Open a bank account or get a credit card without signed permission from her father or hr husband.
Serve on a jury - because it might inconvenience the family not to have the woman at home being her husband’s helpmate.
Obtain any form of birth control without her husband’s permission. You had to be married, and your hub and had to agree to postpone having children.
Get an Ivy League education. Ivy League schools were men’s colleges ntil the 70′s and 80′s. When they opened their doors to women it was agree that women went there for their MRS. Degee.
Experience equality in the workplace: Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women produced a report in 1963 that revealed, among other things, that women earned 59 cents for every dollar that men earned and were kept out of the more lucrative professional positions.
Keep her job if she was pregnant.Until the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978, women were regularly fired from their workplace for being pregnant.
Refuse to have sex with her husband.The mid 70s saw most states recognize marital rape and in 1993 it became criminalized in all 50 states. Nevertheless, marital rape is still often treated differently to other forms of rape in some states even today.
Get a divorce with some degree of ease.Before the No Fault Divorce law in 1969, spouses had to show the faults of the other party, such as adultery, and could easily be overturned by recrimination.
Have a legal abortion in most states.The Roe v. Wade case in 1973 protected a woman’s right to abortion until viability.
Take legal action against workplace sexual harassment. According to The Week, the first time a court recognized office sexual harassment as grounds for legal action was in 1977.
Play college sports Title IX of the Education Amendments of protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance It was nt until this statute that colleges had teams for women’s sports
Apply for men’s Jobs The EEOC rules that sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers are illegal. This ruling is upheld in 1973 by the Supreme Court, opening the way for women to apply for higher-paying jobs hitherto open only to men.
This is why we needed feminism - this is why we know that feminism works
I just want to reiterate this stuff, because I legit get the feeling there are a lot of younger women for whom it hasn’t really sunk in what it is today’s GOP is actively trying to return to.
Did you go to a good college? Shame on you, you took a college placement that could have gone to a man who deserves and needs it to support or prepare for his wife & children. But if you really must attend college, well, some men like that, you can still get married if you focus on finding the right man.
Got a job? Why? A man could be doing that job. You should be at home caring for a family. You shouldn’t be taking that job away from a man who needs it (see college, above). You definitely don’t have a career – you’ll be pregnant and raising children soon, so no need to worry about promoting you.
This shit was within living memory. I’M A MILLENIAL and my mother was in the second class that allowed women at an Ivy League school. Men who are alive today either personally remember shit like this or have parents/family who have raised them into thinking this was the way America functioned back in the blissful Good Old Days. There are literally dudes in the GOP old enough to remember when it was like this and yearn for those days to return.
When people talk about resisting conservativism and the GOP, we’re not just talking about whether the wage gap is a myth or not. We’re talking about whether women even have the fundamental right to exist as individuals, to run their own households and compete for jobs and be considered on an equal footing with men in any arena at all in the first place.
I was a child in the 1960s, a teenager in the 1970s, a young adult in the 1980s.
This is what it was like:
When I was growing up, it was considered unfortunate if a girl was good at sports. Girls were not allowed in Little League. Girls’ teams didn’t exist in high school, except at all-girls’ high schools. Boys played sports, and girls were the cheerleaders.
People used to ask me as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said I wanted to be a brain surgeon or the first woman justice on the Supreme Court. Everyone told me it was impossible–those just weren’t realistic goals for a girl–the latter, especially, because you couldn’t trust women to judge fairly and rationally, after all.
In the 1960s and 1970s, all women were identified by their marital status, even in arrest reports and obituaries. In elementary school, my science teacher referred to Pierre Curie as DOCTOR Curie and Marie Curie as MRS. Curie…because, as he put it, “she was just his wife.” (Both had doctorates and both were Nobel prize winners, so you would think that both would be accorded respect.)
Companies could and did require women to wear dresses and skirts. Failure to do could and did get women fired. And it was legal. It was also legal to fire women for getting married or getting pregnant. The rationale was that a woman who was married or who had a child had no business working; that was what her husband was for. Aetna Insurance, the biggest insurance company in America, fired women for all of the above.
A man could rape his wife. Legally. I can remember being twelve years old and reading about legal experts actually debating whether or not a man could actually be said to coerce his wife into having sex. This was a serious debate in 1974.
The debate about marital rape came up in my law school, too, in 1984. Could a woman be raped by her husband? The guys all said no–a woman got married, so she was consenting to sex at all times. So I turned it around. I asked them if, since a man had gotten married, that meant that his wife could shove a dildo or a stick or something up his ass any time she wanted to for HER sexual pleasure.
