Regiment of Women by Thomas Berger Read Free Book Online

Nature, or in the history of the human race before the second half of the twentieth century supports the theory that women are superior to men. Again I’m talking about real history, as opposed to the lies we were force-fed in school.”
    Cornell shook his head. “I just can’t accept that a whole educational system could be completely wrong. I mean, it might be biased somewhat, but how could they lie about everything?”
    As suddenly as he had become abstractly belligerent, Charlie deflated. “Ah, hell,” he said. “I’m no militant. Too old, too tired, too scared. I begin to burn if I have a few drinks and think about the situation, but I wouldn’t have the guts to join the underground and do something about it”
    â€œIs there really an actual underground? I’ve heard that but never quite believed it.”
    â€œHaven’t you ever seen any of their literature?” said Charlie. “They leave it around men’s rooms and dressing rooms in stores. You sure never see anybody passing it out. You know the punishment.”
    â€œCastration, allegedly,” said Cornell. “But you never hear of anybody being arrested. If they really exist, they must be pretty careful.”
    Charlie shook his head. “The female Establishment suppresses that stuff, Georgie. They don’t want to give publicity to such a movement. You might think it would be a deterrent to advertise the capture and emasculation of a rebel, but they don’t want the public, especially the male part, to know there’s even such a thing in existence.” Charlie rose, heavily. “And maybe there isn’t, in any organized form. Maybe just some little crank with a mimeograph machine in an attic somewhere. The System’s still here, anyway.”
    Cornell chimed in amiably: “Here before us and it will be here long after we are gone. You can’t fight Nature, Charlie: it made us men and we are stuck with it.” Yet here they were, wearing unnatural attire. Well, nobody expected logic from a boy.
    Charlie unzipped one of the sofa-cushion covers and took out the large manila envelope containing his filthy pictures.
    â€œHere’s your favorite, Georgie,” he said, handing Cornell the photograph of the woman giving suck to a baby.
    It had lost its excitement for Cornell. It seemed routine tonight, not shocking nor disgusting. Perhaps he had looked at it too often. But then it occurred to him for the first time that the picture might well be bogus.
    â€œYou know,” he said, “this could easily be a fellow. There’s nothing feminine about it, after all.”
    â€œIt’s an old picture, Georgie. It’s authentic, all right Breastfeeding really happened in the time when women reproduced.”
    â€œWhy did you get me over here tonight? You said you had an idea.”
    â€œSo I have, Georgie.” Charlie padded back to the sofa in his sneakers and sat down. “It’s your new job. You’ll have access to all the guys at work, in the only place where we get any privacy.”
    He reached into the envelope and came out with another photograph, an eight-by-ten glossy this time, and held it face forward at Cornell. It showed two naked persons, one supine with spread legs between which another, prone, was contained.
    Disingenuously Cornell asked, “Wrestlers?”
    Charlie ignored this. “I’ve got a source for all the prints I want.” He grinned.
    â€œSo?”
    â€œYou’re being pretty dense, Georgie. You’ll have a market for these in the men’s room.” He misinterpreted Cornell’s frown, got up, and came over, his thick forefinger on the picture. “This is a man on top. His penis is inside this woman’s vagina.”
    â€œBut the one on the bottom has long hair, and the one on top has a crewcut,” Cornell said. “And you can’t see anything between them. It’s all