Goldilocks

by L.R. Lam

It hadn’t happened in a moment, but a series of moments, as slow and insidious as the melting of the ice caps. Women had been ushered out of the workplace, so subtly that few noticed until it was too late.

There had been no grand lowering of an iron curtain, with passports voided and bank accounts emptied. There had been a few men in sharp suits quoting scripture with silver tongues, but it was cursory, just enough to wrangle part of the Christian vote. Really, they were afraid of women. Or hated them. Wasn’t that much the same thing? The country saw those angry men as a fringe movement right up until one was elected president.

For her own safety, so the men in power claimed, as piece by piece they eroded women’s abilities to feel safe.

Her ears and neck were bare of jewels. She never saw the need to condense her wealth into hard rocks of carbon. She made rockets instead.

“This is your first big setback. How are you going to react to it? That’s what’ll show your mettle. Not the failure, but what you do next.”

“Success will never be linear. Success is illusive, it’s a mirage. What you learn, what you do, how you react—that’s what matters.

Don’t be afraid of your rage. It doesn’t have to be weakness. It’ll make you do anything. Get angry. Channel it.”