(Hey, I thought it was reasonable. If one gender was legally entitled to force sex on the other, then obviously the reverse should also be true.)
The male law students didn’t like the idea. Interestingly, they commented that being treated like that would make them feel like a woman.
My reaction was, “Thank you for proving my point…”
The concept of date rape, when first proposed, was considered laughable. If a woman went out on a date, the argument of legal experts ran, sexual consent was implied. Even more sickening was the fact that in some states–even in the early 1980s–a man could rape his daughter…and it was no worse than a misdemeanor.
Women taking self-defense classes in the 1970s and 1980s were frequently described in books and on TV as “cute.” The implication was that it was absurd for a woman to attempt to defend herself, but wasn’t it just adorable for her to try?
I was expressly forbidden to take computer classes in junior and senior years of high school–1978-79 and 1979-80–because, as the principal told me, “Only boys have to know that kind of thing. You girls are going to get married, and you won’t use it.”
When I was in college–from 1980 to 1984–there were no womens’ studies. The idea hadn’t occurred in many places because the presumption was that there was nothing TO study. My history professor–a man who had a doctorate in history–informed me quite seriously that women had never produced a noted painter, sculptor, composer, architect or scientist because…wait for it…womens’ brains were too small.
(He was very surprised when I came up with a list of fifty women gifted in the arts and science, most of whom he had never heard of before.)
When Walter Mondale picked Geraldine Ferraro as a running mate in 1984, the press hailed it as a disaster. What would happen, they asked fearfully, if Mondale died and Ferraro became president? What if an international crisis arose and she was menstruating? She could push the nuclear button in a fit of PMS! It would be the end of the WORLD!!
…No, they WEREN’T kidding.
On the surface, things are very different now than they were when I was a child, a teen and a young adult. But I’m afraid that people now do not realize what it was like then. I’ve read a lot of posts from young women who say that they are not feminists. If the only exposure to feminism they have is the work of extremists, I cannot blame them overmuch.
I wish that I could tell them what feminism was like when it was new–when the dream of legal equality was just a dream, and hadn’t even begun to come true. When “woman’s work” was a sneer–and an overt putdown. When people tut-tutted over bright and athletic girls with the words, “Really, it’s a shame she’s not a boy.” That lack of feminism wasn’t all men opening doors and picking up checks. A lot of it was an attitude of patronizing contempt that hasn’t entirely died out, but which has become less publicly acceptable.
I wish I could make them feel what it was like…when grown men were called “men” and grown women were “girls.”
I am 70. I remember all those things. I was a student nurse from 64 to 67 and we were not permitted to “finish” a bed bath on a male or insert a catheter in a male. Seeing male genitals might cause us “harm” or upset our delicate sensibilities. Imagine when we graduated and were “thrown” to the wolves. Imagine if you were a male patient who had to be the first to be “practiced” on by a graduate nurse. (Ha!) At the school I attended no student nurse could be married. Only one school in my city (Atlanta) would even admit married women and Male Nurses weren’t even thought of. What man would want to be a nurse when he could be a Doctor. In all my training I only remember 3 or 4 Women who were Doctor’s and a very few, (less than 5 or 6) female interns or residents (and this was a teaching hospital) and most of those were OB/Gyns and one was a pediatrician.
When I graduated and was going to get married I wanted to go on birth control pills. You needed to be on them for a least one cycle before they were effective. I won’t go into what hoops I had to jump through to get a prescription from my Dr. (a man, natch) but when i went to the drug store to get the prescription filled I ended up having to get my future husband to “accompany” me so the pharmacist “interview” him and see if it was okay with him for me to be on the pill.
Even when we went to get a marriage license I had to get my Father’s signature and we had to go before a Judge because I was not yet 21 (I was 20 and 9 months).
I could go on and on, getting a credit card in MY name, etc., but I will tell you that WE MUST RESIST.
The number of people I know who romanticize gender inequality is frankly terrifying. A world never existed in which the lives of women were simplified by benevolent men who saw to her every want and need. That was not a thing. A world never existed in which women were all ladies, men were all gentlemen, & everything was some great big cishet fairytale. Feminists aren’t a bunch of upstarts who want to destroy a perfectly wholesome and non-harmful system. Just…look at history. Look at the posts above. We. Must. Resist..
This is what they mean, when they say “Old-fashioned values”
When conservatives start waxing lyrical about the ‘good old days’, this is what they mean. They are fully aware how much things blew for women, and they would like to return to that.
