The manager who hated women
It's three o'clock in the morning when Maria Ines wakes up to the sound of windows and shutters being shaken by the strong wind. Nature is rebelling, twisting and writhing, making a hellish noise. The cold front advances and compresses the mild air that has been circulating around the city for the last few days, arousing the wrath of the elements. In tune with the weather, Maria Inês' mind is suddenly invaded by not so recent, angry memories. Memories of situations in which she should have rebelled, as time now does before her eyes. But no, she always chose to keep quiet.
- There's no point in turning on her side now, because sleep won't come again any time soon - she declares herself defeated. She decides to get up and check that the bedroom windows are properly closed. Her dog is excited by the change in routine, gets up and tries to revolt.
- Even you, Brutus, decided to rebel today? - she comments in a dry, authoritarian tone. Brutus then turns around and follows her around the house, carefully supervising every act of his mistress, who has decided to behave in such a strange way today.
The wind coming into the house through the bathroom window has become hot and humid and now sweeps the air outside in all directions, fiercely shaking the treetops. The palm trees resemble gladiators who, with their feet still on the ground, dodge blows under the roar of the crazed crowd. A fight with no end and no winner. Standing by the living room window, Maria Ines and Brutus watch the scene, while she obsessively pursues the thread of her thoughts. Every now and then she spills out the excess anger she has built up over the years, like steam escaping from a covered pan over the fire:
- Poor asshole, he might as well have missed the chance to be rude to me. How can a man with so many degrees be so incapable of dealing with people?
Maria Ines rummages through the cabinets in search of her work diary. There she finds everything recorded down to the smallest detail: the day, who was in the room with her, the time she was called into the manager's office to explain herself, and what he said to her, word for word. But she doesn't even need that, everything is burned into her memory.
- The worst thing is that she listened to it all with her mouth shut. Would it have hurt to tell him to fuck off? - she asks Brutus, who turns his head to the side, whimpering softly, not knowing what to do.
- Well, yes, it would have. Women who react to jokes at work are considered difficult and pushed aside. That's why I always chose not to respond and to look the other way. I thought it was best not to provoke the beast. But if I'd given him an answer back then, I wouldn't be awake and angry now.
"You're going to have to explain to me why you're recommending that a team from this Unit be sent to a mission in Africa, in the middle of nowhere. Maybe you're doing it just because you like a nigger!" she recites with her eyes closed, her finger resting on the report in her diary.
- Impressive! How could he say that without even making a laughing face? He spoke as if he was saying the smartest thing in the world, as he had learned in his Advanced Management Techniques course - with her attention suddenly diverted by hunger, she interrupts her train of thought - Um, I think I need to chew something, to distract my teeth.
She heads for the kitchen, rummaging through everything she can find in the pantry, but she's not in the mood. The snacks are either too caloric or too soft. She feels the need to bite down, to muffle the sound of her thoughts with the sound of chewing.
- Hum, "O Globo" cookie, just perfect! - and, for the first time that night, she smiles as she watches Brutus frantically lick the bran-covered floor around him.
Gradually, the wind calms down and is replaced by a shower of rain, which brings in the fresh air. A little later, Maria Ines opens her bedroom window and watches the skyline turn light pink and blue with delight. She decides to go back to her warm bed and enjoy another hour's sleep before she has to get up to make breakfast and take Brutus for a walk. Tomorrow will be a big day, and she wants to be in top shape for the videoconference meeting she's been invited to. Her former boss will be honored for his years of dedicated work and exemplary management. He had to retire in a hurry, the poor guy. Lately he had been offending even his male colleagues...
This is the first chapter of the novel named "The manager who hated women". To read the second chapter, please click here.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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