The first day of the new policy

You wake up far before your alarm with the feeling of having had the most peculiar dream. A wave of regret washes over you, as you realise that none of the things you imagined will actually happen. Still maintaining the dreamy hope of it all being real you reach for your phone to check the work email. And then you wake up properly.

Although you have plenty of time, jogging or even breakfast are out of the question this morning. You manage a cup of coffee and spend far too much time getting makeup on (which you usually forgo entirely but use a moderate amount now) and dressing in your favourite pants suit. You obviously see the irony of taking the extra effort with your clothes today, but you cannot help it. You want to look your very best before... Well, before you probably won't look impressive at all.

You often walk but today you take the bus instead; the trip is so mundane that you really cannot imagine you will be stripping in front of your colleagues so very soon. Suddenly on a whim you wipe the Rulebook out of your bag. Last test before the really big step... And a tiny bit of fun, you suppose.

"Old Rule: when a woman over 18 leaves public transport, the driver or other staff can grope or squeeze her breasts and buttocks."

You tuck the Rulebook away safely as the bus rolls up to the stop before yours. Only two women exit, but you watch them sharply. One is on her own, the other with (presumably) her husband. Sure enough, the male driver reaches out to each, in both cases getting a feel of the boob closest to him. He only gets polite thanks (including from the husband) in return. You are relieved... and at the same time terrified. This will actually happen, unless you change something... Or just remove the rules and stop your tampering.

Before you make up your mind on anything, however, the bus stops again and this time it is your turn to get out. This time you are the only one and the driver does not miss you, giving your pants-covered bottom a good squeeze. You thank him (for the ride, of course, not for the grope) and head into the familiar lobby. The tension is much more detectable now and every woman known to be eligible is greeted overly politely and with clear undertones by colleagues and acquaintances. Your heart is positively jumping out of your chest as you ride the elevator up towards your office... And your humiliation.

You came early because you were hoping not to walk into a space full of expectant subordinates, but that is exactly what happens. There is an uneven chorus of greetings to which you manage to reply with a fairly audible "Hello, everyone". Everyone else was in even earlier, also obviously thrilled about the change... No. More than just everyone. There are three new faces… no, make that four. Two of them are vaguely familiar, you are quite certain both are in the same department, while the other two are complete strangers. Perhaps HR sent someone along?

Before you can find out, the mystery of the two more familiar arrivals solves itself. "Hi, Ms Cho, I'm Neha and this is Craig", the Indian-looking woman among them says. "We're from Sylvia's... I mean Ms Dane's team, Ms Dane has quit... apparently." "She is the only one as far as I know", adds Craig, smiling at you politely, at least in our department. "So apparently the easiest response was to us all separated into different teams". This makes sense, you suppose. "Nice to meet you both, we'll talk about your current projects... soon", you say and turn to the other two, also a woman (a young one too, wearing a headscarf) and a man (in this thirties at a guess). They look at one another, each inviting the other to go first, and then speak in unison anyway.

"I am new here", they both say. "I understand though I also want meant to be in a different team and have been introduced to Ms Dane. I'm James", continues the man. "Yes, it seems there has been a reform or something? And I'm Zarine", adds the girl. You greet them both and introduce yourself before saying there indeed is a reform... And the said reform, in fact, is what you will attend to first.