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“I’m sorry Princess, but Professor Anderson is busy”, the secretary said while attempting to get up from her chair to block the young lady.
“I don’t care” Princess replied with a flip of her hair and a turn on her heel to evade the oncoming secretary, she strode into Anderson’s office.
“How dare you barge in here like you own the place? I did not wish to be disturbed” Anderson exclaimed. He was slightly put off as he took in the figure of the young lady, who was at the moment, uncharacteristically angry.
Outraged Princess yelled, “You are going to hear me out!”
“I will not be forced into a meeting with you just because you say so, furthermore, I will be putting a reprimand in your file regarding this disturbance.”
“Really, I bet if it was Mark or Jason that came in here like this, there would be no reprimand, because boys will be boys, right? Not to mention you would probably hear them out.”
Anderson removed his glasses and started cleaning them and sighed, “Okay Princess, what’s this really about?”
“I want to be an equal.”
Anderson dropped his glasses onto his desk and asked, “Equal? Equal how?”
“I just found out all the guys get paid more than I do.”
“Well Mark and Jason are older and more experienced …”
“Keyop makes more than me so don’t give me that crap.”
“How, how do you know this?”
Princess smiled, “Because he bragged to me about how you just gave him a raise and now he makes more than I do.”
Damn that kid and his mouth, Anderson thought to himself.
“So what I want to know is where my raise is? I work just as hard as the team, no actually I work harder because I am a female and have to constantly prove to you and the other guys that I can keep up no matter how taxing, sweaty or time of the month it is. In fact not only do I want a raise I want to make more than Keyop and I want it equal to what other bomb squad technicians do out in the field. I make bombs and disassemble them; I should be getting hazard pay! Give me what I am worth Professor Anderson or else!”
“Or else what”, thinking he can call her bluff
“Or else I am going to do those interviews for Vogue and Cosmopolitan and let them know exactly what it’s like to be the only female on a team of five highly trained operatives.”
“Fine”, Anderson said giving up, “equal pay plus hazard, you got it.”
“No reprimand in my file either.”
“Fine, anything else, Princess?”
Princess feeling she was on a roll saw her chance at one final victory
“Yes, no more skirt….”