That doesn't amaze me. Now, if you'll excuse me. I got work to do, things a multitasker like myself, lady, is proficient at."
" Oh, I acknowledge that," Dean insisted. "You, ladies, are proficient at those sorts of things."
I raged. This person was so proud of himself. He truly strongly believed that women were only proficient at certain things, and I was going to prove him wrong.
" Say something guys are generally better at than ladies, and I will defeat you," I said, being a little too confident.
" Oh, there are so many things. There is math, sports, building and construction work, driving ..."
" What? How would you ...? Never mind. I guess it's useless to convince you of anything. Name the time and the place, and I will be there."
And after that it occurred. The matches had started. He called some of his coworkers, all guys naturally, who would come to watch me fail.
Me and my huge mouth ...
Before I knew it, a group of 5 guys came to my desk, including Dean, and demanded my attention.
" Yes?" I said sheepishly.
" I brought some of my associates," Dean said. "If you want to back up what you said, then accept the challenges of these four guys. One of them is a mathematics specialist; he does all the finances for our business. His name is Victor."
I looked at the unpopular character in front of me and understood I was going to get smoked immediately. But I didn't know what to say.
" Then we have Hakeem over here. He has played college basketball. He is challenging you to a basketball one-on-one match. That's Ivo. He works in building. He says you will not last a day there. And then there is Jax. He is a driving instructor, actually. You said you could beat everyone at what we're proficient at? Proceed and show it. I am waiting. Do you accept these difficulties?"
I looked at them and sighed, "Sure. I do."
" Good," Dean said. "Then I will see you here tomorrow."
He left it at that, and I watched as he and his pals left the room. I put my head into my hands. What did I get myself into?
Chapter 2: The Math Test
I was worried that night. When I went to sleep, I knew I was going to struggle. I wasn't an expert at any of those things. Math? Basketball? Building and construction work? Well, at least I could drive. That would not be an issue, would it? I thought I would stand a chance at that, however, driving instructors are pretty rigorous, so even that would most likely be challenging.
When I reached the office the next day, Dean was standing there with Victor. They welcomed me and went inside, beckoning me to follow. I knew I could not expect them to open the door for me and apply the "girls first" rule, but oh well.
After we sat down, Dean said, "You can still back off and take back what you said. Guys are just better at math. It's a tested fact. So, are you still in?"
" Yes I am," I said, hoping that I would get some things right.
" Suit yourself," he said. "Victor?"
" We are going to resolve 100 mathematics problem on the computer system," Victor began. "Because it is a computer, we cannot cheat. You simply take a look at the problem and figure out the response. It's multiple choice, so even if you have no clue what you're doing, you could still get some answers right by thinking, but your percentage would be low, so I encourage you to just use your brain and those math skills you claim to have. The problems are random, so there was no chance for me to cheat by knowing the answers ahead of time. Are you all set?"
Great, this man was a complete geek and was still proud of himself. But what else was I going to do? I accepted the obstacle and we went to work.
" Ready," I said.
The first formula appeared in front of me. Was I supposed to fix this? Whoa.
I already knew that I was going to blow this. I remembered some stuff from high school, and that the teachers in my class always made it sound easier than it appeared to me. I remembered some equations and tricks, but most of them had left my memory.
" I think I'll just think," I thought. Ideally, the response was D, which was what I filled out. The whole test became multiple-guess instead of multiple-choice, as I didn't know what I was doing. In the end, I probably got several questions right by actually understanding for sure what the answer was.
When the test was over, the results were terrible: I answered 54 questions out of the 200 correctly. Victor, on the other hand, had a score of 187 out of 200. It was apparent that he was better at mathematics.
" What do you need to say for yourself?" Dean asked after seeing the actual results, crossing his arms and staring at me.
" Pffft ..." I said. "Simply because he is better at mathematics, doesn't mean all men are better at mathematics."
I could tell that he secretly agreed with my reasoning, but he still had to defend his ego.
" Well, you said you could do better and you didn't," was all he said. Then they both walked away.
I lost.
Chapter 3: The Basketball Match
That exact same afternoon, we met at a little basketball court outside. The weather was great, and the sun was shining. It was a perfect day to shoot some hoops ... that is ... if y
ou're good at it, which I wasn't.
