Free Seasons by Bonnie Hopkins

actual work, but the people here in the department. I don’t know why people are so hard on a woman trying
     to make it up the ladder the right way. But Jaci said there was no way she was giving up. She’s a tough lady, that’s for sure.”
    “You ain’t telling me nothing I don’t know. The only reason she got the investigator position was because of management’s
     fears of gender discrimination lawsuits. The threats weren’t coming from Jaci, but she’s the one who ended up with the job
     because of her qualifications and experience. After getting the position, she received very little support from management.
     And she had to deal with some pretty rough treatment from the men in the department who either wanted the position or felt
     it should have been given to a man.”
    “Was it really that bad?” Gloria asked.
    “Oh man! That lady was programmed for failure in so many ways, it’s a wonder she made it. That’s how she gained my respect.
     I admit, at first I was kind of grudging, too, because I just didn’t think a woman could handle the job. But when I saw her
     hanging tough and refusing to give up, I knew she had to be motivated by something other than just wanting to be the first
     woman to hold the position. I started helping her. I took some heat, but I just couldn’t stand by and watch her struggling
     like that. And when I started helping her, some of the other guys jumped in and helped her, too. It was only later that I
     found out she was a single parent and needed the higher salary.”
    “Oh, Bill, I’m so glad you did that for her. She’s a very caring person and will do anything to help you. Remember when I
     had surgery a few years ago? She would come up here on weekends and bring her daughter to help me keep up with my work so
     Wynola wouldn’t try to replace me. I’ll always be grateful for that. You know, I think that Gilmore guy is interested in her,
     but Jaci won’t cooperate.”
    As they were talking, J.P., who had gotten detained by someone on his way out of the building, was slowly driving out of the
     garage. When he saw them standing there in deep discussion, he pulled over and stopped. The thought occurred to him that these
     two people worked closely with Jaci and perhaps he could pump them for information about her. He got out of the car and walked
     over to them.
    “Hi. I just thought I’d let you all know how much I appreciate all the help you guys give me. It saves me from having to go
     through a lot of hassle for the information.”
    “No problem, glad to be of service,” Bill said.
    Seeing an opportunity for them to play matchmakers, Gloria jumped in with both feet. Giving Bill an eye that said, “follow
     my lead,” she said, “You know, we were just talking about our boss, Ms. Winters. If it weren’t for her we probably wouldn’t
     be able to offer you much help. She’s the one who’s worked and fought hard to get our division to where it is.”
    “Right,” Bill kicked in. “I was just telling Gloria how much I respect and admire Jaci. She’s been our supervisor for several
     years now, and I haven’t regretted a minute of it. Jaci has the division so organized that a punch of a button will give you
     anything you need to know about any building on file. And I gotta tell you, it hasn’t always been that way. Man, I remember
     when it would take us days to locate a file. And then, nine times out of ten, no current information would be in it. But now,
     it had better be in there or somebody’s butt is in serious trouble.”
    “Is that right?” J.P. asked, eagerly taking in everything they were saying. “So, Ms. Winters is something else, huh?” He felt
     like he had hit the jackpot.
    Bill started chuckling. “You better believe it. Needless to say, she’s become an expert at anything to do with the demolition
     process.”
    “How did she end up coordinating these hearings?” J.P. asked.
    “They practically forced it on her,” Bill