Thy Name Is Woman

by Bryce Walton

of here.Maybe I'm not a conformist, but I'm damn human!"

  She backed away. "But--but what do you mean?"

  He got up and put the flat of his hands cupping her shoulder blades. Hereyes stared wildly, and her lips were wet and she was breathing heavily.He could see the vein pulsing faster in her slim throat. She had anexciting body.

  He saw it then, the new slow smile that crept across her face. His lefthand squirmed at the thick piled hair on her shoulders and he tugged andher face tilted further and he looked at the parted pouting lips. Thepalm of his right hand brushed her jaw and his fingers took her cheeksand brought her face over and he spread his mouth hard over her mouth.Her lips begged. Hammers started banging away in his stomach.

  Music from the screen was playing a crescendo into his pulse. Theyswayed together to the music, her head thrown back, her eyes closed. Shestepped back, dropped her arms limply at her sides. There was the cleansweet odor of her hair.

  "I'd better go now," she whispered. "Before I do something that wouldresult in my not being President anymore."

  * * * * *

  He wiped his face. Don't beg, he thought. The devil with her and therest. A man could lose everything, all the women, not one, but all ofthem. He could live alone, a thousand miles from nowhere, at the NorthPole like Amundsen, and it didn't matter. He could be killed pleasantlyor unpleasantly, that didn't matter either. All that mattered was thathe maintain some dignity, as a man.

  He stood there, not saying anything. He managed to grin. Finally hesaid, "Goodbye, and may your husband never say a harsh word to you or doanything objectionable as long as you both shall live, and may he loveyou every hour of every day, and may he drop dead."

  She moved in again, put her arms around him. There were tears in hereyes. She placed her cheek on his shoulder. "I love you," she whispered."I know that now."

  He felt a little helpless. Tears, what could you do with a woman'stears?

  She sobbed softly, talking brokenly. Maybe not to him, but to someone,somewhere. A memory, a shadow out of a long time back....

  "Maybe it's ... it's all a mistake after all ... maybe it is. I've neverbeen too sure, not for a while now. And then you--the way you talked andlooked--the excitement. I don't know why. But the touch of yourbeard--your voice. I don't know what happened. We've carried it toextremes, extremes, Eddie. It was always this way with us--once we weresure of our man, and even before, when he was blinded by new love, wetried to make him over, closer to _our_ idea of what was right. But nowI know something ... those faults and imperfections, most of them weremen's, the real men's chief attractions. Individuality, that's thething, Eddie, that's it after all. And it's imperfections too, maybemore than anything else. Imperfections.... Oh, Eddie, you're close, muchcloser to human nature, to real vitality, through _your_ imperfections.Not imperfections. Eddie--your beard is beautiful, your dirt is lovely,your yelling insults are wonderful--and...."

  She stopped a minute. Her hands ran through his hair. "When you get aman made over, he's never very nice after that, Eddie. Never--"

  She sobbed, pulled his lips down. "Eddie--I can't let them kill you."

  "Forget it," he said. "No one can do anything. Don't get yourself in ajam. You'll forget this in a little while. There's nothing here for aguy like me, and I'm not for you."

  She stepped way, her hands still on his shoulders. "No--I didn't meanthat. I've got to go on living in the world I helped make, among the menwe all decided we would always want. I've got to do that. Listen, Eddie,how did you intend to get back to Earth?"

  He told her.

  "Then it's just a matter of getting back aboard that same ship, and intothis secret room unobserved?"

  "That's all, Gloria. That and keep from being exterminated first."

  "I can get you out of here. We'll have to do it right now. Take thatbeard off, and get that hair smoothed down somehow. I hate to see ithappen, but I've got to get you out of here, and the only way to do itis for you to be like one of the men here."

  He went to work on his face and hair. She went out and returned with asuit like the other men wore. He got into it. She smiled at him, ahesitant and very soft smile, and she kissed him before they left theroom and cautiously went out of the City.

  * * * * *

  The way was clear across the moonlit field and under the deep darkshadow of the ship. He kissed her and then took hold of the ladder. Sheslipped a notebook of velonex, full of micro-film, into his hands."Goodbye, Eddie," she said. "Take this with you. It may give you mendown there a way out. I never thought much before of how mad it must befor you."

  He took the folder. He looked up at the double moons painting the nighta fantastic shifting wave of changing light. And then he looked down atGloria Munsel again, at the glinting shine of her hair.

  "Goodbye," he said. "I might stay after all--except that a lot of men onEarth are waiting for me to tell them something. They'll be surprised.I--" He hesitated. Her eyes widened. Warmth of emotion moved him and hesaid, or started to say, "I love you," and many other things, but sheinterrupted him.

  "Don't please, Eddie. Anything you said now would sound just like whatmy devoted husband says, every day. I'd rather you wouldn't say anythingat all now, Eddie, just goodbye."

  "Goodbye then," he said again.

  He looked back from the opened door in the ship's cargo bin. Her facewas shining up at him, her lips slightly parted, her cheeks wet. It wasa picture he would never be able to forget, even if he wanted to.

  "When you forget to shave in the mornings, Eddie, think of me."

  * * * * *

  Bowren stood up and addressed the investigation committee which had senthim to Mars. He hadn't made any statements at all up to this moment. Theten members of the Committee sat there behind the half-moon table. Noneof them moved. Their faces were anxious. Some of them were perspiring.

  Eddie told them what he had seen, what he had heard, his own impressionsabout the whole thing, about his escape. He left out certain personaldetails that were, to him, unnecessary to this particular report.

  The Committee sat there a while, then started to talk. They talked atonce for a while, then the Chairman rapped for order and stood up. Hisface had an odd twist to it, and his bald head was pocked withperspiration.

  Eddie Bowren took the book of micro-film from under his arm, the oneGloria Munsel had given him. He put it on the table. "That has beenthoroughly checked by scientists, and their report is included. Ithought it surely was a false report, until they checked it. The firstpage there gives a brief outline of what the micro-film contains."

  The Chairman read, then looked up. He coughed. He mopped at his head.

  Eddie said. "As I saw it up there, this is the way it's going to stay.We'll never get into space, not without using the methods that were usedwith me. And they're too destructive. I've been examined. I could nevergo through it again and live. And that's the only way Earth men can everget into space. The women aren't coming back to us. They have husbandsof their own now. Believe me, those women aren't going to leave theirperfect husbands. They've set up a completely feminine culture. It'stheirs, all theirs. They'll never give it up to return to a masculineworld, and that's what Earth will always be to them. There are only afew women left on Earth, and they're of such subnormal intelligence asto be only a menace to any possible future progeny. Our birthrate hasstopped. We are living under extremely abnormal circumstances withoutwomen. I have, as I said before, but one recommendation to thisCommittee, and you take it for what it's worth. I personally don'tcare--much--and that isn't important either."

  "What is your recommendation, Bowren?"

  "I assure you that the formulas in that book will work for us, Mr.Chairman. Will you accept the reports of the scientists who investigatedthose formulas?"

  "I will," the Chairman said hoarsely. "I'll accept it. Why not--?"

  Bowren grinned thinly at the ten men. "There's the
secret of doing whatthe women have done. It'll work for us too. Our only chance for survivalis to follow their procedure. We've got to start turning at least apercentage of ourselves into women."

  One man leaned forward and put his head on his arms. The others satthere, in a kind of stunned numb attitude, their eyes drifting vaguely.

  The Chairman coughed and looked around the silent hall, and at the otherten men in it.

  "Any volunteers?" he whispered.