SPINSTER'S PLANS GONE WRONG

CHAPTER 2: Yam's Baby Plan

Three years had already passed since Mariam had established her own accounting and law firm, with Kathleen as her only lawyer associate, and her cousin Julie, as her only CPA associate. Currently, she already had five CPA associates and five lawyer associates. They also occupied three floors of the corner office space of the Odessa Commercial Building. She also had plans for future expansion. So she had already reserved the recently vacated business space above their office and would have it included in the renewal of their lease by the start of the month of September.. The third floor had the legal services department, the second floor had the accounting services department, and the ground floor had her office, her management and support staff workplace, the conference hall. She was also a proud owner of her own house and lot in an executive subdivision in Madison City, where she was neighbors with Kathleen and Dexter, who had already gotten married a few months ago. Her parents were both retirees already. They just visited her every once in a while. But she still maintained the lease to her old apartment unit. There were times when she had to work overtime on a case. So going home to her house was not that ideal. Some of her associates and employees also used the apartment unit whenever they needed a place to stay for a night or two. Instead of just the usual one unit of queen-size bed, the bedroom already had two units of single-sized double-deck beds. It was not very far from their office. It was just about a ten-minute walk. So she only got to use her car if she had to meet a client outside the office.

Within those past three years, Mariam had just focused on her work. She had even rejected all her suitors. Most of her associates and employees were also female. Only a few were males, and they were the ones who did not mind having a Boss Lady.

Their accounting and law firm might not have those big clients of the big firms but they had a steady flow of revenues. Most of their clients were from the middle class. She had also faced Carlos in a number of cases in court and she had always managed to win against him, even if his clients were mostly big time. Dexter had also been working in their legal services department for a year already after being fired for a big case that he and Carlos lost together.

With Kathleen already pregnant with her first baby with Dexter, she felt a little envious. Margot had twin boys with Carlos months after their marriage. And her brother Martin and girlfriend, Bea, were already engaged to be married. Bea was already pregnant with their baby. They decided to get married after Bea had already given birth.

August 27, 2018. Monday. It was her 30th birthday. Before she told herself that at 30 she would probably already be happily married and have a child or two, and practicing her professions as a Certified Public Accountant and as a lawyer. But only her career goals had been realized.

That morning when she woke up, she felt that her body clock was already ticking. Although she knew that the recommended childbearing age for a lady was from 25 to 35 years old, she still felt that she must already have a child. So a plan came about - I did not like any suitors of mine, so I rejected them and just focused on my career. I don't think that I can even find a man whom I can fully trust. So I can just have a child. I should better know the cost of in vitro fertilization. But then I will also need a sperm donor. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is not yet being practiced here in the country, I still need to go to USA for that. And it could be very costly. Then perhaps I should start sleeping around with random guys. Anyway, I am a good judge of character. The man just needs to look clean and educated, and that will be fine. And of course, he needs to be interested in me. A lot of men had already flirted with me in the past. It wouldn't hurt if I gave in and flirted back. I can have the baby I want then. I just need to check on my gynecologist. The last time I visited her was when I was about to get married. I need to be sure first if my reproductive health is good. She can perform a preliminary fertility evaluation. She might also perhaps have an idea about sperm donors. I should better take this day off and enjoy my birthday leave. I should set an appointment with my gynecologist. A visit to my dentist could also be made today. I should set an appointment for that too.

So, she decided to call on her secretary to inform her that she would not be going to the office that day, but she should just call her if something very important needed her attention.

When Kathleen found out that she would not be coming to the office that day, she immediately called her up.

Mariam responded to the call - Yes, Kat. Why are you calling?

Kathleen's response was - Your secretary just told me that you would not be coming to the office today. I went to your house before coming here but your car was not in the garage anymore. I came to your office as soon as I arrived to wish you a happy birthday, but you were not there. Where are you exactly, Yam?

She gave her answer - I am now at Prime Care Medical Center. It will be my turn for a series of laboratory tests in a few more minutes. Then I will also go to my dentist for a dental checkup. I have not had any medical check-up since I left LLSU. I want to know my current overall medical condition.

Kathleen then informed her - Okay. Anyway, we have a big-time client who wants you to personally represent her. I will then schedule our meeting with her late this afternoon. You are probably done with your medical check-up by then. I did not expect that you would not come to work today even if it was your birthday. You still worked before during your birthdays.

She gave her approval - Well, you are the head of our legal services department. I am not just the owner of our firm, but also a lawyer working in your department. So rest assured that I will meet this client, madam. We don't discriminate when it comes to our clients, anyway. We accept all who want our services and charge them a reasonable fee.

Kathleen then said - Anyway, happy birthday. My present for you is already inside your office. See you later.

She acknowledged - Thanks. See you later then. It is already my turn now. Bye.

Their law services department provides consultation and services for an individual or a business, which specifically includes: consultation for legal advice or the review of documents like wills, leases, and agreements; mediation to help disputing parties to reach a mutually agreeable settlement; arbitration to make a binding decision to settle a dispute; preparation of legal documents; and representation of clients in negotiations, court, or arbitration.

