The Read the Story
Original 2023 Story
This was one of my first posts it a tale of the vulnerable taking power back from the powerful.
I want to share a tale of how real power structures rise out of nowhere and that money and influence doesn’t always win over intelligence.
It’s a yarn that takes place near the West Coast about 150 years ago, a tale of two towns, there is nothing spectacular about these two towns except that a railroad exactly bisected both towns. This rail line ran East to West and as a person came into the towns one would be on their Left-hand side and the other on their Right, the towns became known as Left rail and Right rail.
Of the two neither was very diverse the left side proclaimed that it supported the rights of all humans’ beings but rarely expressed it, Woman had the smallest of say in town Government, and though there was always talk of expanding rights to even allowing women to vote in the local elections something always more important came up for the Town council.
Contrast that with Right Rail, which was a heavily bible centric community, guns where everywhere a male child was shown how to fire a pistol at age 5 girls were taught to cook and sew and do “womanly things” Women were subjugated, confined to be home makers chosen by God to bear the heirs of men with no voice in the “men talk”
Aside from their differences in diversity both towns were textbook capitalist each trying to outdo the others building saloons, and casinos and on the right-side brothels, both economies were dependent on the railroad, without the rail road both towns would shiver and die, they competed for whoever could bring in the most supplies and people and plotted in secret deals against each other. The railroad was the life blood of both towns.
Every Friday Night the Town leaders gathered in a watering hole playing poker and discussing how one outsmarted the other, they called this saloon the DMZ for no apparent reason other than it sounded important
One day a middle-aged lady walks in, she had just come off the train, elegantly dressed , immaculate hair and makeup perfect but wearing a Jean Jacket and pants, had she been a resident of Right Rail the local sheriff would be called but this was a stranger and the men showed some uncharacteristic restraint , she walks up to the men who greet her misogynistically “hey honey how about coming home with me tonight”, she looks sternly at the unkept Right Rail Man .
Ah you are playing poker deal me in.
The men look stunned never has a women intruded on their game this way, One of the Left railers stood and said this is a Gentleman’s game it’s not for women, another man proclaimed with a gesture that reminded her of a great ape pounding its chest.
Don’t you have some housework to do your husband is not going to like it when he comes home and sees a stack of unwashed dishes?
One of the men the mayor of Left Rail now curious about just who this stranger is says in a less disrespectful tone, just who are you anyway?
She looked at him and the others, well boys I just brought that railroad over there
There is dead silence
