Free Woman by Richard Matheson Page A

need each
other. And, yet, their aims are so divergent that the conflict could prove
irreconcilable.
     
         What then? Revolution?
     
         As a social movement? No.
This runs deeper.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    11:39  A.M.
     
     
     
     
     
    "Idon't know what to think," Liz said.
     
         She and David were sitting
on the living room sofa in their pajamas, having coffee and pastries. On the
radio, a Mozart symphony was playing softly.
     
         "I don't either,"
David admitted. "It's damn strange though. What happened to Val, what
happened to Charlie. I just can't make myself believe this girl had anything to
do with either occurrence. And then to find out that she doesn't live in this
building at all. It's too bizarre."
     
         "It is," Liz agreed. "I keep
thinking of the look on her face. Blind terror."
     
         "Well, that's not
surprising. She is disturbed
in some way we can't possibly evaluate. What happened to your brother and
Charlie probably terrified her."
     
         "I suppose," Liz
said, "what happened to Charlie isn'tthat surprising though, the way he
eats and drinks, his being over-weight. It's what happened to Val that really
disturbs me."
     
         "Have you spoken to him
this morning?"
     
         "He didn't answer his
phone. I left a message." She sighed deeply. "Anyway, let's forget
about what happened. I'd like to talk about the show again. "It would have
been nice if we'd been able to pick up those three Emmys in person."
     
         "I know," he
sympathized. "I'm really sorry about that. You deserved to be there."
     
         "Even though the show
is drivel?" she asked, her voice tightened.
     
         "Let's not go back to
that again," he said.
     
         "I think we should go back to that," Liz
disagreed. "What you don't seem to realize—and never
have— "she cut off his attempted
objection—"is that I am fully aware—as all of us are, that Country Boy is basically designed for
morons. Morons who create a nice healthy rating though. Morons whose votes got
us three damn Emmys."
     
         "I am aware of that, Liz," David said.
"But what you don't seem
to be aware of—or more likely, refuse to admit—is that the premise of the
series is the denigration of women."
     
         "Oh, come on
David," Liz said with a faint smile. "You're making too much of
it."
     
         "Liz, Country Boy constantly makes fools of
women. Really, I'm amazed at the show's ratings considering that a large
proportion of the viewers has to be women."
     
         "David, come on" Liz said. "The show is
childlike. Country Boy is an idiot. If he demeans women, it only reflects on
him, makes him look stupid,
not the women he makes fun of."
     
         David shrugged. "I
still don't understand your acceptance of the show. You of all people."
     
         "It doesn't bother me, David, because I'm above it," she said. "I'm
successful. I make good money. I'm acquiringmore and more influence in the
business. That's enough for me. Who gives a damn what the show's about? I'll
leave it when something better comes along. That's how much I think of Country Boy."
     
         David sighed.
"Okay," he said.
     
         Liz bristled at his tone.
"It's perfectly all right for a man to make money any way he
pleases," she said accusingly. "No one questions that."
     
         "I question it,"
David told her.
     
         "All right, you're an
exception. Congratulations," she said coolly. "The point is—I'm
making it in a chauvinistic world. I think that's pretty damn good."
     
         "Of course it is,"
he said. "You know I'm proud of your accomplishment."
     
         "Then stop hassling
me," she snapped.
     
         He wanted to let it go. But
her attitude disturbed him. "You're talking a lot about chauvinism these
days," he told her.
     
         "Yeah, well there's a
lot of it going around," she said