At first I re-blogged this with no commentary added because it’s already so thorough and good.
But then I realized I actually do want to add something. This was written nine years ago. In the 9 years that have come to pass the white nationalist Christian fascism ultra right agenda of misogyny has had many victories.
In the United States just off the top of my head a very few examples: there’s no longer a legally protected right to abortion. Countless laws across our country police, how woman you must look or be to enter a public bathroom. We know with certainty the president and countless people around him are pedophiles and rapists. Women’s participation in the workforce has been rolled back to 1980s levels. The pressure to be thin is higher now than 10 years ago.
summary: Judith had agreed to the gala, but it wasn't like he won her heart over. But for both of them something was gained. Seeing each other even a sliver more, outside of what they normally thought from first appearances. As Nico falls into an obsession, Judith lets curiosity take root.
notes: 4.5k words again!! im on a roll. (this took 4 business months.) and i was trying to get to him doing more with her for this chapter but nah... he's not gonna be clingy, what if he scares her!! heavens forbid he scares off the one woman to throw him off his game (is actively having someone stalk her)
chp 2 - the groom
chp 4 - propositions
Judith looks out the tinted black windows of the limo. Bright city lights passing by, a bridge, some traffic, and then they're on the fancier side of New Jersey. Expected, but something she found interesting was seeing the residential areas here. Cul-de-sacs, McMansions, Mansions. Everything pristine, so much land that'd have to be tended to by more than just the residents.
It felt weird to be here. Almost wrong.
"You okay?"
'Shit. It's on my face.'
"Yeah... just... looking at it all."
"I get it."
Judith looks at Nico, confused.
"Not whatever you're feeling, but the awe of it all."
She watches as he finds the words.
"I remember coming here as a kid, and the... over consumption of it all. How nothing is ever enough."
Judith nods and looks back out the tinted window.
"Never has been... I think it's just greed."
"You're not wrong."
Their gazes meet each other and there's a shared understanding that settles between them. A mutual distate of material greed, despite the 'luxury ' they're about to indulge in.
Arriving at the venue he hops out and opens the door for her, offering his hand. As she takes it he leans slightly and whispers, "Be as awe-struck as you please, but be sure to keep your head high doll."
Her striking gaze scrutinizes him and his words after straightening up and taking her hand from him.
"I'm more than capable of actin' right on my own, thank you very much."
She walks only a little ahead of him, and he follows with a smile.
The ballroom entrance was a lot to her. Extravagant, elegant but somehow simple. Columns, giant ass doors and fancy patterns that flow into each other. Golden light pours from behind the doors and drapes over the marble of the steps. The doors intricate designs feel ancient, gothic.
"This is all necessary?" Judith whispers to Nico as he gets closer.
Walking the steps together he hums and nods, "All to show off wealth, worth, and importance. They call in two of the most amicable or strongest families to work with them."
"Just so they can feel the power and control you have and bark orders or requests?"
Stopping at the door with her, his smile grows and it borders on charming and nefarious.
"Exactly."
When the doors open those warm lights cascade over Judi's brown skin, her fur coat kept on her shoulders as she walks side by side into the ballroom with Nico. In viewing the crowd, it appears she's not the only woman who is taking it all in.
It's so spacious and the ceilings felt impossibly high. A multitude of crystal chandeliers that made the gold lighting sparkle and the floors shine.
"Chin up, smile, if things get uncomfortable you come find me. Got it?"
Judith nods, as she takes off her coat to be taken by the doorman, and as she walks further in its like she belongs despite being a new face.
She takes a sangria in a coupe glass from a tray one of the workers is walking around with, then strolls around a little herself. A bunch of rich bastards talking about their cars, stocks, private jets and acres. Some talking more in hushed whispers that she opts to steer clear of.
From what she could gather this had to be some charity or showcase meant to cover up the dark underbelly of this town.
She finds a wall to stand with her back against, her natural vantage point to people watch.
She takes a slow sip as she looks out at everyone in attendance.
A bunch of suits and dresses, prattling on nonsense.
The after taste of the sangria has her scrunching her nose up a little as she looks to her glass again.
'So it is true... being rich takes away taste.'
Looking at the drink with distain due to the bittersweet after taste of the sangria.
"Who the hell, fucks up a sangria?" she mururs to herself.
Looking around she finds another tray server and places the sipped sangria on it.
