Suffering harassment
Gess. I have no other way to get my comments to your review, and I am sad to believe that you will not read them, since I doubt that you will log in to read this story.
But I would like you to know, first of all, that I am deeply sorry that you have gone through that torment and that this drama has been compounded by the lack of understanding and support from your friends and partner. Because of my profession, I know what the victims suffer.
But if you read my summary you will see that it will not be a "funny" story and Fantiction is not a place only for writing "funny" or "romantic" stories, it is also useful for writing seriously about other human problems, I have done it with topics such as the baby's clucking implant, or the bone marrow implant, or the search for identity or abandoned children and some others, and I have approached all of them with respect and thoroughly researched.
For your peace of mind, this story does not speak of sexual harassment. But harassment can take many other forms, it is suffered mostly by women, but also by men and unfortunately by children, even perpetrated by other children. And I think that exposing the scourge makes it visible, there is no point in hiding it or being afraid to talk about it, perhaps it will help someone to face it or serve so that those who are by their side notice it and have the courage and human quality to help.
Look, this story is already finished, I do not publish any story before it is finished, its plot and its ending are already written and I will continue publishing its chapters, I live in a country where freedom of expression has historically been trampled on, that is why I greatly respect your opinion, but my dignity does not allow me to submit to self-censorship. God willing you will read it and understand it. Thank you
Remember English is not my native language, I hope the translation is correct, check it, but sometimes I miss some incorrect personal pronouns for the phrase, sorry.
I reiterate, I do not own the characters of Friends I only rely on them for the pure pleasure of writing stories without any economic interest.
Chapter 2
A few days after the end of the internship, the whole gang is gathered at Central Perk talking about Emma's progress.
Suddenly Joey came running into the cafeteria, "Guys, did you see the Powerball prize this Saturday, it's THREE HUNDRED MILLION! I'm going to Connecticut, there's still a chance there, does anyone want to buy tickets, will anyone join me?
Monica, with her competitive spirit, immediately accepted the invitation.
"I want to buy too" said Rachel
"Me too" shouted Phoebe
"Who would think of missing out on an opportunity like that, especially if you're out of work" concluded Chandler
"I have an idea" said Rachel "Let's put in 50 Bucks each and then we'll split the prize!
Everyone thought it was an excellent idea.
"I'll go with you," Monica said to Joey, looking at Ross she asked, "Ross, are you also participating...?"
"No, I'm not throwing $50 away, there's no mathematical chance you'll even win the minor prize, I'm out."
Everyone tried to convince him, it would be fun, but he stood firm "You'll have $50 less in your pockets on Saturday" Ross replied
On Saturday everyone gathered at 20 to watch the results of the drawing on television and while they were doing so Chandler received the first call from one of the internship participants, who was also the son of one of the agency partners, Bobby told him that so far they had chosen Johnny, he was the first to be hired, a little while later Bobby called again, the second to be selected was Jennifer, which definitely discouraged Chandler. Ross told him "but man there's still another place"
"No, Bobby is the son of one of the shareholders, he's surely the next"
Minutes later Bobby called him to say that he was sorry they hadn't chosen him, that he was the third chosen.
Chandler was really disappointed, he had put a lot of energy and effort into getting the job.
Monica approached "Honey, there will be another chance"
"Yes," said Chandler "we will win the lottery"
But despite Joey's silent and deep wishes for his best friend to get the job this had not happened. And they didn't win the lottery either!
They were sitting in the living room, somewhat depressed, the only one who had gotten something from the event was Phoebe who won 2 dollars, when the phone rang again.
Monica answered and handed the phone to Chandler telling him it was Steve.
Chandler received the news, because of his conditions the partners considered that they would give him the job of copywriter in one of the teams.
When he hung up he remained indifferent and when everyone expectantly asked him what Steve had said, Chandler jumped with joy, he had gotten the job, and a better one than the one he had applied for. He would be a copywriter!
Everyone celebrated with Champagne. Joey approached him, "you know, when I had to make a wish, it wasn't to win the lottery, but for you to get the job."
"Thanks buddy, but don't tell Monica, she'd kill you," and they both laughed.
On Monday, Chandler arrived at the agency filled with enthusiasm and joy.
Steve explained to him that he would be part of the team led by Creative Director Ms. Priscila Hoffman, the best Creative Director at the Agency, an undisputed pillar for them. The team was made up of a total of 5 members so far, 1 copywriter, 2 art directors, 1 illustrator and 1 graphic designer, but it was necessary to have another copywriter, so he would join that team.
Steve takes him to the team's offices and introduces him to Ms. Priscila Hoffman, the group's Creative Director, who will be his boss from now on. He then introduces Alice, a young woman in her 30s, who, along with Chandler, will be the two copywriters. He also meets Janet and Olivia, the two art directors, both young ladies, all of them very serious when they greet each other. Finally, Steve introduces him to Mr. Harrison, the illustrator, and Mr. Edward, the graphic designer, clarifying that the last two (Chandler thought they were clearly around 50 years old) come from working at another agency that had closed, and they have a long experience, which is why they were incorporated into the team since they still had a lot to give, according to Steve.
