Charlie^^^^

Being a Domme is as much a matter of attitude as actions.

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Mon. April 28, 1990

Georgia, to me, has the hottest weather l know of. The humidity being the worst part of it. What could be a pleasant 80 degree day anywhere else here could feel like 100 degrees of living hell. Living in the center of the state as I do only makes things hotter.

On a day like today there is only one place that would make me feel better. It is a three hour drive to old cobblestone streets of Savanna, and the beautiful white sandy beaches of Tybee. You don't feel the humidity so much there. In heat like today, thats all I can think of now.

Most of my late teen years were spent on those beaches. My best friend Cindy and I made sure we took that three hour drive every weekend for both our junior and senior year of high school. At the time our tan was top on our 'must have' list. Not to mention the abundant young men on hand to enjoy.

Now at twenty one, I find myself hiding in the shade of the open bay door my dad's auto repair shop. It is nearing May, and even in the shade you can still feel the burn of the suns rays. It is the end of a long Monday, and I am watching traffic as it passes by the shop. I just have to wait for my last customer of the day before I can head home.

This shop has been my family's business for more than seventy years. It all started with my granddad Charlie Lane Reese II. With his years of working as a share cropper on his father's farm. He learned that you get nothing in life without alot hard work. He opened up the shop just after he was honorably discharged from the army. He made his profits to support his wife and son.

The same son that has ran the shop for the last forty years. My dad, Don Reese, raised me to love cars. He made sure that I knew family came frist, and this business was the lifeblood of that family. It's now my turn to take over. My name is Charlie Lane Reese III. I was named after my granddad he was a great man. I am proud to share the name with him. Though he and I did not always agree on a woman's place in this family.

I still remember how he and my dad fought over my place in the world.

"She should be at home with Lucille. Learning to cook and keep a house! That's her place!" I could hear my granddad shout at my dad, from the top of the stairs where I was hidden. The sound of pots banging in the kitchen let everyone in the house know that Lucille, my grandmother, did not agree with him. I had to cover my mouth to hide the giggle at her reaction.

"Dad she is only twelve, and her place is wherever she wants it to be. She a natural at repairs and enjoys working in the shop. I want force her to be something she is not!" My dad has always fighting for me. Even with the woman that gave me life.

The only problem with me taking over the business was the fact that I am a woman. In this small southern town men ruled. They held most of the jobs of power. The only place for a woman was in the kitchen, bare foot and pregnant, and that was not for me.

My dad raised me to be independent. He also gave me the love for working on cars. I got most of my looks from him too. Like him I was taller than most my age. My 5' 11' hight made most men look the other way. None wanted a woman as tall or taller than them. I had his dark hair and olive skin tone. The only thing I got from my so call mother was my green eyes.

Now he thinks I am ready to take over the shop. We both expected the business would suffer because I was in charge. Not many men in town wanted a woman knowing more about cars than them.

His plan was for him to retire without our customers knowing. He would just spend less and less time at the shop until he was no longer needed. By then I would be in full control. I just hoped my temper would hold out long enough for that to happen.

We had informed our workers, and they were fine with the change. Cindy was the clerk, she took in the money and keep the work orders going. Also she has been my best friend sense high school. She was the cute little blonde men loved to have hanging off their arm. She was looking for her prince charming.

Jay was the other mechanic of the shop. He and I have worked together for ten years. He was the only other man I knew who liked me working on his car. He was 21 when I started hanging out at the shop. I learned alot from him in those frist few years. He the ultimate lady killer, but a good man.

Now if we could just get my customers on board with me being in charge.

Just like Big Jim Jones, a local big time farmer. Today he brought in his wife's new Mercedes Benz for a simple oil change. Instead of just dropping off the car and have his wife pick it up later like a normal person. He felt the need to stay, and oversee every move I made on the car. As if I had not done thousands of these sense I was eleven.

"Just making sure the little girl knows her stuff," he declared to my father. As he strutted around the shop like a banner roster.

My father response you may ask?

"Well Big Jim if you knew your stuff you wouldn't need my little girl." He said this never cracking a smile. Jim and my dad had a long and dark history.