Again, I questioned why I had not just shut my big mouth when Dean challenged me, but I could not back out now. It was too late for that. I had to show them that I was at least ready to try it, and I also really believed I had a chance of winning.
And that's where I was wrong.
Hakeem was there with Dean. The rules were basic. We didn't need describing. When Dean tried to tell me how basketball worked, I told him I already knew that because I had played some basketball in my youth myself.
" Fine," he said. "Good luck. You'll need it."
We began to play. I had the ball and looked at the basket. Too far away, specifically with a 6 foot 6 inches tall guy in front of me, holding up his arm.
So I chose to dribble past him. Fortunately, I was pretty fast, and I went up for the lay-in.
Bang!
I got blocked, and he even managed to go after the ball and keep it inside the court lines. Then he shot the 3. Swoosh!
The score was 3-0. I got the ball and tried to shoot, but I missed. Hakeem got the rebound, went to the three-point line, and returned to dunk it over me. The score was 5-0. This guy was just too huge and athletic. There was nothing I could do. He had most likely been practicing every day as part of his routine. I didn't stand a chance.
Do you think I made at least 2 points?
I didn't. We went until 21, and it became exactly that: 21-0.
Hakeem won, and I my ego was broken again. He was just better than I was.
" Not too easy, is it?" Dean said with a grin on his face.
I looked at Hakeem. He didn't express any feelings. He just stood there as if nothing had occurred. I figured he didn't care and he didn't consider me a risk in the first place. He knew he was good at basketball and probably didn't even think he 'd lose.
" Well, he is so much taller than I am," I said in my defense.
" Oh, come on," Dean said. "If you would have hit more shots, you totally would have beaten him. It's not really all about being tall. You know that. Some of the world's best expert basketball gamers are as high as you are."
" I still didn't think it was fair," I said as I watched them walk off.
Chapter 4: The Construction Site
The next morning, we had consented to give me a day at the building site, just to know what it kind of felt like. Ivo was there, and he ensured I would not have the ability to take a break.
He was wearing a dark sweater and had a stern look on his face. He greeted me and told me where to start. At first, we just put some screws into a wooden board and connected some nails to a rain gutter, but then the heavy stuff arrived.
" Okay," Ivo said. "This truck has plenty of cement products and bricks. Whatever you do, don't hurt your back. We have tools for those sorts of things. But what you carry on your own, will be appreciated."
It was exhausting. The other men were carrying large rocks and materials with their bare hands. I observed that a ton of time, I was just in the way, and that they had to wait on me to move or step aside before they could get the next rock.
" Stop," Ivo said after a while. "I think it would be better if you worked somewhere else. Follow me."
He led me to a part of the construction site that was further away from where the men carried in heavy materials. He handed me a shovel and said, "Start digging."
" Digging for what?" I asked.
" Nothing in specific," he said. "We just need a hole in the garden here. It should keep you busy for a while."
I started digging. I went on and on for hours. I didn't like it, as it hurt my back. I wasn't produced for these kinds of tasks. I rather remained inside, at the computer system or something, not outside carrying out all this physical labor. It was hard and exhausting.
Towards the evening, as I was standing in the huge hole I had dug so far, I suddenly heard a voice behind me.
" Not so easy, is it?" Dean said mockingly.
" Well, I wish to see you digging for about four hours. It gets you pretty tired."
" No, not me. I would be okay with it, as ..."
" ... as what?" I asked. "Due to the fact that you're a man? Get out of here! Such nonsense."
" You said it, not me," he said, and after that he walked away.
Oh, that conceited, pompous, complacent jerk! I could have hit him with my shovel right there and after that, but I knew that wouldn't help me get anywhere. If there was something I should be better at, it was controlling my emotions.
I stopped digging. I figured I had lost this one too, since I was in the way of the building workers and even had a hard time digging a hole. Ivo came and told me I did a good job. He paid me and let me go home. I knew he wasn't completely satisfied with my work, but at least he was a decent man, not like that Victor or even Dean.
I went home and dreaded the next day, which would probably be another challenge I couldn't conquer.
