Equal Opportunities
M A Davis / Miko

        Mr. Saotome, president and founder of Saotech Inc., stood on
the seventy-ninth floor of his own office building and gazed out
the window at the sprawling metropolis that was modern Tokyo.

        "Even today, Japan lags behind the West in terms of equality,"
he said.  "I've known this since early in my career, and that's why
I've always given women in my organization the benefit of equal
opportunity and equal pay."

        On the other side of a massive desk of polished oak, a well-
dressed woman sat, handcomp in her lap, taking notes.  A video
recorder, which she'd set up earlier, perched on a tripod nearby,
humming away.

        "That's one of the reasons I wanted to write this book," the
woman said.  "You're not just Japan's most successful billionaire,
you're also a man of vision who thwarts tradition at every turn.
Placing your entire company in the hands of a woman -- I mean,
even in twenty-first century Japan, it's just not done.  In Europe or
America, yes, but not here."

        The billionaire turned and smiled.  He poured two cups of tea,
offering one to the woman, who accepted it gratefully.

        "Well," he said, sipping his tea, "I'm not one for the public eye
these days, and Nabiki is as qualified to run this company as I am.
Or do you disagree?"

        "No, no.  She does an excellent job."

        Mr. Saotome turned again, whether to stare out at the city or
at his own faint reflection in the glass, it was hard to tell.

         "I have a unique perspective on women," he said.  "They are
every bit as capable as men.  What keeps them out of positions of
power in our country is simple prejudice.  Changing that is an
uphill battle.  If more men could experience what I experience
every day, things would change more quickly."

        The reporter frowned.  "I know what you told me yesterday,"
she said, "but it's very hard to believe.  Do you really change into a
woman, then?"

        "Everything I told you yesterday is true," he replied, "as you'll
see in a moment.  Until now I've hid my past from the public.
Your book will be the first to tell the truth."

        "It's going to shock people," the woman said.  "You realize
that, don't you?"

        The president laughed.  "Believe me, I'm well aware of the
sensation it'll cause.  But that's a good thing.  I expect this to be a
best seller, and I expect it to help change the attitudes of our
people regarding women in the workplace.

        "Now," he said, "allow me to continue where I left off
yesterday.  In 1998, we visited Jusenkyo one last time, looking for
that elusive cure.  Really, you have no idea what it's like, swapping
genders more easily than you swap clothing, and being paranoid of
water itself.  Even then, before I truly understood the ramifications
of the curse, it made sense to remove it.  But while in Jusenkyo, I
had a revelation.  I came to see the curse more as an opportunity
than something to avoid."

        "Is that when you established your false identity?"

        "Yes," the man said, nodding.  "When I chose to live with this
curse, we returned to Japan, and the first thing I did was establish
separate identities for my male and female selves.  Otherwise, my
life might have become a sideshow spectacle.  'Ranko Tendo' had
always been the counterpart to 'Ranma Saotome', so I followed that
pattern when I created my alternate self.  When female, I'm a
Tendo daughter; the rest of the time, I'm a Saotome son."

        He raised his tea cup.  "Cold water brings on the curse," the
man said.  "Hot water, on the other hand, restores one's true form."

        He poured the tea onto his head.  As the water ran down his
face and back, he began to shrink.  In a moment, he transformed
from the imposing business tycoon everyone knew into someone
smaller, more delicate, and obviously female.  However, the
famous steely Saotome glare, known to the many who had
matched wits with him and failed, could still be seen in this new
person's eyes.

        The reporter stared, open-mouthed.  "I can hardly believe it,"
she said.  "Does anyone else know?"

        "My family," the woman said.  "My closest business
associates.  No one else, yet."

        "Hot water?" the woman asked.  "Then you're not really...."

        "No," Nabiki Tendo said.  "I'm not."

FINI

Miko!

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather a scornful tone, "it
means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many
different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master -- that's
all."

(Lewis Carroll, Through The Looking-Glass)

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