Jay and I didn't hold back. We both were rolling on the floor with laughter. Needless to say Big Jim suddenly was needed at the turf farm he owned and left. All though not with a few choice parting words for my dad.

With annoying customers and back to back jobs. The last thing I want to do in this heat was to wait on Big Jim wife. Mrs. Wanda, was to get her car around noon. It is now well past 5pm, and she is still a 'no show'. My father, the brave man he is, hides in the office. So this lovely task is left up to me.

Because her husband held seats on the school board as well as city Council she felt her importance. It did not bother her that she had made the shop stay open longer than it was supposed to.

When she does show up she is the picture of the perfect southern lady. She is dressed in flowery print blouse, and cream colored courprees. Topped off with leather sandals, and a classic Aigner bag. She walks like a queen across the lot.

"Well hello Charlie, how are you on this fine day?" She sighed in her sticky sweet southern voice.

"I'm just fine," I grumbed. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that I am in fact damn tired of dealing with ass holes like her husband all day long.

She totally missed my tone and regally walked into the shop with her nose held high. Cindy is waiting to take her money. I spy Cindy as she agrees with at some comment that Mrs. Wanda made to her. The exchange seems a little off to me but I am to ready to go home to question it.

I quickly make my way to her car, and drive it up to the door. I make sure that her car pointing in the direction of the road so she can leave as soon as she is done. Mrs Wanda has other plans as she steps back out in the heat. She starts a conversation with me that makes me see red.

"Did you hear that nice young Tray Martin is coming home?" She questions me with a perfectly sweet smile. There it is the helpful hook up. I swear I don't know what makes every married southern woman think she is the best at match making. It must be in the water. Well I have a way to nip this in the bud.

"Why I did hear something about him and his husband separateing." I knew exactly why he was returning home. We talked at least once a week. He and I had been friends since grade school. I even played the part of his girlfriend so he would not have to come out in this hick town.

Mrs Wanda face turned green, and she steps up her pace to her car. "You tell that father of yours I said hello." She quickly shot back at me over the roof of her car. Now she has no time to chat.

"Oh I sure will," I mumble back. I chuckle as I went about closing up the shop doors. At that moment my dad pop his head out of his office.

"She gone?" My dad wispers from around the door of his office.

"Yes Dad," I let go of a heavy sigh as I continue with pulling down the bay doors. We both waved bye to Cindy as she made her way to her Mustang LX.

I lock up the front door to the shop, and we slowly walked to our own rides. Remembering todays run in with Big Jim. I can't help but ask again. "How much longer till you plan to fully step away?"

"I will finish up the interviews in the morning. I want to make sure have a man you can trust. You will need to divide your time between cars and customers. Jay will have to get along with the new guy too. They will need to work good together. " He explained "The trial days will start soon, we'll see how well they can work. After that I think about two more weeks."

"But dad..." I whine. I start to try for one more year working for my dad. It was not that I couldn't handle the business, but I knew my temper. I blow my top if I had to many customer complaints like Big Jim. There were alot more men where he came from.

My dad cut me off before I could get started. "They will come around. Don't worry about the ones who don't. Their business we don't need. You are smart, you know your stuff, and you are a hard worker. That's what people are looking for when it comes to keeping their cars on the road."

"I know, you have told me this a million times. I just don't want to run the shop in the ground because some jerk who can't stand that I fixed his car," I huff annoyingly. The last thing I wanted was to fail at the business that my granddad started all those years ago.

My dad takes me in his strong arms for a hug."You'll be fine Cha Cha." He whispered reassuringly. The holds me at arms length. "Now get on that bike, and go home. Just remember Sunday dinner at the cafe, and don't be late." He gives me a gentle push.

I just wish there was some way I could have the same power as a man. Then I would not need my dad to front for me. He could enjoy his retirement without worrying about me. I could run my business just like any other man in this town. Then I could prove that my granddad was wrong about where I belonged.

There had to be something out there to help me. I just want to live my life like every other dominant male in this town. I just had to find a way to do it.