Nico eyes were trained on her. Sure he had matters to attend to at this gala, but he could do public relations like this in his sleep. So anytime he even thought about Judith, his eyes would automatically scan the crowd and find her.
A small smile comes to his lips and he plays it into his charm while talking to one of his 'investors'
Everything the man is saying is getting filed away in Nico's mind as he focuses on Judith.
The cute way her nose scrunches, how she looks like she blends in but she's completely herself.
It's something he always admired in women. The way they seemingly, effortlessly, blend into any environment yet are still themselves. Women who, despite everything this shit world demands and says, are unapologetically themselves and somehow play the cards life delt as if it was second nature.
It came from looking at the women in his own family. Although they were never directly or indirectly involved in the family business, he always thought they deserved to be.
While talking with the police chief and his wife they notice his gaze drifting a little and decide to speak up, especially the wife.
"Is she your wife?"
"I hope." his relaxed smile only partially conveys the joy and light in his eyes as he looks at her.
When she catches his gaze, he feels struck in the heart by the way she looks at him with mild annoyance and a boyish smile bubbles up on his features.
Which in turn makes her smile back curiously, but turn away to do whatever she was doing.
"She's awfully pretty." says the chief and his wife nods along. "We hope to see her on your arm soon."
Nico's boyish smile disappers into his relaxed one, "Me too." it's a tad strained when he says it, but only because he couldn't imagine her being on his arm the whole night much like the other women.
Judith walks around the venue, spotting the dining area and deciding to glance over what they had.
Mini cakes, werid little savory foods, but all of it would take only one bite to finish.
Not being able to hide her expression again she rolls her eyes and walks away from it.
'Maybe this is the normal for things like this but for fucks sake. Do rich bastards even eat ? '
She walks out to the courtyard and pauses for a moment.
It's quiet. Peacefully so.
A hidden gilded space that's draped in shadows instead of all glittering in gold.
She takes a seat on one of the steps and takes a deep, slow breath.
'So... he wants to marry me... he could've abused his power, but instead.... he's giving me gifts and taking me out.'
Looking up at the sky, she starts making up constellations when someone else steps out where she is.
"Oh..."
Judith looks back and finds an entirely different man looking down at her like the sun fell in his lap.
That is, til her resting bitch face settles in.
"You must be Judith."
She looks confused, "And who are you, do you work for Nico?"
"Haha, no." He walks up and joins her, "Names, Attilio. I know Nico, but we work together instead of me working for him."
"Oh." She looks back up to the night sky, "How long have you known him for?"
"Since highschool."
She looks bemused.
"It was a pompous costal private school, East Bridge School for Boys."
Nico had started to wander the venue, in search of Judith, after his round of check in's and keeping the peace.
The food wasn't bad, but definitely not something she would've ate and it barely made him full too.
'Where could she be ? '
He did spot Attilio and asked him to keep and eye out, but it's almost surprising he hasn't reached out.
He checks his phone for any notifications.
'....Unless.'
He quickly turns on his heel and starts heading for the courtyard.
If Attilio found her, there's a chance he's already trying to charm her.
He feels irritation sweep over his face, he always did this, every time that he had someone he was into he always snuck in somehow.
It was like that at East Bridge and he wouldn't be surprised if it was the same now.
So when he rounds the corner to see them talking, but Attilio wasn't close to Judith.
They still sat with enough room for someone else to stand or even sit between them. No flirting either, just casual conversation.
"So he's actually a lover?"
"A damn hopeless romantic. He did start to give it up over time but..."
"But?"
Attilio looks to her, his gaze analyzing before nodding and shrugging as he moves to get up. "Business happened."
Judith watches as he leaves, and is far more curious than she was before. Looking up at the man and following to find Nico standing in the door way.
She watches as Attilio whispers something to Nico and pats his shoulder before leaving.
“She's a great woman, be careful with her heart... she's a bit stand-offish”
Nico looks at Judith and sees something a little different in her after Attilio words.
There's a softness to her, but just as he saw it she hides it again.
She quickly gets up and adjusts her glasses, arms crossed and instead of seeming bossy she now looks vulnerable.
"Are we leaving?"
Her words pull him out of his soft daze, and he nods.
"If you'd like to."
"I would."
Judith walks up to him without pretenses and stands in front him before quirking her brow, studying him.
"What's wrong with you?"
He finally smiles a little and turns to lead her out of the gala, "Nothing, would you like to go home or eat dinner with me."
There's a quiet for a little bit as they pass through crowds and hallways, but she answers when they're closer to the limo.
