<:Company Town (Cover)
By Madeline Ashby>
Company towns brim with their own distinct rhythms, though not always for your benefit. The latest reminder, for me, came during my weekly Tuesday trip to the bank, to withdraw my $200-plus weekly transcription money that helps (just about) tread water at the moment.
Here at this branch, you'll always see a new face, and this Tuesday's no exception. In this case, it's a mid-sized woman with reddish-blond hair, tortoiseshell glasses, close to my six-foot height. "Oh, hi," I tell her. "You must be new. You here to stay, or on loan from another branch?"
"No, just started, so this my second week."
"Well, hello from the rest of us," I said, and handed her my withdrawal slip. "Where are you coming from?"
Her mouth froze into a taut, almost-there smile. "Well, I used to work at SpinStream, as an intellectual property attorney." (Reckoner's Note: In this case, a mystery corporation of international repute that produces all manner of stainless steel dryers, refrigerators and washing machines, among other home appliances.)
"Okay, so what happened, then?"
She walked to the drive-up window, to pull up my account, and get the money out of the drawer. "Well, I was there for almost 10 years. Then I got this notice. They were rolling our department into another one, so I was getting laid off, essentially, and oh, yeah, here's your severance."
She walked back to her booth, and passed out my bills: fup, fup, fup. "Funny thing, though. There were five of us in that department, and we all got that notice. We're all over 50, too. Imagine that."
"Well, you definitely don't look it..."
"Thanks."
i tucked my bills into my wallet. "Well, I know these things are moonshots, but did you check with a lawyer, and figure out your options, if any?"
Her almost-there smile froze back into place. "Oh, yeah, I talked a couple. Nobody takes them on." She paused for effect. "Nobody. And it's not like I can go back, because there's one firm in this town that handles intellectual property, except..."
Now it was my turn to fill in the blank. "It's run by our former mayor, who basically is the firm."
"Exactly." She needed. "But that's okay. I like this job better now, anyway. Less drama."
Really? I wondered. I sure hope so. As of mid-September, she's still here, so time will tell how her experience works out.
But fall I could hear, as I replayed the conversation, over and over in my head, were the sounds of good old boy back slaps, followed by the metallic clink-clink of golf clubs and wine glasses, as yet another sweetheart deal roared to a giddy conclusion, amid the anticipatory thrum of a town power broker's cellphone stirring to life, throbbing with the promise of yet another hustle beckoning over the horizon.
Like I said: company towns hum with their own distinctive rhythms. But not for the better, and never for your benefit. --The Reckoner
Here at this branch, you'll always see a new face, and this Tuesday's no exception. In this case, it's a mid-sized woman with reddish-blond hair, tortoiseshell glasses, close to my six-foot height. "Oh, hi," I tell her. "You must be new. You here to stay, or on loan from another branch?"
"No, just started, so this my second week."
"Well, hello from the rest of us," I said, and handed her my withdrawal slip. "Where are you coming from?"
Her mouth froze into a taut, almost-there smile. "Well, I used to work at SpinStream, as an intellectual property attorney." (Reckoner's Note: In this case, a mystery corporation of international repute that produces all manner of stainless steel dryers, refrigerators and washing machines, among other home appliances.)
"Okay, so what happened, then?"
She walked to the drive-up window, to pull up my account, and get the money out of the drawer. "Well, I was there for almost 10 years. Then I got this notice. They were rolling our department into another one, so I was getting laid off, essentially, and oh, yeah, here's your severance."
She walked back to her booth, and passed out my bills: fup, fup, fup. "Funny thing, though. There were five of us in that department, and we all got that notice. We're all over 50, too. Imagine that."
"Well, you definitely don't look it..."
"Thanks."
i tucked my bills into my wallet. "Well, I know these things are moonshots, but did you check with a lawyer, and figure out your options, if any?"
Her almost-there smile froze back into place. "Oh, yeah, I talked a couple. Nobody takes them on." She paused for effect. "Nobody. And it's not like I can go back, because there's one firm in this town that handles intellectual property, except..."
Now it was my turn to fill in the blank. "It's run by our former mayor, who basically is the firm."
"Exactly." She needed. "But that's okay. I like this job better now, anyway. Less drama."
Really? I wondered. I sure hope so. As of mid-September, she's still here, so time will tell how her experience works out.
But fall I could hear, as I replayed the conversation, over and over in my head, were the sounds of good old boy back slaps, followed by the metallic clink-clink of golf clubs and wine glasses, as yet another sweetheart deal roared to a giddy conclusion, amid the anticipatory thrum of a town power broker's cellphone stirring to life, throbbing with the promise of yet another hustle beckoning over the horizon.
Like I said: company towns hum with their own distinctive rhythms. But not for the better, and never for your benefit. --The Reckoner
Links To Go (Hurry, Hurry,
Before Pullman's Ghost Eats Your Soul....
...Just Kidding, Boys 'n' Girls)
ARS Technicia: You Want Some Weird Futurism?
Start Reading Company Town:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/06/company-town-is-one-of-the-weirdest-science-fiction-novels-of-the-summer/
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/06/company-town-is-one-of-the-weirdest-science-fiction-novels-of-the-summer/
Thanks for the book recommendation. My library has it as an ebook and I am downloading it right this moment. I really enjoy reading your blog. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! As you can see, our angle here is a bit different -- politically-driven, yeah, but from a strongly personal standpoint, one of many lessons I learned from punk, postpunk and Two-Tone -- think how many songs from that era take that approach. As opposed to chasing the headline of the day, for instance. Keep on dropping round the neighborhood, and thanks for checking in. --The Reckoner
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