Season 2, Episode 4: The Hard Body

"Hey Erica, it's good to see you again! But what's the occasion?" I said as I hugged her outside of the restaurant.

"My news isn't great, unfortunately. It's about Jim."

"Oh no. Did he take a turn for the worse?"

"Yeah. The treatments just aren't working and they want to put him in palliative care."

"Ugh. That's terrible news. I'm really sorry."

We got a table, and she continued.

"I had to call the kids in. The whole family is at the house. I needed to escape for a little while. I don't think I'm handling it like I was hoping I could."

"Erica, it's not like there's some perfect way to handle your spouse dying on you. Come on."

"But I need to be stronger. So much is going to be on my shoulders and I'm not prepared for it."

"I don't think i understand. Jim has you taken care of, right? There's money and... whatever? Y'all have attorneys out the wazoo to handle everything..."

"Yeah, but who handles the attorneys?"

"Isn't that going to be Michael's job? He's the new CEO of the company, isn't he?"

Michael was Jim and Erica's oldest son. He was the only one of their kids that I knew. Super impressive guy.

"Yes, but Jim insisted that I be the chair of the board. I don't know how to do that!"

"You've been on that board for 30 years. I think you can handle it."

“I just… I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this without him. Everything feels like it’s falling apart.

“You won’t be alone. You’ve got Michael, the other kids, your family. They’ll carry you through this.”

“But what if that’s not enough? What if I need… someone who really knows me?”

“Erica… you’ve got people who love you. And you’re stronger than you think. You always have been.”

“Yeah. Maybe. But all my life I've been strong because somebody was there to tell me what the score was and to help with the big decisions. My mom, then Jim. Now it's... supposed to be me? Oscar, I don't know how to run a family. Or a company.”

“I’m here if you need to talk. Always. But I’m not the guy who’s going to fix this for you. That’s not fair to Jim. Or to you. You've got to see this as a chance to grow, to get stronger. To flex. And it's painful. No question about it. But you have everything you need. You should do the best you can to let Jim know he's loved, be there for the kids, but then take the time to grieve when he goes. Nobody is going to fault you for hibernating a little."

"I don't know how to hibernate, Oscar."

"Neither do I. You don't have to listen to anything I'm saying, Erica. I am talking absolutely out of my ass. But I'm happy to listen."

She smiled. It was a thanks-for-nothing smile, but it was gorgeous anyway.

Lunch came. Mostly we ate in silence. But she had more to say, and I listened as sympathetically as I could. I was surprised at how Jim's worsening condition was affecting her. She'd always been so confident, so radiant - or at least that's how I remembered her.

But now? It was like she'd lost her footing. It felt like she was begging me to step in for Jim. To take over.

I couldn't even process that.

It's not like I could play Alpha for Erica - I hardly knew anything about her life, her relationships, or her family. But even if I could take all that on, my own chaos aside, the resistance Erica's family would have to some guy from her past jumping in to take over for the not-even-cold pater familias would - and should - be ferocious.

So I walked her to her car and gave her a warm, but platonic, hug.

And then I watched her drive off.

What the hell am I doing? I thought.

------------------------------------

"So, I've got some bad news."

"Jeez. You too?"

Katie looked at me, a confused expression on her face.

"Never mind," I said. "What's your bad news?"

"My company debit card isn't working. On top of the Uber account not working."

"So that's it then, huh? Are you out of a job?"

"Well, my boss says this will all be taken care of by the end of the week. So for now, I've still got a job."

"I don't know, sis," said Amber. "If I were you, I'd quit."

"Amber, I can't quit. I don't even know how."

"Oh, I do," I said. "You simply stop doing your job. Don't answer your emails."

"You know it doesn't really work like that for a Factory Girl, Oscar."

"Yeah, I get that, but on the other hand they aren't providing you with transportation and they aren't paying your expenses, not to mention they aren't paying for your room and board, so it's more like you physically can't do your job much less a question of you choosing not to."

Katie didn't have much to say to that.