"Could you just order me crab or something and I can eat it alone at home?"
"Absolutely."
_____________________
"Girl, he got you a lobster dinner and gave you a stylist?!" Molly says over the phone.
"Yeah... I mean it was good, just-"
"Judi, you have a rich man trying to win you over... and he's not asking for sex. Just you time, hell he's not even wanting you to pretend to like him or cling to him or be grateful."
Judith hums and nods, looking herself over in the mirror before grabbing her bag and heading out to her job.
"You're right, I know he isn't going to leave me alone after that..."
"And it wasn't like he was going to even if you asked before that..."
There's a quiet between the two women as Judith hops into her car and starts it.
"I have his number...."
"Judi..."
"He has mine, it's only so he's not disturbing my schedule and planning our *dates* less creepily or forced."
"So, you're gonna go out with him again."
"When our schedules are open to it... yeah. Come on Mols, it's free food and I get to be pampered."
"Nah, I get you. Just surprised I'm not the one convincing you."
Judith laughs, "Well, maybe I can get the most out of this and he gives up or he's actually a dream boyfriend and husband."
"Mh, true.. and if he's actually a lover boy like that guy said..."
"Then I'll tell you and mara to get ready for a bachelorette party and wedding."
"Here's to hoping Judi B."
"Mmmhm, see ya girl."
"Talk to you later, we on for the club tonight ?"
"Yes ma'am, love you bye"
"Love ya byyyye"
Pulling up to the Inkpot, she hops out and heads in. Her usual good mornings to her coworkers and as usual, she settles at her desk and Ron greets her but it's not as shy this time.
"Judith, do you wanna-"
"No Ronnie."
"But you didn't even hear me-"
"Out? I have. I've listened and watch you consistently try to flirt with me, try to show me your be a good boyfriend but you never considered if it ever annoyed me."
Ronnie looks at her like a kicked puppy before taking a long sigh and rubbing the back of his neck.
"It ain't your fault Ron. I'm just not the woman for you, but I'm sure there's others who'd think it's cute and love it."
She pushes up her glasses and looks directly at him, "Keep being considerate, but don't be scared... you'll miss your chance."
He smiles a little and nods.
__________
Nico can't stop thinking about Judith.
How pretty she looked in her black dress, the deep red lipstick and smokey eyeshadow.
“Be careful with her heart...”
She looked so gentle for those few seconds.
Those deep brown eyes were gentle, delicate, curious... doe like.
It was for a short moment but he wants to see her like that again.
All soft instead of confident and guarded.
His fingers lightly drum on the table as he listens to his men debrief for him how the ports and trade routes have been going.
Present but miles away behind those eyes, he dimisses everyone but his best capos.
"Something's up with you boss."
"Please, don't use that right now."
The two men look between each other curious.
"It's that broad from the club, ain't it?" Santos says with a smirk only to get kicked in the shin
"Ough, what the hell, man."
"She's not just some broad, hell if you're gonna be a damn flirt call her Judi." Raymond retorts
"Fine then, Judi... you into her, yeah?" Santos ribs.
Nico can't help but crack a smirk as he drags a hand down his face, nodding slowly.
"I went to that gala with her last night..."
"Holy shit!" Santos lights up
"Thought so," Raymond smirks, "I'm guessing it went well?"
"Well as it could, and now I can't stop thinking about her face..."
"Oh hoho, tell me, didja-"
"No. Nothing like that."
"He said 'well as it could ', Santos. So obviously he was a gentleman and dropped her off back at her place after."
"Yes."
"Then what's all this 'bout her face?"
Nico leans back in his office chair, looking at the ceiling with a sigh.
"She looked at me, all soft, for a second... Just for a second but it was so delicate."
Santos and Raymond look to each other and then look at him with a knowing smile but say nothing.
"Have you told the old man?" Santos relaxes in his chair
"Or your mom?" Raymond leans forward, intertwining his fingers.
"No. I mean I haven't even gone on enough dates with her, I'm not in love I just-"
"You're curious." Santos offers
"No."
"Intrigued." Raymond corrects
"Yes."
"Then you need to put all your focus on getting the girl, you can't even focus in a basic trade routes meeting."
______________________
Across the city, Judith is eating lunch in the break room with Eisha.
"It was nice of you to let Ron down easy." She says, taking a bite of ceviche.
"I mean," Judith eats some of her burger, "it's the least I could do. Especially with what I've got going on now."
"You got a boo?"
"Nah, but I do have an admirer."
"Ooooo, what he do? Give you those flowers yesterday?"