Chapter 5: The Drive Test
It was the last day of the weekend, and I was about to take on one of the best driving instructors in the area. Jax and Dean saw me coming when they were at the giant parking lot. I looked at what they had done. Cones were all over, put down in a certain order to direct a circling and zigzagging car.
" I'll go first," Jax said when I arrived.
He got into a beige Volvo and began the engine. Then he took off. Dean was keeping track of his time. Jax swirled around every single cone with classy and fast moves, not bumping into any of them. Then he took a sharp turn, drove a bit longer and stopped beside us.
" 5 Minutes and 34 seconds," Dean said, showing his stopwatch. "See if you can beat that."
" And if I hit a cone?" I asked.
" Then we'll include 20 seconds."
" What? That much?! You're kidding me!" I said.
" Hitting surrounding items is a serious thing," Jax said. "It's not only about timing, but also about accuracy."
I could not argue with him. He was the driving trainer, and not only did he know what he was talking about, but certainly, he was great at driving too. This wasn't going to be easy.
I opened the car door and sat down behind the wheel. I despised myself for glancing at Dean and seeing a wicked laugh on his face. Boy, was I going to prove him wrong!
" 3, two, one ..." he said, "... go!"
I hit the gas pedal and swerved around some of the cones, but this car wasn't that easy to manage. I have to admit that I was more used to my Chevrolet, my own car, and that the wheel in this one was irritating. And despite the fact that it wasn't fair that I was unfamiliar with this car and Jax wasn't, I still beat myself up for overturning some cones and making a few wrong moves.
It took way longer than Jax's perfect little drive, and when I came to the 2 guys, I looked back and discovered I had overturned more than 10 cones.
Dean looked at his stopwatch and laughed. "13 Minutes and 55 seconds," he said.
I was discouraged. "Fine. You win," I said as I shook Jax's hand. Then I walked away.
" I told you that men were better at driving!" I heard Dean yell in the distance.
Again, I didn't think it was fair, and just that this experienced driving trainer was better than I was, didn't necessarily have anything to do with our genders. It was silly.
Chapter 6: Dancing Away
They were laughing at me, all of them. They worked at the same business, and still they thought they were better than I was, and some of them associated their abilities to the fact that they were men. How absurd!
Oh well, if they wanted to play that game, then bring it on! I had some tricks up my sleeve too, and I knew how to use my femininity to my benefit. I saw them at work, and I put the phone on hold. For this, I would take a small break. It was well worth it.
" Hey guys," I said as they walked in.
The five of them turned their heads and looked at me.
" I have an idea," I said. "Do you like dancing?"
They all shook their heads. None enjoyed that stuff. Yes! I finally f
ound something I was most likely better at.
" Then I challenge you to a dancing contest tonight at the Jumper, which is the club on the other side of town."
" We know where it is," Dean said. "But why would we accompany such a dumb challenge?"
I chuckled. "The 5 of you have become experts at mathematics, basketball, construction work, and driving, but I bet you a hundred bucks that you cannot beat me at dancing."
" How do you choose who is better though?" Hakeem asked.
" Oh, they have judges there. Do not worry. I have been there enough to know that they always have an obstacle night with experienced judges. So what do you say, boys? Will you do it, or are you to scaaaaaared?"
" We are not scared!" Dean said as he put his hands in his side and raised his head.
" That's right," Victor said. "We'll take the challenge."
" Good," I said. "Then I will see you there at 9. Have fun today, boys."
I was in my element. I answered every phone call with a larger smile that day. By the way, did I mention I had been a street dancing champion in college? I was the best! I had typically danced at the club and showed off. People loved me there. And even though I wasn't in a strong relationship at the moment, I knew a lot of guys at the club who were gazing at me whenever I danced.
That night, I showed up at the disco. I didn't dress up in an intriguing way but attractive enough to be discovered. I had put on some additional cosmetics and came with complete self-confidence. The men not so much. I picked up that they weren't convinced of their own dancing abilities, and I was liking it. Some of their clothing looked careless and baggy.
" Night, boys," I said. "Shall we?"
We went inside and danced around a bit. I held back, as the contest had not begun yet. Another 20 minutes and after that the fun could start. I went to the table of the judges and signed the six of us up.
And after that it started ... the crowd had formed a circle. The judges announced the contestants.
Anthology of Horror Stories Page 14