The Policy Meeting
“Will she be okay?” Boss swore as he pulled on his boots. His hair was disheveled and his face still lined from sleep.
“I really don't know, Boss. She’s hurt bad.” Mitch paced, distraught.
“Round ’em up for a meeting. You know where.”
Mitch momentarily looked stricken, but nodded solemnly.
“Now.” Boss made a “shoo” motion with his hands and Mitch jogged away, flashlight in hand.
The bunkhouses cleared out quickly. Loud complaints in various languages filled the night air. Mitch led the confused ranch hands to the pens.
There, a badly beaten man was sitting on the rail. Boss had a hand on the man’s shoulder and was speaking to him closely and quietly. At first glance, one may have thought he was tending to the man’s wounds, however closer observation revealed that Boss was seething with a barely controlled rage and disgust.
After Mitch was sure all the hands were present, Boss turned to face the crowd. He kept his hand on the scruff of the beaten man’s neck, not unlike the way he would hold a venomous snake.
“Gentleman, I'm about to demonstrate our policy regarding certain inappropriate behavior here on the ranch. Because many of you are seasonal workers and have not been here that long, I thought it only fair to explain a couple of things.”
Boss spat on the ground and continued.
“We don't give verbal warnings. We don't write you up. We do not have a probationary review to place you on. What we do have is a zero-tolerance policy for beating or raping a woman or child. We find out you have committed this type of crime here on the ranch, this is how we address the issue— ”
Without hesitation, Boss pulled a gun from his jacket and promptly shot the man in the upper torso. The man fell backward into one of the hog pens. At once, the huge animals descended on him. His gurgling screams rose and eventually fell as he was savagely torn apart. The crowd of ranch hands collectively gasped. Some crossed themselves. A few vomited.
Boss cleared his throat, “If you have any questions regarding this policy demonstration, now is your chance to ask. Otherwise, I bid you gentleman a good evening. I will see you at daybreak, hopefully well-rested and ready for an honest day's work. Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter.”
The frightened men quickly dispersed. No one said a word as they each tried to process what they had just witnessed.
When morning came, there was no trace of last night's meeting in or near the hog pens.