THE WOMENS REGRETS

THE WOMENS REGRETS While my worst, female, critics, spent most of their lives, insisting that I was NOT a man, that I did not deserve a woman, and that I would, never, be anything, these women had a smaller, and smaller, audience, as time passed. Truth is, after Decision 2018, I found a new ally, in the new, ward, alderman. An ally, with whom I would begin making a real impression, on our town. While our mayors office was dealing with a heated debate, over the need, for a sports arena, my alderman, and I, were working on a poll, to find out just how much market there, actually, was, for bringing a new supermarket into the neighborhood. While the deputy mayor insisted that there were just no funds, for our project, the deputy was "cornered" with "If there is no money, for grocery stores, then HOW do you intend to PAY for the arena?" The mayor gave their usual "Just give it TIME, and the economy will correct itself." My alderman, and myself, were among many, who were tired of waiting. That is why the alderman had sought office. To find solutions, to the city's problems. While the mayors office was not about to let go of one penny, for our poll, my alderman found a place, for the poll. For just $500.00, a hacker set up the poll, on-line. All we had to do was publicize it. Funny thing was, every chain store, that people talked to, about our area, said they would need atleast 10,000, regular, shoppers, for the project to be worthwhile. While the mayors office was certain that there was NO WAY that we could come up with 10,000, the mayors office, again, was silent, when we came up with 50,000 names. Sure, not all LIVED in the area, but many WORKED in the area. My alderman ended up attending five meetings, regarding the shopping issue, while I, thankfully, only attended two. The man must have been a better speaker than I was since it was one of his who decided that "Numbers dont lie". The supermarket chain would take out a two year lease, on the former grocery store. The city would, then have to "prove itself", by providing $10 million, in sales, per year. Once the new store opened, the alderman, and I, took our "bows", then thanked the public, for supporting us. As for the former, deep discount, store, it would take longer to open, since the building was in such bad shape. When contractors agreed that it would cost LESS, to just replace the building, that is what the north side decided to do. No, municipal money would be used, since the mayor was "hitting a brick wall", in regards to funding the new arena. As a result, my alderman applied for, and received, a "community improvement" grant. The two, new, stores, were, barely, open, and having customers, when the last, local, laundry owner announced that they were closing. It was no wonder. Not with half of the machines, down, for repair. That, and the fact that the prices, in the vending machines, made local, stores, look downright affordable. The owner said it would cost too much to repair, so they were closing. As a result, my alderman, and I ended up putting aside the latest plan (that of promoting the electronic tagging, of every bicycle, in the city, due to theft). We had not even rested, from the grocery challenge, when locals were asking about a place to do laundry. While the local, housing, authority promised that its residents had three wash rooms, inside the hi-rise, it was the tenants, who put the "damper", on this, by telling the media "We have to wait, in line, for a security key, to get into the wash rooms. After that, we have to sit around, WAITING for security to come back, so we can return the key." This is when I proposed a new use, for an abandoned store. It would seem that the state was happy, with our primary, community improvement, program, so another grant was allowed. With this grant, my alderman, and myself, would begin "selling" the city on the idea of a no cash laundry. It was simple. All a person had to do was secure a card, which would be their "key-card", and allow them entry, to the laundry, at any time. The same, key, card would operate the machines. When asked about vending, my alderman and I would remind audiences "You have atleast five, restaurants, and three dollar stores, within walking distance. Why not pick up supplies, and food, before doing wash?" When a few people asked "What if we have no money, on deposit, can we, still, use the machines." Both of us would say "Sorry, the cards are pre-paid. If you have no money, on deposit, then your card will be useless, beyond the door." While a small group, of people, protested the new system, including the fact that the people had been denied access cards, the media dealt with this, for us. Each, of those, who had been denied access cards, had horrible credit histories. Bills, months, even years, overdue. Loans in default. The list seemed endless. It was at this point that my antagonizers began to go silent (When not trying to say that it was ALL my aldermans idea). What neither of us saw coming was the problem of how MANY people wanted access cards. People from across town. People, who enjoyed a place, where they did not have to carry money. My alderman was just looking at five sites, across