We pivot to a new character with a new story.

Jacob clicked off the news, and tossed the remote to the side in disgust. A scowl twisted his face, and he ran his hands through his hair in frustration. The desperation of Lona, and the stammering of Chet drove him up a wall. "Fuck this world, and fuck this culture. I'm not some simpering idiot in need of babying. I'm a capable man. Even if woman are better in every way, that doesn't mean I'm useless, or made of glass." He snapped up to his feet, and furiously strode to his workout room. Flipping the light on revealed a set of weights, and a wooden pillar to act as a punching bag. Jacob dropped into a fighting stance, and breathed deeply.

SMACK! SMACK! BAM! He sent out two swift jabs, followed by a brutal hook. But, the pillar was untouched, and that only incensed him more. He knew that if a woman, even one who doesn't ever work out were do repeat those strikes, there would be clear markings. And so, he kept beating on the wooden pillar until his knuckles bled, and his arms trembled. As sweat dripped down his body, he staggered to the wall, and sat, leaning against it. His breaths were ragged, but they quickly evened out. With his rage spent, Jacob could only grin wryly at how stupid and prideful he was being. He was comparing himself to a woman, when there is no comparison, on any real level. "Why'd you encourage me to chase self reliance, when you knew I could never reach it? Mom, why'd you encourage me to learn martial arts, and chase a college degree when you knew that they would never be enough? Why'd you set me up for misery, mom?"

Eventually, the sweat running into his bloodied hands moved Jacob to get a shower. As he left the room, he grabbed a roll of medical tape and gauze. Once in the shower, with steaming hot water, Jacob washed his hands very carefully, making sure to clean the wound fully, and then rinse all the soap out. "Another skill I really don't need. First aid. I could walk into any hospital I want right now, and get these treated for basically free, while also getting a much higher quality of care. God I'm stubborn."

With his shower complete, he carefully put a layer of gauze on his hands, before wrapping them in tape. Once he fell onto the bed, he slept the sleep of the truly exhausted.

XXXXXX

When he awoke, the first thing he did was replace the gauze. That done, he quickly prepared a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, pancakes and orange juice, and his mandated supplement. As he was eating his meal, the news was playing in the background. It was some story about how women need to elevate men to an even higher standard. Jacob could only shake his head at the ridiculous situation. After cleaning his dishes, and loading the dishwasher, Jacob stood at his apartment door, and braced himself for the world outside. His bandaged hands were firmly jammed into his pockets of his uniform, as the wrappings would draw far to much attention. After taking a deep breath, he opened his door, and faced the gauntlet of the outside world.

The air was cool and crisp in the very early morning. Most of his neighbors were asleep at this time of day, as the sun had only just risen. After locking his door, Jacob began the walk down the concrete hallway, and past the 10 foot tall doors. "Even after all this time, the damn doors still make me feel like a child." Fortunately, he was able to walk to his modified pickup truck unmolested. He climbed the ladder to the driver side door, and began the long drive to the nearby state park. The roads were mostly clear, and his heavily tinted windows kept out the gazes of women who would stick their noses where they didn't belong.

Morning had fully established itself when he arrived at the ranger station of St. Williams River national park. Jacob took a deep breath, then hopped out of his truck, ignoring the ladder on the way down. Out here, where his oddities were, if not liked, at least tolerated, he let his gauze-wrapped hands hang freely by his side. As he pushed open the door the building, a bell rang, and the receptionist looked up from her desk. Seeing his hands, she shook her head in exasperation. "Really Jacob? Again? This is the forth time this month. How long are you going to keep living like this? One of these days, you're going to get yourself hurt, and badly."

Jacob just out a weary sigh, and brushed off her complaints. "Mary, how many times have we had this conversation? You know that I'm not the type of guy that will fit in nicely, no matter where I am, or who I'm with. I mean seriously, I a man that cooks, cleans, exercises, and has a job that exposes me to a degree of danger. There's no way in hell a normal woman could accept that. She'd do everything she could to baby me, and 'protect' me, when all she'd end up doing is pissing me off. Not to mention that I have really low sperm count, so I probably wont even be able to give her the children she wants. You and I both know that I can't have a normal relationship."

Hearing the same points repeated once again, Mary could give a wry grin. Both of them knew that any further discussion would go nowhere, so she switched topics. "What was it this time, anyway? I'm guessing Lona was being way to coddling. Divines, even I find her kinda pathetic, and I'm a woman."

Jacob let out a short bark of laughter, and answered her with a smile on his face. "Yeah, that's what started it. Divines, I'm kinda surprised she even let him speak at all, considering there's a risk of him biting his tongue every time he opens his mouth. After I got wound up from her, I tried to take out my frustrations on my punching pillar, but I ended up comparing myself to a woman, and from there it was just a spiral of self pity. Anyways, what route am I on?"

"Why am I not surprised? One of these days, I'm going to get you drunk enough that you finally start sharing your past with me. Your on the green trail, by the way."