Dear Reader,

This is based on a true story. Just so you know. ; )

The year is 2007. A young woman (ME) takes a job as an Office Manager/Full Charge Bookkeeper for a roofing company.

I had just got married and this job was considered a promotion. So, naturally things seemed to be going perfect for me.

My first week of work seemed to go by quick, I barley so the owner of the company. I spend most of my time trying to clean up the mess of the woman I had replaced and also be trained on how the company works.

My second week of work, my boss (the owner of the company) starts to come in a lot. I can tell that the two females that worked there did not like him. In fact they seemed disgusted by him. They wouldn't talk to me, they didn't like me either. They liked their old office manager.

Anyway, the owner seemed to be a 16 year old boy trapped in an over weights man's body.

The first time I felt uncomfortable was when the company had a visitor.  The owner was making a joke about my height (I'm a little short) but he followed it up by saying that I would need a stool to give him a blow job.  When I heard that I felt the blood leave my face.  I had never had a man talk to me or about me like that.  I have been fortunate enough to be around respectful and educated men. He left the building soon after that comment with the visitor. I was in shock and wasn't sure what to do.  At this point, I didn't even know that was considered harassment. I know that sounds stupid but it's true. 

The next time another incident happened. We were all sitting in the break room having lunch. The owner reaches over and pulls my hair back so hard that my had comes back and he ask if I like that. I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to say.  Plus, all his friends/family/ male employees were standing around laughing.

Finally, the two young ladies felt comfortable enough to talk to me, and they just unloaded a world of information on me. About the owner. They also complained to me about how they didn't like the way he talked, or the vulgar jokes he made to them or in front of them.

I confronted the owner about it and his response to me was if they didn't like it they could get the F**k out.  With in two weeks the two girls were fired.

He continues to be a disgusting pig and hires two new young ladies. I wasn't involved in the hiring process as I should have been. He choose the two girls he was the most attractive to.

Some men make the mistake of thinking a pretty woman is also stupid. In this case, he was right about one of them.

So the smarter girl starts to complain to me about how the owner keeps asking her questions about her sex like or makes comments to her about sex in front of his friends/employees/family.

She shares my frustration. I had been looking for another job but then something happened. I learned that I was pregnant.  No wonder I was gaining so much weight. I started to get that awkward body look that most women get in the 1st trimester. It's called gaining weight with a purpose. I mean I start to look pregnant. The more I gained the more the owner looked at me in disappointment.

I finally decided to tell the owner that I am pregnant. I figured it would be hard for me to find a job while I was pregnant.

He is not happy and he starts asking me all these questions about my birth control usage.

In front of the whole office, he ask why wasn't I on birth control? You don't plan on taking a maternity leave do you? I can't have you take a maternity leave? You don't plan on having any more do you?

Later I asked him if I could get on the company insurance group. He told me know because I was pregnant I could make the rates go up. In fact none of the females were on the insurance plan. Just the men.

I am so frustrated by now with my situation. The young woman and I start talking, and I started doing some research on the internet about bosses from hell.

I come across the EEOC website. I tell the young lady about how everything he is doing to us is considered, sexual harassment, hostile work environment,  gender discrimination and so on.  After talking with her, I decided to go to the EEOC office and talk to somebody.

I end meeting with a EEOC intake person. I tell him everything and he makes me believe that I have rights and somebody cares about them.

He tells me that I need to file a charge against the owner and the company. So I do.

A few days later I learn from him after I have already filed the charge that the owner gets a copy of the charge.

I was modified, because I didn't know when it would come in the mail and what would happen. I probably failed to mention that the owner had a bad temper and was in jail for a long long time for attempted murder. So, yes... when I learned that this man was going to get a copy of everything I said.. I was so so so very scared. 

So, the day came when the copy of the charge came from the EEOC.  The owner was not there when the mail came in.. So I decided to leave the office and go pick up checks.

I felt as though my heart was in my stomach and I could not breath.. All the bad things just started rushing through my head. What if I get fired.. I am the main bread winner for my family.. How am I gonna find another job.. when I'm already starting to look pregnant. I was really stressed out.

I go home that night.. and just talk to my husband.. I don't have to be to work early the next day because I have a scheduled ultra sound with my obgyn.

I had started feeling cramps and my back hurt, but I didn't think nothing of it.  My husband, daughter, and I show up to my OBGYN the nexct morning excited for my ultrasound.. just to find that there was no baby inside me.  I couldn't believe it.  I went on to have two more ultra sounds just to confirm.. I didn't want to accept the fact that I had a miscarraige.  I let my work know that I had a miscarraige and I would not be into work that day.  I was told to make sure that I was there monday.

I checked myself into the emergency room.. telling them that  I was pregnant when asked.. they did blood work on me and an ultra sound.. My blood came back showing I was pregnant but only because I still had the hormone for pregnancy but I had already lost my baby.

I felt like it was my fault.. I should have just left that place rather then deal with the stress.. I should have taken the chance to find a new job even if it was less pay. Maybe I would still have my baby.

Well, I go to work that Monday.. and I get fired for doing a charge with the EEOC. The owner said I violated the confidentiality agreement I signed when I started working there. 

So, I go to the EEOC and meet with the same intake person that helped me do the charge the first time. He tells me to file a retailation charge againts the owner for wrongful termination.

So.. I did.. and two years later I have heard nothing from the EEOC. So all that for nothing..