The old man started off with a statement, to see where the five women stood.
"Your CWS organization is protesting against the Pussy Kat Klub because it's degrading to women."
He got a bunch of "yes" and "yes, that's correct" responses from them. So that's where they stood. But not for long.
"But it's not degrading to women."
The five members of the CWS looked confused. "How do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.
"You would all agree that women are prettier than men, wouldn't you?"
"Yes," they said in unison, being forced to say that because he asked a question.
"Women have softer, more attractive bodies than men. Isn't that right?"
"Yes."
"So if women were born to be attractive, then it's not wrong to show off their bodies. Correct?"
"Yes." The logic was inescapable.
"But that's what the dancers at the Pussy Kat Klub are doing. They're showing off their sexy bodies. They're women, so it's not wrong for them to show themselves off."
"But ..." Elizabeth began to say. "... they're doing it for money. That's like prostitution. Like slavery. You can't buy a woman for her body."
"Of course you can," the old man said.
Elizabeth, even in her trance, was at a loss for words. She was really fighting him on what he was saying. Time to reinforce their new beliefs.
"If it's natural for women to show off their bodies, then there's nothing wrong with making money off of that. They're just using their natural talents. Isn't that right?"
"Y-yes," they said, sounding hesitant. It was against what they believed.
The old man decided to go a different way. "The dancers at the club need that money. They need that job. By protesting the club, you're putting their jobs in jeopardy. You should be helping them, not hurting them. They are women, like yourselves. Right?"
"Yes."
"They're like you. They want to work to make money. But if you get the club shut down, they'll lose their job. You want to help them keep their job. Isn't that right?"
"Yes," they said.
"And as you know, the dancers aren't being taken advantage by men."
They seemed confused again, and again it was Elizabeth who spoke up. "How so? I agree that the dancers' jobs are important to them." She said dancers, not strippers, the old man noted with a smile. "But how can you say that they're not being taken advantage of? Their bodies are basically being used as sexual playthings."
"Yes, but the men are paying to see them dance. And the better 'show' that the dancers put on, the more money they get. So it's actually the women who are taking advantage of the men, by forcing them to give more money. Isn't that right?"
"Yes," they said, without hesitation. They could obviously see the logic in that.
"The dancers aren't being victimized. They're the ones in control. They should be congratulated, not condemned, for what they're doing. Right?"
"Yes."
"So you won't be trying to shut down the club, right?"
"Yes."
"Instead, you will want to help the dancers, and even the club owner Larry Vaughn. You will do whatever you can to help them. At first, you'll feel uneasy about their requests, but you'll want to help them, so you'll comply anyway. And the more you help them, the less uneasiness you'll feel. Do you all understand?"
"Yes," they said.
"Good girls," he said. "Now, listen. When you see me at the door of this house, I want you to let me in, even though you will not know why. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Now, I want you all to rest here. You will begin to come out of your dream. You will awaken and feel happy, rested and ready to begin your new life. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
The old man put the spray bottle back in his briefcase and left the house. After getting back in his car, he drove back to the Ferguson house to finish up with that Nadine girl. Then he was thinking of heading to the next county over, to meet with the client he was originally going to meet with that morning before he got swamped with so many clients in this town. It was so weird how the clients just popped up seemingly all at once, and all in the same town.
He shrugged, then kept driving.
