BECAUSE OF YOU

FIRST CASE

Alex was shocked by what he saw.  The lady who caught his attention yesterday was the same stiff and cold lady in front of him right now. He was thinking of her last night; he never thought that she's none other than the person that almost caused him to lose the land purchase deal. He also did not know that she's the head of his MA team; he almost had her replaced.

The MA position could be messy and definitely an arduous job, challenging. Most especially that it was the primary business direction he intended to undertake. He always worked with men lawyers in the past, but sometimes they failed to meet his expectations. But even so, he undoubtedly preferred a man for the job—someone who could be tough enough to withstand and defend Alex's position in all negotiations.

However, he might have forgotten to specify it when he requested the job position from HR. Could Tamara handle it? Would a woman take a very tedious job that even men lawyers would not be happy to handle? It got Alex thinking deeply. 

He better checked her qualification before he asked for her replacement.

'That should be all, Atty. Tamara," he said, preferring to call her by her complete name. It suits her best.

"Thank you, sir," standing up and bowing her head, and she headed for the door.

Alex just gave her a nod. He watched her as she walks towards the door. Her suit did not do justice to her body and overall appearance, he thought. The lady she saw yesterday was very sexy. Perhaps it was her method not to catch attention. He was shaking his head. He tried to pull from the HR system the 201 files of Tamara.

After reviewing her credentials...

"Hmmm. Atty. Legaspi's qualification is impressive," he said to himself as he read her background and achievements. He couldn’t find fault in it. She was indeed qualified.

He requested Joe to send the Chief Legal Officer (CLO) to him at once.

After a few minutes, he saw the CLO's escorted to his desk.

"Chief, I just met Atty Tamara a while ago. I thought the Atty. Tam, you mentioned yesterday, is a male lawyer. Do you honestly think she can handle the task assigned to her? It will involve travels in and out of the country as we carry on with the MA dealings."  Alex’s eyebrows knitted.

"Sir, as far as I know, Atty. Tam is a very efficient lawyer. She was handpicked, especially for the job. In my opinion, work-wise, you may not have a problem with her.” The Chief said he was quite impressed with Tamara's performance.

"Yeah! I could see her credentials, but I still prefer to hand this tacky job to a man". He said, without discriminating but to his perception, the job suits a more stable & reliable character, someone that could demand action. A lady might not be as intimidating and aggressive as a man, which the task requires.

"Would you want her replaced?" the Chief was a bit fearful of Tamara’s fate; Tam was excellent and very much qualified for the job if the CEO just knew it and if the CEO would give her the chance to prove herself.

Alex weighs the situation carefully; the Chief seems to have a good impression on her. "Let's see her performance on the task I gave her. Let her work closely with me in the meantime." He said after weighing the perspective. He would definitely find a better position because she wouldn’t fit for the current job assignment.

"That would be all, Chief," Alex decided to put this matter aside. He would like to know how well she could perform. His interest in her intensified for some reason.

Meanwhile,  at Tamara's cubicle, she carefully looked at the document "the boss" gave her when she heard a knock on her door. She smiled at the Chief and indicated it's alright for him to enter her office.

"Atty. Tam, I just came from the CEO's office. He found out that you are not a man." he instantly told her. The chief was very uncomfortable.

Tamara was a little annoyed by what she heard, “so what if she's a lady lawyer? Was she discriminated?” she thought, but instead, she said, "I don't see the point there, Chief." She articulated.

"It's just that he was expecting to have a man for this kind of job. It can be tough at times. I know you understand." he said even male lawyers would find the job hard.

Tamara was fully aware of that. It was not the first time such was said. However, that was the reason why she persevered to overturn those wrongful perceptions of women lawyers.

"The important thing is if I can deliver or not, right Chief?" she said, confident of her ability. She couldn't believe in this century. There could be a separation of skills between man and woman. She was right, after all—they have a weird chauvinist tyrant as their CEO.

"I just told you to help you understand the standpoint of the CEO. He can be strict and authoritative, but I also heard some good qualities. Just do your best to prove him otherwise." He just smiled. He had witnessed Tamara's works in the past months, and he was impressed by how she handled her cases.

"It's alright, Chief. I completely understand." She was infuriated, but she didn’t want the Chief to see her annoyance to the CEO.

The Chief went out of her room after discussing other matters with her.

"So, he thought a woman could not be handled with risky jobs, huh! Chauvinist pig!" She looked again at the documents he handed over to her. Reading the owner's property name on the paper, she grinned. She knows what to do. She dialed the person's number right away.

"Tamara, How are you?" she heard the pleasant voice of the lady on the line.

"I'm good, Tita. It's been some time since I last visit you. I miss you already. Can I visit you tonight?" she politely asked the lady.

"Hmmm, I could sense business. I'd prefer it if you want to visit me for something else. But of course, I'll be happy to see you." Tamara had been her lawyer for a sensitive case she had a few years back. She had come to like this lady. She's like one of her own if only she has a son, she will pair him to her.

"I'll visit you later, say 6:30 pm? She said she genuinely missed the lady, and her busy schedule did not permit her the luxury of time to see her. She'd make sure to grab something sweet before she goes to New Manila and to meet her.

"Sure, dear, I'll prepare dinner." Mrs. Madrigal happily agreed.

"Alright, I'll see you, Tita," she said sweetly.

The family of Mrs. Madrigal owns a vast area of land in the Visayas and Mindanao region. Their family was an "old rich." Many years ago, she handled a case with her involving family disputes over their properties. Since then, the lady and Tamara became close. She often traveled with her to different provinces visiting her properties either for business or pleasure. She was like a mother to her. It's now an opportunity to see and talk to her after a long time.

It's time to impress the weird chauvinist tyrant.