Finally, Steve told Chandler, "I think you will adapt well to the group, good luck and do your best, I warn you Priscilla is very demanding, but I know you will be up to the task."
His colleagues greeted him with courtesy and some smiles from Alice and the men who made up the team.
As for Mrs. Priscilla, as everyone called her, she was a woman of about 45 years old, tall, thin, blonde with short hair, who greeted him with a cold greeting, with an icy look and a small smile that was more of a grimace of disgust.
Chandler was placed in one of the offices, each copywriter had his own, Chandler's was not very spacious and lacked a window to the outside, obviously he would miss the large window of the office he occupied in his previous job.
They told him that every day they met first thing in the morning in the lounge with Mrs. Priscila, to receive instructions on the development of the campaigns in progress or on new campaigns, then on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons the whole team met with Mrs. Priscila to combine the ideas and proposals of each area, notwithstanding that Mrs. Priscila usually called them separately to give them some specific instruction.
That morning began with Chandler's participation in his first meeting and the atmosphere was somewhat tense, he tried to be affable and smiling, but the boss did not allow the slightest comment that was not strictly related to what she was requesting. He noticed that the exchange was somehow more friendly and relaxed when she addressed the women of the group, with the other two men it was somewhat indifferent, but when her gaze was on him it became colder and more serious.
Mrs. Hoffman approached Chandler rather indifferently, telling him that since he had just incorporated his proposals for the topics indicated that day, he should give them to her secretary the next morning and in the afternoon they would be analyzed along with those of the rest of the team.
Chandler went to work the rest of the day, the product to be announced was quite versatile and gave rise to several different proposals.
When he returned home Monica immediately asked him how his day had been, he told her about the members of the team to which he had been assigned, who seemed pleasant and very solid in their jobs, so he hoped to meet their standards, but he did not say anything about the strict environment imposed by his boss, he had realized that he should keep his personality under control, there was no place for it.
That night after dinner he stayed a couple of hours trying to improve the ideas he had been thinking about.
On Tuesday morning Chandler gave Gina the folder with several of his proposals.
In the afternoon everyone gathered together, the rest brought their proposal with them, Chandler was sure that he had achieved a good job, and although it would surely need some improvement, it was a good base from which to generate the advertisement.
Mrs. Priscila read one by one, with the ladies of the art direction she exchanged some comments, but the general showed acceptance of their work. They wanted to follow those lines and improve the images.
With Harrison and Edward, she was less enthusiastic, although she said she had found some interesting solutions and ideas to explore.
She also praised Alice's work, saying that it was correct and adequate for the product and the client.
On the other hand, she returned the folder to Chandler saying "Mr. Bing, your proposals are not bad, but they are still lacking for my standards, you should work on the idea better"
Chandler asked her "Mrs. Hoffman, could you give me a clue on what aspect to improve or change?"
"First of all, you are the copywriter. I am not going to do your job. Anyway, nothing is good enough for improvement. Present something else," Mrs. Priscilla replied as she stood up and left the meeting.
Everyone stood up. The women left without looking at him. Edward looked at him, raising his eyebrows, sighing, and shaking his head. Chandler did not understand if the gesture was disapproving or to make him patient.
Obviously, Chandler was disappointed. He was sure that his proposals were not bad. There were more than one proposals, and some of them should serve as a starting point for improvement. But Mrs. Hoffman rejected everything outright without giving him an explanation of what was wrong.
Anyway, he tried to relax. It was his first intervention. Steve had warned him that his boss was a bit demanding. Maybe she was pushing him to give his best.
When he got home, Monica was anxious to know how the proposals had gone. He told her that his proposals had been rejected outright, without Hoffman giving him an explanation. -
"Honey, this is your first proposal. You're nervous. The rest of the team already knows it. Now they have to get to know you. Give them time and they'll fall in love with you… Well, that's a figure of speech. I hope those girls don't get their hopes up about you."
Chandler smiled and thanked his wife for her words and support with a deep kiss, but something inside him worried him… and he didn't know what it was.
The rest of the week, everything he presented was rejected with a "this doesn't meet my expectations. I want more effort from you."
Chandler began to feel insecure. This woman was recognized by everyone as an expert. Maybe he wasn't enough for the requirements of this type of work. He was new to advertising. The others already knew Hoffman's methodology and criteria. However, despite his incipient doubts, Chandler was judicious; he reread his proposals and was sure that he was doing well, not perfect, but well, if only Hoffman would give him a clue as to where to go next…
The following week they had to focus on writing an advertisement for a new candy; he had worked hard but once again his proposal was rejected with the usual sentence, "this does not meet my expectations, I want more effort from you" but he was surprised since Alice's proposal was practically not far from his own, however, it was welcomed by Priscilla with satisfaction.
