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“Or it does after I complain enough, but it only lasts for a few days or weeks, and then the staff gets lazy again,” Ariel said. “I even offered to help manage. I told Ron I’d work with him on a schedule that’s suitable for all the girls. In fact, I made up a mock one with input from them, but he never even looked at it. He’s careless about everything, especially our hours, and over Christmas, Lux’s kid was sick, so she needed to go home and be with him, but Ron told her to—” she quirked her fingers into air quotes “—get her fat ass up onstage or leave. So, she walked out. And that was my last straw. It’s why I called you guys.”
I tapped my pen on my notebook. “When we talked last week, you said you wanted to sue for a hostile work environment, and it sounds like you have a case here, but we never talked about what your long-term goals are.”
“Long-term goals?” Ariel repeated as the waitress returned with a pot of coffee and set down a plate of muffins between us.
Dean slid the plate toward her and then Kelly and Julissa, who was reluctant to take one. “Come on. I remember what undergrad living was like. Take one. Actually…” He placed another in front of her. “Take two.”
She smiled at him, and he leaned back in his chair before motioning to Ariel. “If you could wave a magic wand, what would you want out of this?”
She tapped her pink fingernail on the table a few times as if deciding whether she wanted to confess it. “I want enough money to open my own place. A club owned and run by women.”
Kelly grinned widely, lifting her muffin in a salute. “That’s it, right there.”
Dean nodded then turned to me in a silent direction to close the deal. I leaned my elbows on the table. “I can’t promise you that, but I can promise we will have your back. Everyone has the right to a safe and healthy work environment, and we’ll take on this case for you, walk you through it, support you until you have that safe and healthy work environment.”
Ariel, Kelly, and Julissa all appeared happy and excited to get started, so over coffee and muffins, we discussed the next steps in filing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and informed them that this would be a long process. They needed to be able to stick with this for any real change.
“That’s what I want,” Ariel said. “I want an overhaul. I want real change.”
Kelly and Julissa both nodded in agreement.
Dean explained, “I know you’ve been documenting these occurrences, but we will need anyone who wants to be included on the complaint to send them to us.”
Ariel already had her cell phone out, typing on it. “I’ll let them know.”
“As soon as we have everyone’s information, we can start working on the filing,” I said.
“Then what?” Kelly asked.
Dean idly folded up a paper napkin. “The EEOC will notify Ron within ten days of the charge and investigate whether the claim is reasonable or not. From start to finish, this could take as little as six months or up to two years.”
“If Ron is reasonable, this could all go to mediation,” I said, and the three women exchanged looks.
“Reasonable is not the word I’d use to describe him,” Kelly said.
“But if we do our job right, it would be the better option for him,” Dean supplied, crossing his arms like the cocky bastard he was, but it did seem to placate our clients, so I couldn’t be mad at him about it.
“And believe me,” I said, “we will do our job right.”
Ariel smiled and held her coffee mug up toward us. “We’re looking forward to working with you.”
Dean and I exchanged a look. It was official. We were a team now.
After we finished up with some details and drained the coffee, I paid the bill with the company card, and we walked the trio outside. I pulled my coat tighter around my neck. “As soon as you have everything together, you can email it all to me, and we’ll get started.”
“Got it! Thanks again!”
Dean and I waved as they drove off, but as I turned to my car, he caught my elbow.
“That went well.”
“Yeah. You did good,” I said.
“Just what I need, a condescending pat on the head.”
I snorted, but I didn’t mean for it to be condescending.This time.Dean’s conversation with Ariel, Kelly, and Julissa was comforting and well-explained. I’d been acquainted with some men in the field who I knew would’ve been dismissive and made jokes the whole time, but Dean would never do that. He was ever the respectful and intelligent gentleman, much to my chagrin.
I wanted him to be good at his job because we had to work together on this, yet I also wanted him to suck so I could prove once and for all that I should be the one to eventually lead the West Chester office. Although, that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. Goddamn it.
