Catfood Ep. 02 - Suggestion
#2 of Catfood
A Vixen's Tail
Catfood - Episode 2 - Suggestion
© 2004 Nameless
I stared at my doctor's brown face, cringing at the anxiety I saw in her eyes. I could see that she was not happy with what she was about to suggest to me. We sat silent, considering each other. Finally I said "All right, Sandy. Spit it out."
She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment before she spoke up "Indentured service."
My mouth dropped open and suddenly my fur stood on end " What?!?" I asked, almost screaming at her. "You mean... that near-slavery thing?"
"Yeah." She grimaced "Look, I can understand that this is a sensitive topic for you, but let's at least consider it, ok? If only as a last resort."
"Ok." I snapped, panting and trying to calm myself down again. She got up and refilled my cup.
I sipped water for at least a minute before I have calmed down enough to ask "All right, how is becoming someone's slave less bad than... say, working in a brothel? Have you seen that documentation about this?"
"The one they showed on FNN last year?" I nodded. "Yes, I have seen that. And I would not recommend it if it was as bad as they made it look. I'm pretty sure it was accurate enough, but there is more than one company in this market."
"And you think the others are better?"
"Yes. At least, I know one that is better. One that treats the indents * as people, not just as wares to be sold to whoever meets their price. Well, I guess it's hard not to think of them as wares, but at least they make sure that their indents are treated well enough, that they won't be permanently... 'damaged' or killed."
"And how do you know that?" I asked, suddenly curious. This business is not exactly secret, but since almost all of the clients insist on confidentiality, little accurate information is known about it. There are plenty of rumors, but it is something that is not talked about too often, at least by the people who know it well.
"Why? Because I work for them."
I stared at her in horror " You...!?!" I squeaked in distress, shrill enough to make her cover her ears. "You're one of the doctors who patch up the girls, so they can be tortured some more!?!"
I was about to stand up and run out of her office when she grabbed my paw and pleaded "Lydia, please, let me explain. It's not anywhere as bad as that. Please, give me just one minute to explain."
The imploring look and the genuine distress on her face convinced me to give her a chance to explain. "All right." I snarled "You'd better explain why you do this. Sandy."
"Thank you." She looked at the table for a long moment "Yes, I do 'patch up' their girls. But I don't use Quickheal **, and there are rarely any really bad wounds. There are plenty of bruises to be treated and the occasional cut, but if one of the girls has a serious wound that I can't treat properly, she is taken to a hospital." I stared at her, not sure if I could believe her. "I can see that you don't want to believe me, but it's true. I have sent several injured women to the hospital when their injuries warranted it. And I do know that they went there and were treated. A few times I even called the hospital to make sure they got there. And the medical files always confirmed that they went there and were treated properly."
"Really? Who paid for this?"
"They are fully insured while they serve there. They even have a disability insurance, in case they get a permanent disability."
"Really? Wow!" I could not believe what I was hearing, but I could see that she believed in it. I had to consider the possibility that it was true. "Won't there be other problems? I mean the hospital usually has to involves the police if they find wounds that speak of abuse."
"Possibly, yes. I did have to give a statement to the police in a few cases. But it seems this can be handled legally. The indents have all signed waivers that they accept all non-permanent damage as a 'normal' part of their work. As far as the law is concerned any of these injuries are considered to be work-related. As long as the employee is properly insured and the injuries are treated properly, everything is nice and legal."
"All right. So what you are saying is that the women who work for this company are properly taken care of."
"Basically, yes. And the men too. About 20% of their 'indentured servants' are male."
"Interesting. And how often do the indents get injured?"
"That depends. Some of the customers like to play rough, so I get to see whoever is serving them more or less regularly. Mostly with minor injuries, bad bruises or cuts. Other customers hardly ever have to send their 'slave' to be treated."
"Makes one wonder if you don't see them because they are not injured or because they are not allowed to be treated..."
"No. Minor wounds are often treated by the customer or the indent herself, but if the girl requests it, she has the right to be taken to a doctor. Her customer has to pay a rather stiff fine if he does not allow her to visit a doctor, at least if she is really badly injured."
