Woman Read Online Free PDF Page B

ours. We're not in
bondage anymore, that's all that matters. I know I'm not."
     
         "I'm glad you feel that
way," David said.
     
         "No, I know what David
means," Barbara said, "In a very real way, we're still
segregated."
     
          "Segregated?
How?" Liz asked.
     
         "Well, look what
happens when we're born," Barbara said, "Right away, it's pink
blankets and blue blankets. We aren't just babies. Already, we're sexes."
     
         Liz started to argue but
Barbara wouldn't let her. "We never have our own names. Our maiden name is
the name of our father. Our married name is the name of our husband."
     
         "What's the
difference?" Liz said. "You think freedom means unisex blankets and
your maiden name? There's a lot more to living, Babs. Anyway, I'm still Liz
Kramer in enough places—like my bank account."
     
         Barbara nodded, choosing not
to contest Liz. She looked at David. "What do you think?" she asked.
     
         "Well—" He wasn't
sure he wanted to get involved in this discussion with Liz; it was more than a
touchy subject to her. "The woman I was speaking to this afternoon on my
program maintained that the one woman in her place of business the men
accepted, they accepted only as a man."
     
         "That's really
irrelevant, David," Liz said, "Who cares how they accept her? She's
in, isn't she?"
     
         "True," he said,
nodding. They were into it after all, he thought. Not for too long, he hoped.
Still, he felt compelled to add, "There is a danger though of the female
essence being jeopardized by being forced to—"
     
         "Again with your
'female essence' crap," Liz interrupted. "What is it anyway? An idea men came up with. Thereare no substantial
differences between the sexes—"
     
         "But there are," Ganine broke in, looking
upset. Liz threw an angry glance at her, then—visibly, David thought
—retreated, still not certain about what David had suggested about Ganine.
     
         The others had glanced at
Ganine as well, clearly none of them having the least idea why she was there.
     
         "It's
environment," Liz finished, despite her uncertainty, not willing to
surrender her point of view. "You know that better than anyone,
David."
     
         Only David noticed Ganine
murmuring apologetically. "I'm sorry."
     
         "I'm not sure,"
David said. He wanted the discussion to end. If only Val would arrive and he
could suggest an immediate departure for the Emmy show, ending the
uncomfortable presence of Ganine.
     
         "That's the attitude
that keeps the war between the sexes raging," Liz said. Didn't she want
the discussion to end too? he thought. Or was it just stubborn resistance to
deferring to Ganine being there?
     
         Max made it worse by saying,
cheerfully, "Maybe this'll be a fun evening after all." Liz looked at
him coldly. Her producer-head writer relationship with Max was far from
cordial.
     
         Liz started to speak when
the doorbell rang. "Oh, good," David said, quickly. "Now we can
get an early start."
     
         "On what?" Max challenged.
     
         "On getting to the
theatre."
     
         "I most definitely cast a yea vote on that,"
Charlie said.
     
         "I presume that's my
baby brother," Liz was saying as she moved for the door. "Anyone need
a re-fill?" David asked, Max drained his glass and held it out. "Gin
and ice, bartender," he ordered, "breath of Vermouth."
     
         "Right away,"
David glanced around. "Anyone else while I'm at the bar?" Barbara and
Charlie shook their heads.
     
         Liz opened the door. Val
Bettinger (he'd changed hislast name for the show) gave Liz a wide smile.
"Ta-da!" he said. "The star has arrived!"
     
         "And we are
orgasmically thrilled," Max said. He looked at Val's date, a show girl
named Candace Regina wearing a leopard fur jacket over her low-cut evening
gown. Val wore a white dinner jacket despite