maybe let the salty air purge his face from the worrisome things he’d said, and lash him for the helpful things he hadn’t.
They were at the railing and the boat was really hauling ass. But when he didn’t look at the water they suddenly seemed not to be moving. Behind them a terrific whooping arose from the pool, where kids had lined up at the slide, zooming down the bright chute into the water. How amazing if he could get an hour alone with that pool, guarded from spectators, streaking down the slide, exploding against the water, only to pull himself back up the ladder to do it again.
“Why’d you start with two men today?” Britt asked.
“What do you mean?” Dear God, what did she mean?
“The class is half women and you could have discussed one of each today, a man and a woman. Wouldn’t that have been more fair?”
He had no answer. He’d given no thought to this.
“It’ll balance out,” he said, trying not to look at her.
Britt struck a puzzled look. “It seems to indicate clear bias on your part, to let two men go first, and I don’t see how that won’t disrupt the balance of the class going forward, if the women collectively feel that you do not think highly of their work. So much so that you’ve delayed its discussion in favor of the work of two men who hardly seem—
in my opinion
—talented enough to have gone first. I just wanted to pick your brain about that.”
Very crafty, little Britt. Let’s solve the problem of your bias together, you old, sexless fossil. I care about you and want to help. Now drink this poison and lie back while I chop at your expired genitalia. That’s good. Even though you’re going to jail, I still care for you.
Britt had pale hair, wore no makeup, and seemed so at ease with him it was disturbing, like one of those precocious children who is only friends with adults. Even Erin adopted a more formal tone than this, seemed a stranger to him sometimes when they spoke. He liked Britt. Clearly the feeling wasn’t mutual.
“Look,” he tried to explain, though he had no explanation. “Going first, as you call it, is no big deal. Certainly it’s not a privilege. I’d say it sucks to go first, actually, because no one knows each other, we have no rapport, and we’re not at our best, critically, yet. We haven’t vibed as a group. People who go first are at a disadvantage, actually.”
This sort of sounded half-believable to him as he said it.
Britt took this in, winching her eyebrows as she formulated her rebuttal. He braced himself.
“So today, if I’m hearing you correctly, you were
punishing
Timothy and George by making them go first? You deliberately put them at a disadvantage? Perhaps I misread your bias. Maybe it’s men you have a problem with. I will say reverse discrimination is no less worrisome. It is, arguably, more hidden, more sinister.”
“Sinister?” He sighed, starting to protest, but Britt bent over, laughing.
“Oh my
God,
I totally had you!” she shrieked. “You totally believed me! I wish you could see your face!”
Fleming had seen his own face enough times, in this life and the next one.
Britt threw herself into him, spasming with laughter, claiming she really had him going.
“What?” he said, quietly, trying to push her away, even though the contact felt good. “Which part was a joke?”
Britt grabbed his arm, tugging down on him while she recovered from her fit of laughter. “You are hilarious,” she shouted. “Oh my God, you are so funny!”
She kept crashing into him as if she couldn’t stand on her own. Was he meant to hold her up? People would be watching. This no longer felt good.
“You thought I was one of those insane feminists,” she gasped. “You actually thought that!”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he snapped. “Not insane. Maybe it was a reasonable point. Am I not supposed to believe what you say?”
Just then Helen found them, walking up with a sly smile on her face.
“Hey, you two,” she
They were at the railing and the boat was really hauling ass. But when he didn’t look at the water they suddenly seemed not to be moving. Behind them a terrific whooping arose from the pool, where kids had lined up at the slide, zooming down the bright chute into the water. How amazing if he could get an hour alone with that pool, guarded from spectators, streaking down the slide, exploding against the water, only to pull himself back up the ladder to do it again.
“Why’d you start with two men today?” Britt asked.
“What do you mean?” Dear God, what did she mean?
“The class is half women and you could have discussed one of each today, a man and a woman. Wouldn’t that have been more fair?”
He had no answer. He’d given no thought to this.
“It’ll balance out,” he said, trying not to look at her.
Britt struck a puzzled look. “It seems to indicate clear bias on your part, to let two men go first, and I don’t see how that won’t disrupt the balance of the class going forward, if the women collectively feel that you do not think highly of their work. So much so that you’ve delayed its discussion in favor of the work of two men who hardly seem—
in my opinion
—talented enough to have gone first. I just wanted to pick your brain about that.”
Very crafty, little Britt. Let’s solve the problem of your bias together, you old, sexless fossil. I care about you and want to help. Now drink this poison and lie back while I chop at your expired genitalia. That’s good. Even though you’re going to jail, I still care for you.
Britt had pale hair, wore no makeup, and seemed so at ease with him it was disturbing, like one of those precocious children who is only friends with adults. Even Erin adopted a more formal tone than this, seemed a stranger to him sometimes when they spoke. He liked Britt. Clearly the feeling wasn’t mutual.
“Look,” he tried to explain, though he had no explanation. “Going first, as you call it, is no big deal. Certainly it’s not a privilege. I’d say it sucks to go first, actually, because no one knows each other, we have no rapport, and we’re not at our best, critically, yet. We haven’t vibed as a group. People who go first are at a disadvantage, actually.”
This sort of sounded half-believable to him as he said it.
Britt took this in, winching her eyebrows as she formulated her rebuttal. He braced himself.
“So today, if I’m hearing you correctly, you were
punishing
Timothy and George by making them go first? You deliberately put them at a disadvantage? Perhaps I misread your bias. Maybe it’s men you have a problem with. I will say reverse discrimination is no less worrisome. It is, arguably, more hidden, more sinister.”
“Sinister?” He sighed, starting to protest, but Britt bent over, laughing.
“Oh my
God,
I totally had you!” she shrieked. “You totally believed me! I wish you could see your face!”
Fleming had seen his own face enough times, in this life and the next one.
Britt threw herself into him, spasming with laughter, claiming she really had him going.
“What?” he said, quietly, trying to push her away, even though the contact felt good. “Which part was a joke?”
Britt grabbed his arm, tugging down on him while she recovered from her fit of laughter. “You are hilarious,” she shouted. “Oh my God, you are so funny!”
She kept crashing into him as if she couldn’t stand on her own. Was he meant to hold her up? People would be watching. This no longer felt good.
“You thought I was one of those insane feminists,” she gasped. “You actually thought that!”
“Why wouldn’t I?” he snapped. “Not insane. Maybe it was a reasonable point. Am I not supposed to believe what you say?”
Just then Helen found them, walking up with a sly smile on her face.
“Hey, you two,” she
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