Paid Sick Days Superwoman Meets Dr. Virus

After hearing last week's radio ad, Denise wasn't sure whether Dr. Virus' plea for her help was real. However, Denise decided to take a chance. The meeting place was only a few blocks from her apartment in downtown San Jose. If the meeting turned out to be a hoax, she would leave.

Denise changed into her Paid Sick Days Superwoman outfit. She glanced at herself in the mirror and smiled. She looked like a powerful superhero. Her purple t-shirt had Paid Sick Days Superwoman emblazoned on it and her purple leggings fitted her perfectly. Her shoulder-length auburn wig along with wire brimmed glasses were a great disguise. Nobody would know who she was.

Denise locked her apartment door and walked to the corner of First and Santa Clara. People cheered when they saw her.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. Standing next to her was a man who looked quite sickly. His skin had a greenish cast and his eyes were bloodshot. He had a wad of tissue in his left hand.

"Paid Sick Days Superwoman, I'm glad that you came to meet me," said the man. "I'm Dr. Virus."

"I'm pleased to meet you," said Denise.

"Let's go to my office and get some tea. My people are waiting for you," he said.

"That sounds good," replied Denise. "I'm eager to meet your folks."

"I bet you are," Dr. Virus said with an evil laugh.

Dr. Virus and Denise walked in silence for a couple blocks until they reached his office. Dr. Virus opened the door. Inside were about a dozen people. All of them looked like they had a bad case of the flu. They were coughing and sneezing. Their eyes were red and their noses were runny. Denise wanted to tell them to go home and get some rest.

Dr. Virus introduced Denise. "Hello, this is Paid Sick Days Superwoman. She's come to help us."

"That's great," one person said.

"Please tell me how I can help you," said Denise.

"We have a special machine that writes speeches," Dr. Virus replied. "We asked it to write a speech on paid sick days because we plan to hold a rally on Saturday. But for some reason, it's not working."

"I can write the speech for you," said Denise. "It won't take that long."

"What we really need is for you to fix the machine," said Dr. Virus.

"I'm not a mechanic. I'm a writer," said Denise.

"We were told by the inventor that we needed you to touch the machine," said Dr. Virus. "Your super writing abilities will be transferred. The machine then will work again."

"That's it," said Denise. "Just show me the machine."

Dr. Virus pointed to an old-fashioned typewriter.

Denise smiled. "This is an antique. I love things from the past."

Dr. Virus said, "This is an antique that has a twist. It's been updated with a special function for writing paid sick days speeches. Just touch it for sixty seconds and it will work again."

Denise put her right hand on the typewriter. "Like this?" she asked.

"Yes, you're doing it correctly," Dr. Virus replied.

The room became silent. Dr. Virus said, "Just two more seconds and you'll be done."

"Stop," a voice shouted. "Dr. Virus wants to destroy your super writing powers."

Denise immediately removed her right hand from the typewriter.

Dr. Virus laughed, "It's too late. By touching the machine for sixty seconds, your writing powers were destroyed."

Denise felt too weak to say anything. She couldn't believe that she had been so naïve.

"Dr. Virus, you're an evil man," the voice cried. "Now, we'll be doomed forever."

Did Dr. Virus succeed in destroying Denise's super writing powers? Is her fight for paid sick days over? Stay tuned for the next post.

And remember you can still help by signing the petition for paid sick days for California workers.