"Aha."
"But the part of the job that I consider more important, or at least more satisfying is to give the indents their regular checkups."
"Yes?"
"They have a complete physical at least once every three months. And a simple STD blood test at least once a month. The customers have those as well. One thing I have found rather curious but immensely satisfying: The health of most of the indents actually improves while they serve there."
"What?"
"Yes, really. I was wondering about that as well. Sure, they often have bruises and cuts when they come here, but otherwise their health is generally good. Definitely above average. In almost all the cases, there are always exceptions, of course. I can't really say if they end up with 'mental scars', but I have never seen anyone with obvious signs of mental trauma. Anyway, what I found out, was that plenty of the women are less than perfectly healthy when they start. Usually a combination of stress, bad eating habits and too little exercise. Almost all of them are totally stressed out and overworked when they start. Once they serve here, that changes. Most of them have to work, but not anywhere as much as before. The temporary owner has to provide them with a reasonably healthy diet, the food does not have to taste well, and they may not get it exactly when they would want, but he has to give them enough to keep them healthy. Since a healthy girl is usually more attractive, there is rarely any problem with this. Most of the indents have to exercise regularly."
She gave me a wry grin "It seems many people find it a lot easier to keep a diet and exercise regularly if someone stands behind them with a whip. And, as far as I know, hardly any of the women is allowed to smoke, drink or take drugs while they serve. There were several cases where I could not believe my eyes how much healthier an indent looked at her second visit. You know, I have been tempted to suggest this job to some of my regular patients, those who seem determined to eat and drink themselves into an early grave."
"Geez, makes me wonder why I ever wanted to work anywhere else..." I asked, only partially sarcastic.
"Ummm..." Sandy looked at me with big eyes "I was starting to sound like a commercial, wasn't I?"
"A bit."
"Well, I guess they do take better care of their 'employees' than many other companies. But then they have more reason to. There are quite a few reasons why someone might not like to work there, of course. You are at the beck and call of someone whom you don't know and might not like at all. You have to spread your legs for him whenever he feels like it or for anyone else, for that matter. You have to participate in whatever pleasant or, more likely, less than pleasant activities he can think of. Most of the indents are beaten more or less regularly, but rather the spanking kind, not the violent fist-in-the-face kind. Plenty painful, but not traumatic."
"Yeah. I guess there are plenty of reasons not to want to do this."
"Hmmm, I don't think I know anyone who does this if she does not have to."
"I can see why. All right, so you think this is the right thing for me, Sandy?"
"Well, if I was in your place, I would look for another alternative first. But you should not take too long, you really have to start this treatment as early as possible. If you can't find any other alternative, then this is better than... say, working in a brothel. At least they will get you the credit so you can be treated before you start serving there. You'll know that in a few years you will have worked off your debt. And you will be taken care of if something happens to you during that time."
"I don't like the idea very much, but it may be the best choice..."
"I'm not saying that it is a good choice, but before you try something else that could be even worse for you, you should at least talk to them. They may not accept you, of course."
"All right, I'll consider it."
"Ok. Give me a minute." She turns to her computer and begins typing.
She grabbed the sheets that the printer had spewed out and handed them to me. "Here are the addresses of a few charities that you could talk to, as well as the office where you can apply for this indentured service. And a short summary of your medical condition that you can show them. Good luck, Lydia."
"Thank you." I said, we shook paws and I left her office.
"Wait." She stood up and walked over to the cabinet of medicines. She fetched some and handed them to me "Here. More pills for the lymphatic swelling from my stash. The swelling and pain should be gone by the time you have used them up. If not, I'll give you some more."
"Thank you."
"As I said, I won't charge you for my time, but you'll have to pay the lab costs."
"Thank you, again. Bye, Sandy."
"Bye."
I turned around and left.
*) "Indent" is short for indentured servant
**) "Quickheal" is a drug that speeds up the natural healing greatly. By as much as 10 to 20 times. But regular use or high dosages run a high risk of long-term problems, such as cancer, sudden organ failure, ...
End of Episode 2