town, which would be good, for laundromats, when we got caught up, in yet another problem. Some gang had come to town with the idea that strip malls were easy to rob. Using long-bed pick-ups, the gang would target a strip mall, drive into the lot, then, simultaneously, rob up to seven stores. When the local police would say "We just dont have the resources to handle the problem." the people turned beyond their own aldermen, and their "Dont ask me" attitude, and the people asked us, for answers. I, really, did not blame the people. After all, any time the question, of expenditures, came up, NO one wanted to use the word "PAY". Thankfully, the grocery stores were doing even better than predicted. This meant that grant money could be re-paid, well ahead of schedule. This money was, then, offered to us, as we began work on the first "Members Only", no-cash, strip malls. By the time the project went into full swing, insurance companies were reporting record pay-outs, for damage, and other expenses. Some, insurance, companies were telling the media that "If the city does not do something, soon, WE are leaving town." While various aldermen did try setting up neighborhood watch groups, these were too little, for the busines community. This is why HOPE began to spring up, as the first "Members Only" strip mall went into service. The problem, that the mayor's office had, with the new service, was that it was NOT part of the plan, for the "New World Order". Instead of moving "forward", as the mayor, and the politicians had planned, My alderman, and I, were moving the city "backward", to a time of "stability". A time when things could be counted upon. Of course, this was very BAD news, for thieves, who wanted "easy scores". For the mayors office, this was even worse news, since the thieves got "wise", and switched to bicycle thefts. This, even as the deputy mayor was telling the public: "The city just cannot AFFORD to track every single bike, in town. We just dont have the resources." The aldermen, of the council, were being "encouraged" to follow our lead, by community supporters. This is why the mayor's latest project: An ultra-luxurious hotel, and sports center, with a price tag of about 45 million Was "shelved". The aldermen voted that public safety was more important than hotel rooms. With only a $5 million grant, for "public service" advertising, my alderman would begin a city-wide effort, to have people electronically tagging bicycles. When asked for comment, the mayors office would issue another "No Comment". With a REAL, and intense, bike tagging program going on, city-wide, the thieves found police on thier door-steps, within hours of thefts. The life, of crime, seemed to be becoming impossible. No doubt, this is why the thieves began vacating the city. This, even as the mayor, and deputy mayor did NOT seek re-election. Instead, my alderman was selected, for the post. As our grocery store plans, laundry plans, and so on, expanded, around the county, then the state, both the mayor, and myself, found ourselves travelling the state, for meetings, conferences, and seminars. This while, in PRIVATE, my antagonists were wearing down, on their belief that I was NOT what the state needed. More, and more, of them, were asking "HOW can we KNOW he is NOT a man? Have we met him?" The core, of the group, would say "You dont have to meet a creep, to KNOW he is a homo. REAL women KNOW homo's, when we see them. He IS a homo." Problem was that less, of the public, agreed with these women, every day. More women were wondering about my "potential". As to WHO it was, who decided to send me a "woman", with quad-D sized breasts, and a rear, big enough to hide the whole state behind, even the state-wide party knew, by this time, that this was not my kind of woman. The women, of the party, knew my type, because several of them had inquired. They said it was "political research". This is why I suggested that my favorite ages would be between eighteen, and thirty, with "B" cup breasts, and a trim figure. This is why, when the BIG woman stopped by, men and women, chuckled, as they KNEW this woman was NOT my type. (I have to admit that the workers did a splended job, of, tactfully, sending the woman away.) While this helped, on the "home-base", I DID accept some "company", while travelling between towns. I followed the same plan I was working on, for state-hood. In each city, I spoke to the women, about the area, and its people. This is what the party was paying for. Research. This is what helped me to be able to pin-point how to tailor my presentations. As the plans expanded, state-wide, I had to laugh, when my original town found out that I was part of the planning. The city actually tried to claim being my "home town". Not that I had lived there, in decades. I would only let the city agree to present itself as my birth-place. About six months later, the whole party was pretty sure of the reason why our mayor was being prepared to become the governor, of the state. The current governor, like the former mayor, was the kind of person who only said "Give it TIME, and the world will right itself." Well, after nearly five decades, the people were tired of