"Yeah... and invite me to some fancy ass event, then treated me to lobster."
"Judi!!"
"He did..."
"I say keep him around."
"Full intention, Ms.Perez."
Judith works the front desk like she would every day. Checking in people for consultation, appointments and even answering questions new comers have.
When she glances out the window she sees a Mercedes Benz with tented windows and sighs before answering a call.
'Maybe I should tell him how I learned to fight... but if I did would he truly stop having some guy follow me around ? '
"So you'd be free next wednesday?"
"Alright, I've got you scheduled in for that time then... thank you... bye."
She gets to work organizing consent forms and then posting today's work on their instagram as the Inkpot slows down for the day.
By the end of it all, she's sweeping up the front with Brutus while Hannah takes care of the back.
"Judith..." they murmur, "Are you alright?"
"Mhm? Oh, yeah. It wasn't that bad of an evening."
"So you plan to go out with him again."
"I mean... until he gives up."
"And if he doesn't?"
Judith pauses sweeping and looks up at Brutus.
They look calm as ever, but there's a subtle worry in those dark eyes. A worry that can only come from knowing a person for long enough to care.
Brutus and Judith were hired around the same time, got here a little after Ronnie and Lauren and long after Eisha and Hannah.
The pair were work friends. A few times they've went out for drinks as celebration with the others, and on rarer occasions when her best friends were busy and she really needed to unwind.
"He said he wanted you as his wife. He was serious."
Judith shoulders square slightly before she sighs.
"Sorry...." He looks away from her, and goes back to wiping down her desk.
"You're a grown woman. You know what you're getting yourself into."
"Appreciated." Judith quickly says and now he pauses to look at her.
"I... was, and am, grateful you were there last night. Even more so that you let me make my own decisions and deductions."
He nods as if to say “you're welcome”
"I know what could happen, I run it over every time..."
He waits for her to finish
"And knowing he's not going to leave me alone, with what I saw and heard last night..."
"He might be worth it?" Brutus interjects, not being able to hold it anymore.
Judith looks at the ground and mutters, "might, is doing very heavy lifting."
Brutus smiles a little, "Understood."
_________________
She's leaving work now
Sitting in her car, a little longer than usual
Nico reads the texts and hums, deciding to text his look out back.
Has she driven off yet?
Yes sir
She's headed in the direction of her apartment
Tailing her now
He nods and looks at his glass of whiskey neat and then around his mansion.
"But-"
"Hell no." Raymond quickly interjects
"Sorry Boss, but we ain't letting you work with a half occupied mind." Santos adds
"I can still do that."
"You say that like we'd let you." Raymond coldly and calmly responds
"Or that your dad or ma would let us hear the end of it." Santos looks at him and smirks when Nico backs down.
He sighs and takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his arched nose.
"You need to let them know-"
"Or better yet, we will!"
After a long call, his father told him to take as long as he needed. So now here he is, chasing what could only be described as an obsession.
Nico gets up and takes a long sip of his whiskey.
'Headed back to her place... It'd be better if I gave her some time. But I could also show up wherever she is... As long as I don't actively interrupt her, it should be fine.'
Just then his phone pings.
She's watching the car again, but she's on the phone.
She looks irritated as usual but sometimes she'll smile.
Probably talking with her friends.
His eyebrows raise slightly.
'So she could be going out...'
Judith had texted her group chat to meet at her place and to pack their overnight bags with going out clothes.
Tonight she was going to go out again. And to hell with the man who took a sudden deep interest to her.
Hell if she was back in full swing then she could ask his goon a few questions while she was out.
Judith glares down at the Mercedes Benz, with irritation til the door buzzer to her apartment snaps her out of it.
Amara starts to work on her hair in the mirror with Molly, as Judith lets them in on her thoughts.
"I'm all here for reclaiming your strength mija..."
"But?"
Amara glances to Judith in the mirror, "Do you have any interest in this man, any at all?"
Judith looks away, crossing her arms, "His highschool friend said he was a lover... and before going to the gala he said i made him feel something."
Molly stops adjusting her belt buckle, strapless jean dress.
"And you believe him?"
"They both looked serious as all hell when saying it, hell the other guy? Attilio? Got more serious when he said the business had changed Nico."
Her pair of best friends look at each other and with a small smile they nod, look back to her and go back to getting ready.
Judith sighs, and rolls her eyes. "Didn't y'all want me to try this shit out anyway."
"Totally," Molly says as she works on her makeup "and I say this is only the start to all the riches you could only imagine before."
