Greetings
Chapter 13: Greetings
“Everyone! Please meet Chailai.”
Tawan stood at the front of the conference room next to Mr. Tek as he introduced the woman on the other side of him.
Chailai had her hands behind her back, a strong smile that did not reach her eyes, and a tall, rigid frame as if her lower back hurt since she rested most of her weight in her right foot. She smiled a little shyly, waving before pushing her short hair back from her face. Her face was beautiful but strong with sharp bone structure that looked like it was sculpted from marble, and she smiled with only half her mouth in a dashing sort of way.
“As we discussed on Monday, she will be consulting us for the next few months so I expect everyone to be the most warmest of hosts,” he continued, eyeing them all as if he knew them well or something.
Mr. Tek turned to their guest and spoke some more about her credentials and expertise before stepping back and putting his arm out for her to speak. Though she seemed shy earlier as Mr. Tek introduced her to the crowd, she suddenly oozed a confidence of that she felt she was one of one.
With her hands now stuffed in her suit pant pockets, she introduced herself as Lai as that was what the professional world knew her as. She also spoke to them about being there to learn from them to help them get to their goals. At the end, she turned to Tawan and smiled as she raised a hand to her and complimented her efforts and hard work thus far. She said she looked forward to learning from her the most and helping where needed.
Mr. Tek closed the meeting once anyone who had a question for their guest had been answered. As everyone exited the conference room, murmurings and whispers about the unknown future, Mr. Tek stopped Tawan and told her to stay behind. She nodded and went to stand behind a chair, resting her hands on the headrest and trying to not look at Chailai who had also stayed behind. He went to close the door and motioned for them to sit down making Tawan bite back a groan at having to listen to him talk more.
“I want you two to get to know each other now as quickly as possible,” Mr. Tek said as he sat at the head of the table by the door.
Both women nodded at him then quickly glanced at each other. Tawan would be lying if she said she did not feel even a little threatened by Lai. Not only did she have the resume to back her up, she also had a handsome beauty and style to match. Tawan thought she was her best dressed in pantsuits with button-up shirts, sleeveless shirts, or turtleneck sweaters, but Lai made her pause and rethink briefly.
Lai wore, quite obviously, some of the more expense brands and knew how to style them in a way that embodied masculine with a hint of feminism that made both the men and women in the office stop in their tracks.
Even Meena could not keep her eyes off her as she was being shown around by Mr. Tek. She stood in Tawan’s office starting out the window and commenting on how handsome the woman was and how she walked like she floated. Tawan had to refrain from rolling her eyes, because although she was keeping an open mind about the consultant in order to keep her blood pressure down, she still did not know if this woman could be an end to her career.
Her boss bringing her in really meant to her that he had no confidence in her abilities even if Tawan felt like this for a while and mostly ignored it until now.
“Yes, sir,” Tawan said quietly with a small nod.
Lai nodded in agreement as she looked at him to continue, stealing a quick glance at Tawan when she was not looking. She sat up straighter in her chair, keeping her right foot on top of her left knee, shooting her cuffs to clasp her hands in her lap. Though her expertise was a range of genres, mediums, and other lanes of writing and publishing, fashion was the one she always excelled best in. Having grown up in a wealthy family, she was no stranger to the nicer things.
“I am having a party next weekend at my home to welcome Lai,” Mr. Tek continued and looked between them both. “I would do it this weekend, but I have to be out of town and there is no time to prepare even then.”
“It will help us get to know each other without work pressures,” Tawan agreed and looked to Lai. She had to dig deep, but she knew she had to make this predicament work for her for now.
“That would be nice, actually,” Lai agreed and nodded at her. “I always say you can get more honest feedback with a little liquor courage. At least, it has worked for me, I should say.”
Tawan let out a small laugh which made Lai smile with her teeth. Mr. Tek seemed satisfied that his plan was working, so he stood and motioned to the door for them. It was almost lunch time, so he suddenly had another plan to force them to get to know each other sooner rather than later. As both women exited the conference room, he called them back and they stopped to turn to him.
“Lai,” he smiled and pointed to Tawan. “She knows some of the best food spots around here. You two should have lunch, show her around so she can get familiar, Tawan. She is a foodie like you.”
Tawan looked at Lai and smiled. “Of course. We can head out whenever you are ready,” she told her.
Lai smiled back and nodded. “Just let me grab my bag then we can go,” she said and walked off.
Mr. Tek was eyeing Tawan during their exchange. “I trust you to be a great host to our guest, Tawan. You are my right-hand,” he stated then stepped back into the conference room and shut the door.
Tawan had to bite back her response and instead rolled her eyes. Why he thought so little of her but gave her so much responsibility, she would never know.
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“Mr. Tek says we went to the same university,” Tawan said as she chewed her grilled pork.
“Mhmm,” Lai hummed, putting her finger to her closed lips as she also chewed her food. “I graduated a few years after you, I think.”
Tawan took a drink of her tea. “Maybe we passed by each other. My wife graduated a few years after you,” she informed.
Lai slowly nodded, seemingly in deep thought. “Small world, huh,” she mused, smiling quickly before taking a bite.
“Maybe if it wasn’t one of the largest and most popular universities in the country,” Tawan chuckled and spooned some rice.