waiting. With our plans being adopted, across the state, soon, community involvement, in making decisions, became just as REAL as it was, during the Revolutionary War. The "New World Order" was crumbling to dust, even as our "Get Involved" program was gaining momentum. Just at the time when I was preparing to re-start my state-hood plan, this was side-tracked, again, as the new governor informed the media "No, I am NOT running for president. I have enough to take care of, in my home state." This, it seems, is why people turned to me. This is why I became the states "liaison", to neighboring states. Following in our states "blue-print", our neighbors watched as city councils, firmly entrenched in the "New World Order", began vacating positions, while referring to our plans as "Un-American". (We, all, shook our heads at what that meant) Un-American, or not, as our plans moved forward, communities, on the verge of collapse, found new cause for hope, as local leaders joined my state, in returning stability, to local economies. Now, of course, there were some "conspiracy theorists", who believed that the "New World Order" was DESIGNED to bring an end, to the impoverished, and the middle class, by replacing much-needed goods, and services, with un-needed, social, activities. Atleast one conspiracy stated that politicians wanted to remove all, local, shopping, from inner cities. The goal being that, if the low income had no place, to shop, they would just move away. Another conspiracy claimed that the goal was to set the low income, at one anothers throats, killing one another, for access to goods and services. All that we knew was that, within a few years, our state was in the middle of a new, booming, economy. Trash dumping grounds were converted into parks, grocery stores either opened, or re-opened. No-Cash laundries became as common as acne. Stores were, now, proudly, advertising "All bicycles are tracker equipped" At first, the public feared that this was just more of "Big Brother", however, this fell by the way-side, just as On-Star tracked accidents, and dispatched aid. With trackers, lost bicyclists were found, in record time. This, however, was not what made the plan so effective. In atleast two cases, when bicyclists did not reach destinations, by established deadlines, the trackers were used to locate the injured cyclists. No more search parties. Now, emergency services could track any cycle to within 20 feet. Our state did, in fact, soon become a "pocket of prosperity", as people found a place where families were safe. I was just thankful when, before I grew too old, the Latin community reached out, to ME. They wanted ME to represent them, to the U.S. government. When I took the lead, in delivering the documents, to Washington D.C., the Latinos felt certain that their efforts would be successful. This, even as the Latin Americans took the Oath of Allegiance, to the United States. As the Latin community began taking the pledge, the remaining women (who had, so bitterly opposed me), found the world saying "Who CARES! Atleast he is doing something." Even my remaining sister went to her grave, furious that I had achieved some of my dreams. She would end her life being known as my "little sister". Her obit would consist of "Worked in private, and public, industry. Physically fit. Death due to natural causes". Being a government worker, her head stone would bear a copy of the state seal, as well as Name, and birth and death. Since she had spent so many years, driving people away, only her husband would attend her funeral. The only time, when my most ardent critic, would speak, in public, about me, was when my plans began stretching ever further, to the point where half of the nation was with us. (The other half was desperate for the "New World Order" to bring back prosperity.) When the woman blamed me, directly, saying "If we had not let that HOMO ruin our nation, we would not be at one anothers throats, right now." When the media asked the woman "HOW do you KNOW he is a homo?" The woman would, only say "A REAL woman KNOWS." Even the media had no idea what this meant. What the media DID know was that my suggestions had evolved into plans, which caused cities to evolve. Even the nation was evolving. It would seem that my efforts even bore un-expected "fruit". I was, even, offered a house, to live in. The governor won the office five times, before he decided to return to private life. As for myself, I did not rest until I knew that five, new, states had been admitted, to the union, with ten more awaiting processing. When my opponents time came, her friends only attended the ceremony since, when the woman was not making public claims, about my sexuality, she had many hobbies, as well. It was the people, whom she enjoyed her hobbies with, who would attend her funeral. I did wonder what the woman would have thought of an obit, which listed name, birth, death, and hobbies. (No mention would be made, of her stand, against my manhood.) After awhile, even her former co-horts did not remember what they had been standing against. Their own families now took up their lives. As for me, I had taken my STAND, and earned my place, in the history books.