"You also finally told Ronnie to stop." Amara points out
"That was going to happen either way," Judith corrects, "I was waiting for him to ask me out so i could shut him down."
"And now he's gonna think that the flowers you got yesterday were from some other guy and he missed his chance." Amara speculated as she changes clothes.
"So he's gonna try again? I don't think he will mar."
"No, just what he can assume." She clarifies.
Judith pushes off the wall and heads to her closet, "Okay well, anyway, I gotta go out tonight and I wanted to have my favorite people with me."
"Awwww, Judi B!!"
"Molly Maaeeee!!"
The women laugh amongst each other and go back to getting ready and making a plan for tonight's events.
______
Nico decided to call his look out, Vincent.
"What is she up to now?"
"Her friends came over, I can hear music, and see them passing by the windows in silhouettes behind her curtains... so im guessing they're going out."
"Any ideas?"
"Well given her friends, maybe some club or a bar."
Nico lets out a grunt
"If you wanted someone to hack into her devices then we could figure out-"
"No." Nico quickly interrupts Vince, "That'd be a touch too weird. I just got her to accept you watching her endlessly."
"So me, watching her every move is okay... but having exact details is-"
"Don't make me explain myself Vince."
"Aight Boss, just sayin'."
"And I'm sayin' drop it." Nico says coldly, "Give me her address or where she's going once you find out."
"Yes sir."
Nico hangs up and heads straight for his bedroom.
'Maybe I should get dressed like a citizen... blend in more.'
He looks over his suits, pants, button up shirts. Either way he'd look like he had money, and even more annoying is that women would flock to him because of it.
Useful for a cover, but not useful to show his unwavering devotion to her.
Or rather, his devotion to pursuing a relationship with her.
'What was she going to wear...'
He looks around his walk in closet, trying to find something that'd make him just look like an heir to a company or a CEO.
'She seems to like earth tones a lot... and she looks stunning in gold or silver...'
Looking in the mirror his face looks scrutinizing and there's an uncertainty behind his eyes.
Dress shoes, black slacks, forest green button up shirt tucked into the pants but loose enough to look casual. Simple gold chain and band rings on his fingers.
Squinting at himself, he changes out the gold accessories for silver and then gets to work on his hair.
'Slick back? No... too greasy and it'd make me look sleazy.'
Nico puts his hands on the counter sink and takes a long look at himself.
His wavy hair looked scraggly so he starts to comb through it and shape it.
Deep, dark brown eyes darting across his own face.
Olive skin, slightly arched nose, bow shaped lips that are slightly heavy on the bottom, hooded-almond shaped eyes that look too sharp when he gazes into them.
He huffs a sigh and looks over himself again.
'I'm fine... I look fine...'
"If you're wondering how to look normal, it's not gonna happen." Enrico piped up, standing in the archway of the master bathroom.
Nico looks behind him through the mirror, "Ric, are you gonna help or just make it worse?" he says exasperated from fussing over his appearance.
"It's only been a week and a day, and you're this strung up already Nic?"
Nico turns to look at his childhood best friend and said friend can't help but laugh a little.
"All right, all right." Enrico starts, and walks to him. "First of all, you look great. You never had an ugly mug, so stop trying to think ya got one now."
Nico nods and looks to the mirror as Enrico puts an arm on his shoulder, "An' number two, Be a yearning bastard instead of a charming asshole."
Nico's expression goes skeptical but settles slightly.
"Atta boy Nicky, I know you saw it in her last night. That woman ain't one to give the run around. Be honest."
"Okay..." He sighs, "Fuck, I'm gonna need a cigarette."
_____
Judith and her girls go out to have hibachi dinner, chat up a few others at their shared table, and then hit up the clubs nearby.
"Judith B. Jones."
"Yeah?"
"Ma'am you are not about to stone wall us when you called for this night, we talking about something before we get back to your place chica." Amara points back to the elephant in the room.
Judith's current thoughts and her predicament.
"Yeah, like I was so free and down tonight but one way or another you're spillin' babe." Molly doubles down before sipping her fruity cocktail
"Okay, okay, fine."
Amara and Molly lean in, curious
"I don't necessarily like him, because I don't know the guy still... but if his highschool friend had any merit? Then I think it's worth pursuing if he's truly a lover at heart."
"And are you ready for that?" Molly mused aloud to her.
"I..." Judith sighs and takes a long sip of her vodka martini.