Something was not working; he had come to the agency with confidence, he felt capable, even so Steve had made him feel, but timidly the old feeling buried for several years arose in Chandler: "he was not enough".
Monica had helped him bury that perception of himself, but now something was happening to him that he could not handle, he began to doubt.
Nine more business days passed without getting an approval. On the contrary, Hoffman's rejections were more unpleasant, and Chandler's discomfort and insecurity grew.
A month had already passed since Chandler joined the agency, and nothing had worked out as he had hoped. It was Friday, Gina handed him a folder that Mrs. Hoffman had sent him with the following note: "Bing, I sent you the request that we will discuss next Tuesday, we will see if four days in advance is enough for you to present something acceptable, you do not need to be present at the meeting on Monday morning, on Tuesday at noon you will give Gina your proposals."
Chandler felt it as an ultimatum, but he was determined not to lose this opportunity, he was tenacious, almost stubborn, he would achieve it, even if it took him time to find the point that Priscila wanted
That afternoon he did not arrive home in a good mood, things were not going well, but he did not want to worry Monica, she was so excited about her husband's new job, he did not want to disappoint her, he would not allow it, he would continue fighting.
On Saturday he worked all day on different ideas until Monica returned from work. That night everyone came to dinner, but Chandler could not concentrate on the conversations around him, his mind was somewhere else. During dinner they agreed that the next day in the afternoon they would go to the movies, Rachel would leave Emma in the care of her mother, although Chandler did not want to go, he needed to make sure that the proposals were interesting and well written, but he could not refuse the gang's arrangement either. So he thought that on Sunday he would get up early to gain an hour.
But Chandler's plan had a drawback, that night Monica was ovulating and he couldn't refuse that, nor did he want to. Making love to Monica was an elixir of life, but tonight his worries seemed to get in the way. Finally, he made an effort to relax, to get his work problems out of his head and concentrate on making Monica enjoy herself, and he also wanted to have his ecstasy of happiness.
Obviously a night of love with Monica never ends in a single round, so they were both exhausted, happy and slept deeply.
They woke up in the middle of the morning, after the perfect sex Chandler felt calmer, it wasn't a question of spending hours working, now his mind was clear and he could come up with good ideas before going out to see the movie.
On Monday morning, with his proposals for the new requirement, this time it was an announcement about a new lawnmower model, Chandler approached Alice's office. "Hi, look, I can't find the exact point of what Ms. Priscilla is looking for, could you see what I prepared to see if you can find the fault?"
"I'm sorry Chandler, but Priscilla doesn't want us to do these orders together, she wants different ideas to be presented to her so she has the option to choose the best one," Alice answered with a serious face.
"I'm not asking you to do it together, I'm just asking for your opinion on the ones I did," Chandler said softly.
"I'm sorry, I can't help you, Ms. Priscilla doesn't allow it," Alice answered, immersed in her computer without even looking at his face.
"Ok, thanks," Chandler said, returning to his office.
He reviewed all the proposals once again, he was sure that some of them contained good ideas for this product, on Tuesday he handed the folder to Gina, but during the afternoon meeting again all his effort and work failed, up to that point he had accepted the rejection without saying anything, but a month of work had already passed and he decided to defend his idea at the meeting.
"Mrs. Priscilla, I think my idea is strong, it is a product that in a family is normally used by men, who would be the main recipients of the advertisement"
"Chandler, evidently you are one of those who believe that cutting the grass is a job only for men, but in many homes it is women who do those tasks, Alicia's idea is less masculine, it is intended to be heard by both sexes… before protesting my decisions, open your mind to the new social realities"
This arrogant response by Priscilla triggered a noticeable discomfort in Chandler that he could not hide and led him to begin to speak with the eloquence that always distinguished him, the words came out of his mouth with force, this time without stumbling despite the discomfort that the people around him produced in him.
"Excuse me, Madam, I have an open mind since I know very well the new social realities and the fortunate arrival of many women to positions previously led exclusively by men, my wife is Executive Chef of one of the most renowned restaurants in Manhattan and I know perfectly well of her intelligence, her professional capacity, her tenacity, her good sense, she has written books, one of them with the standards that must be followed in a professional kitchen which was adopted by the City Council as a guide to control the restaurants of Manhattan, as you see no one better than her deserved to get the place where she is, I do not believe that many men have such qualities" and finished by saying
"My wife's achievements are based on her worth, regardless of her sex, … and to this day I assure you that I have not had another woman with such qualities in front of me" concluded Chandler, ending his speech with that sarcastic phrase, looking at her defiantly and with a slight smile of satisfaction.
From that day on, Mrs. Priscila was even more intransigent with him, the treatment and words she directed at Chandler were increasingly offensive regarding his work.
However, when Monica asked him how his day had been, he said that it had been good, with a lot of work, but he did not go into details, he did not comment on the constant rejection of his proposals and the treatment he received. -