“That is also very true,” Lai agreed and they both laughed.
They fell back into their conversation of trying to get to know each other better. Lai talked about working in New York and London, places she traveled, a little bit about her family, and the last job she worked before coming here. As much as Tawan wanted to dismiss the woman and the help that Mr. Tek thought they needed, she could not find a bad thing about her. She actually admired how she carved herself her own lane in her industry that created a demand she had not envisioned being so continuous and prosperous.
“So Mr. Tek says you have been happily married and with children for ten years now,” Lai started, placing her napkin in her lap and looking up. “Congratulations. That’s a beautiful thing.”
“Yeah, it is,” Tawan smiled, her eye whiskers visible, looking down in thought. “I met my wife when she was in her second year of college and I had graduated a few years before. We got married when she graduated and started our family a year after that. It’s been my best journey.”
“That’s nice,” Lai smiled a little, her lips twitching some.
Tawan was still deep in thought as she looked up. “So, do you have a family? Like married or kids or both?” She asked, her smile still radiating her pride.
Lai gave a rueful smirk and looked up. “Neither. I let the girl I want get away in college,” she told her as she looked back to her.
This information - that Lai liked women - was not as surprising to Tawan because she had the tomboy look with very femme features that Tawan felt she related to.
“Oh,” Tawan said quietly, taking a moment then wincing. “Sorry for asking. I shouldn’t be so nosey-“
“Hey,” Lai cut her off, smiling. “I brought it up, remember. Besides, there’s always a chance, right?”
Tawan gave her a confident smile, always a believer in love ever since she met Ira. If she were in Lai’s shoes, she would also want to believe that there would always be a shot at her and Ira getting it right if things had taken a different course. Before she met Ira, she had already planned to spend her days chasing her career goals and ambitions.
Luckily, and thankfully, she met Ira who made her realize that was not all life was supposed to be and she can want multiple things at once.
“Anyways,” Lai said, clearing her throat and sitting up straight. “Got any pics of the family?”
Tawan was now grinning as she pulled her cellphone out of her back pocket, always like the proud dad who would whip his wallet out to show off pictures of his family when away on business.
She showed Lai her home screen's background which was a picture from last year that Ira had sent her when she took the twins to the park on a summer day. It was a side selfie of them sitting under a big tree with Ira in the back and the twins sitting on her lap, all three of them smiling up at the camera. Tawan had been working hard around that time, so Ira would send pictures to keep her spirits up.
“This is one of my faves,” Tawan announced proudly.
Lai looked at her and then back to the picture. “They are beautiful,” she told her.
“That’s not even the best one,” Tawan continued and went to her family photo album.
As Tawan scrolled from picture to picture, Lai could feel the pride and adoration from the other woman beam onto her skin. There was a picture of Tawan showing her daughter a karate move in their backyard, Tawan’s son sitting on her shoulders wearing her sunglasses, Ira hugging her from behind at a party, and one of them all sitting down on the floor together in front of their Christmas tree with matching sweaters. Tawan also showed off some recent pictures from her time alone with the twins, specifically one of them in the movie theater that she said Ira loved the most on her time away.
“She loves to take them to watch animated movies,” Tawan informed as she sat back in her seat.
Lai just nodded and continued to smile, watching Tawan as she smiled brightly and scrolled through her cellphone a few more times. She locked it and put it back in her pocket before scooting back up to the table.
“You have a lovely family, Tawan,” Lai said and looked at her.
“Thank you,” she replied, tucking her hair behind her ear a little shyly. “Sorry. I can brag about them for a long time if no one stops me.”
“As one should when they have been blessed with a lovely family,” Lai stated and sipped her water.
Tawan smiled at her comment and took a second before changing the subject back to work. Lai jumped right into the flow of it as if her brain could hit a switch and automatically adjust in the moment.
Both women were on the same page about the direction the magazine should go and ways to get there. They both operated from the mindset that Vibe/Me needed to dig itself from its archaic methods and embrace the modern with homage to the past. This made Tawan sigh with relief, making Lai laugh, before she proceeded to tell her why she was being dramatic.
“Mr. Tek is a savvy businessman, but fashion and writing are art,” Lai said, raising her hands as if to frame her head. “Art and business do not mix. One requires you to have a heart while the other requires you to sacrifice it. They only mix for investment and supply purposes.”
“I like that,” Tawan agreed, nodding the same. “I’ve been trying to get him to be a little more risky, but he always pushes back. Even when I show him the numbers on how our competitors are doing.”
“The biggest challenge is going to be convincing him then,” she sighed, rubbing her chin.
“Yes, but with you here that might change,” Tawan said hopefully.
“We’ll figure it out soon enough,” Lai said and winked at her confidently.
Tawan smiled and Lai returned it before going back into her thoughts. For the first time in a very long time, Tawan felt like maybe Mr. Tek was not always going to be a problem. She hated that it took him hiring a consultant to be more open to different, more modern ideas for the magazine, but she would take her wins as they came and especially to avoid any more stress.
Lai was very smart and capable, not that she needed someone to save her to do her job, but that she could be a good ally. Tawan knew she had to milk this experience for as much as it offered if she were to survive her goal of five years as editor-in-chief with Vibe/Me Magazine.
With that thought, she took a deep breath and smiled as she looked towards the next few months.