Amber hobbled over and gave her a hug.

"Well, one thing we can do, if I'm not going to be able to pay my way around here, is I'll exchange bodies with Amber so she can get around a little better."

"Really, Katie? I don't need to..."

"No, it's fine. Maybe what I'll do is just work remotely, and I can do that in your body."

"What do you think, Oscar? I mean, I'm OK in this body."

"No you aren't," said Katie. "You're still a cripple. I can't stand looking at you."

"Oh my God! SO mean."

I just chuckled. Katie's assholery is boundless.

"The thing is," I said to Katie, "if you're in Amber's body, all you can do is remote work. You can't walk to the bus station and get rides to the jobsites and all of that. So if they start hassling you about that you can just say it's the best you can do."

"Oh, I'll get in trouble if I do that."

"What are they gonna do to you? Hell, tell them to call me if they have a problem."

"Well... yeah, OK. I guess that's what we'll do."

So Amber struggled over to her closet to put on something Katie could look professional in if she had to do Zoom calls, and when she made it back out I made the switch, and...

"Well? How's it feel to be a cripple, Katie?"

"Come on, Amber. That's not nice."

Katie didn't say anything. She just had a look of terror on her face and started crying.

"Oh, wow. I've never seen her cry before," said Amber. "Is she OK?"

"Katie, are you OK?" I asked

"Ummm... ummm... OK. Take it off."

"Your head?"

"YES! TAKE IT OFF!"

"Wait, hang on a second. Why?"

"TAKE IT OFF! TAKE IT OFF!"

"I think maybe take it off," said Amber.

So I did, and I switched them back.

"This better be good," said Amber, newly ensconced in her old body.

"I can't do that," said Katie.

"Why not?" I asked her. "Does her back hurt you?"

"It's not her back. That body is... not me. It's entirely too weird."

"Like, whatever," said Amber. I could tell she was pissed.

"Look," Katie said. "Just let me do a reset. She can do all of her stuff in my body. She'll probably do it better anyway."

That didn't make Amber any happier.

So I told Katie to send her boss an email letting him know that she was getting shut down because her host hadn't received payment for her housing and that he could direct all inquiries to me at my phone number and email address.

Amber's eyes got big and she asked if that was a good idea. I smiled at her and nodded. Katie agreed, sent the email and then motioned for me to do the deed.

So off came her head. And I looked at Amber.

"Well?" I asked. "Which body do you want?"

"Put me in that one. You can take me shopping this afternoon!"

I really didn't have time for a shopping trip, but I said "sure," and Amber got to stay in Katie's body the rest of that day and night.

She definitely had a bit of a jagged edge to her, but Amber had said she was nicer in Katie's body than Katie was, and that was true. I found the difference fascinating.

Amber didn't, though. Not really.

"I don't think I like myself in this body," she said. "Do you think I'll be like this in my new one?"

"I told them we want you as close to the original as possible," I said. "So we'll see."

Then she asked me what the bargain was that I'd made with Z Company to get her that new body. I wouldn't tell her, and she didn't like that at all.

"Don't you think I have a right to know? I think it's pretty lousy that you'd keep me in the dark."

"Well, I think I agree with you."

"What's that?"

"I like you better in your old body than in this one."

The next day I got a call from a guy named Bernie Stine from Skyline Ventures, which after a moment I realized was Katie's company.

"You've got something that belongs to us," he said.

"What's that?"

"It's a Z Company Series 17 Factory Girl. Pretty sure you knew that."

"Right, OK. You mean Katie."

"Kathryn."

I laughed.

"I'm calling to arrange shipping so we can get her back to Dallas."

"What are you gonna do with her?"

"That isn't your business," he said.

"Seems like it is, though," I said, "seeing as though I'm looking at about a forty-five hundred dollar receivable here for housing and expenses and haven't gotten paid for it. Get that settled, and you're right - it's not my business anymore."

Stine didn't have much to say to that.

"Don't tell me you don't have forty-five hundred dollars," I said.

"I'll have to get back to you."