"Look girl, we know you. If you wanna go out with this man-"
"I ain't ever say that." Judith interjects
"We ain't gonna judge you," Molly continues, "We're just asking if you wanna be in the throws of that bullshit or nah."
Judith sighs and looks between them, "It'd be an adjustment... a major one.. but I gotta see if the bastard is worth it or not."
"Real." Molly says, and holds up her fruity cocktail for a toast.
The other two women follow, holding up their own drinks.
"To finding love and riches!!"
"To love and riches!" Amara and Judith cheer and laugh as they clink their glasses.
i've had this post muted basically since its inception because people are so annoying on posts like this but every once in a while i look through the tags and comments and i'm so proud of everyone who is saying stuff like "i recently managed to include a new vegetable in my diet" or "this mindset made me start practicing dental hygiene more often" or "i'm trying to walk more and i'm not doing it every day but i'm doing it" I'M PROUD OF YOU!! EVEN IF A POSITIVE CHANGE IS SMALL IT IS STILL POSITIVE! DOING SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME IS STILL DOING IT!!!!
(popular leftist voice) these right wingers are all sooo poorrrr and stupid. They are stupid because they are poorrrr, racism would never exist in my suburban area
Popular leftist voice: these right wingers must have brain damage. They must be bigots because they are literally reta suffering from blsck mold, or brain damage.
Popular leftist voice: Every single right-wing person is literally so ugly and chopped, let me point out their exact features and how they're ugly. Having bad thoughts literally ages you. Good People are always hot and sexy and have kind countenances.
Popular leftist voice: These right-wingers are always so fat. This is because they are greedy, which as we know is a moral failing. Some of my Good People friends are fat but that is okay because of Body Positivity. But as soon as they become Bad People then they are Bad Fat and I will make fun of them for this.
Like they tried to change Reblogs and people rightfully got up in arms, this is a LOT worse. In order to have access to any sort of thing dubbed mature, and We haveALL seen what they think is mature, Everything from a black and white photo of a black woman's arm, to posts about IUD recalls, to a nude painted by a 17th century artist, to anything involving the word Trans; you have to send your personal information to a third party site that WILL get hacked, and you will be doxxed. And they can say "Oh shit, well it wasn't us who sent your name address and gender identity to Moldovan teenagers, here's a couple extra minutes in the ball pit.
That's bad enough!!!!!!!! But the entire idea of needing permission from state authorities to access anything labeled mature by our friendly AI overlords is some fucking Boll shit. Die Gedenken Sind Frie baby. This is all a reaction to people getting uppity about their lowly lowly rights and is being propped up by the same bad actors tht have made life unlivable. Fuck that shit.
"Well it's only being rolled out in Brazil and UK" Yeah, to start. "Well they're being forced to do this by laws." YOu know it's always really funny when these tech giants (Or whatever you call owning tumblr dot com) get really antsy about laws considering they pick and choose which ones they abide by.
This is a breaking point and it's going to be very interesting to see how we proceed from here.
Where's the fucking. The form. The fucking form. Hang on, lemme find it.
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hi did you know that trans christians spend their entire lives in faiths that try and convince them that on a cosmical level they should hate themselves and for them this would be emotionally fufilling? hi did you know that kansas is over 70% christian? hi did you know that just because you think atheism is the correct and the only thing that deserves respect that doesn’t mean that this isn’t incredibly impactful and meaningful for many people?
reblogging this again to bring up that when my grandma said she didn’t understand trans people, and why would they betray the body God gave them, it would have been 0 help to explain to her all the biological and cultural and societal components to the existence of the concept of gender and trans people. You know what did make her pause and reconsider her stance? “Did you ever think that maybe God made trans people on purpose?” And we got to have a conversation about all the interesting things God has made so why wouldn’t God make trans people? And she came out of the conversation with more grace and understanding.
It's kind of amazing how much this is the identical strategy. Focusing on the distress and harm of parents over the trans or autistic person themselves. Pathologizing the condition treating it as an epidemic, including calling it a social contagion causing a worrying "explosion" of diagnosis because it is "trendy."
Ignoring the experts on the subject while also appealing to "common sense" and dismissing all research that contradicts them while also appealing to "basic science."
Plus it's all the same quacks and actors behind previous medical and social moral panics saying them same things in the same ways and no one seems to acknowledge that.
she says in the article that she was inspired to think this way about autism after she started reporting on detransitioners. Her Twitter mentions are filled with prominent voices in the detrans terf movement. This isn't just similar, It is quite self-consciously an extension of the same movement.
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