As the head of the legal services department, Kathleen focused more on the consultation for legal advice and the review of documents, as well as the preparation of legal documents during their first year of operation. She also usually handled the pre bono consultation and representation to the poor. She also made sure that they always had clients. Mariam, on the other hand, was in charge of the mediation, arbitration and representation services of the legal services department. But as their firm progressed, all of their lawyers already performed mediation, arbitration and representation functions. But the management of the law services department, as well as the consultation and preparation functions were still done by Kathleen along with their legal staff.

As for their accounting services department, it provides basic day-to-day bookkeeping, tax services, auditing, management consulting, fraud investigation, and financial oversight. Mariam's cousin from her father's side of the family, Julie Acosta, had been the head of that department since they started. Julie had just passed the CPA Licensure examination when she personally applied to be an associate in Mariam's accounting and law firm. She might not be included in the top ten passers of the CPA Licensure Examination, but she was trustworthy, honest and hardworking. She was also very willing to learn more from Mariam, having been a practicing CPA and an accounting professor for so many years before she practiced being a lawyer. She idolized Mariam, but she focused more on enhancing her craft. Mariam had advised her to pursue a master's degree in accounting. That way, if she wanted to part from working with Mariam, then she would have an edge over another CPA. But Julie was very loyal to Mariam, she even made sure that her department would also bring in the same revenue or even higher than what their legal services department brings for their firm. Julie was not gifted with beautiful looks. She was just an average looking lady with average intelligence, who just happened to be very hardworking. With Mariam as her mentor, she felt more confident. Mariam had helped her a lot when she was just taking accountancy and when she was reviewing for her licensure examination. They even took a master's degree in accounting together for two years and had already graduated the previous year.

After all the medical check-up as well as the gynecological check-up, her gynecologist, Dr. Amanda Del Castillo-Alvarez, told her the answer to all her inquiries, "The results of all your tests are within normal range. As per your reproductive health, everything is normal as well. But the ability to get pregnant starts to decline by the age of 30. So, if you have a boyfriend, you should already be thinking of settling down and having kids. This decline becomes more rapid once you reach your mid-30s. By the age of 45, your fertility will have declined so much that getting pregnant naturally will already be unlikely. As per your menstrual cycle, they are still within normal range. You have to take note of your ovulation period because it will be the time when you can get pregnant. You are actually ovulating right now and if you happen to have unprotected sex right now, there is a possibility that you might get pregnant. As per your question regarding sperm donors, in vitro fertilization, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, these are not common practices here yet in the country. And if they are being practiced in some big hospitals, the sperm donor is usually the husband. There are only a few fertility centers in the country and they are very costly. Having anonymous sperm donors is also still not being practiced here. Why are you asking anyway? You are a very pretty lady to be thinking about an anonymous sperm donor."

Her answer was, "Well, I just asked out of curiosity, doctor. A friend of mine just wants to have a baby but not get married."

After all of her medical check-up, she already went to her dentist for her appointment. By the time she was done mid-afternoon, she went to their accounting and law firm's office.

She called up Kathleen using her hands-free Bluetooth Mono Headset, on her way to the office.

Kathleen answered after a few rings - Yes, Yam. Are you on your way back here now?

Her response was - Yes. So, what time did you schedule the client meeting?

Her best friend's answer was - 5 PM.

She asked - May I know who this client is?

Kathleen gave the name - Louisse Manzano

She asked for confirmation - The beauty queen celebrity wife of our Senator?

Kathleen confirmed - Yeah, and it will be an annulment case. And the opposing lawyer is no other than your ex again.

She then inquired - Who will be my partner in this case?

Kathleen's response was - I assigned my husband to work with you. We need some guy's perspective in a case like this.

Her reaction was - That is true! Anyway, do they have a pre-nuptial agreement? How many children do they have? Does she want full custody of the children? Or is she open to joint custody?

Kathleen said - They have a son and a daughter, who are 2 years old and 2 months old respectively . She wants full custody of her children but she is amenable with regards to visitation rights.

Her next question was - What is the ground for annulment? Is it psychological incapacity?

Kathleen gave the answer - No. It is a bigamous marriage. The senator had a previous marriage. Our client secured a Certificate of No Marriage from the Filipinas Statistics Authority upon suspecting that her husband was keeping something from her and then she found out that her husband had a previous marriage.

Her next inquiry was - Did the senator file a declaration of presumptive death?

Kathleen's response was - Yes. It was filed during his first attempt at getting married again four years ago. But the wedding with his previous fiancee did not push though. Our client confronted the senator. He told our client that he filed for a declaration of presumptive death of his first wife so their marriage is valid. But our client still hired a private investigator. So, she found out that his first wife was still alive, raising a son as a single mother in the State of Cirabi. The first wife left the senator a month after their marriage. She was pregnant then. He was not in politics at that time yet. Our client also found, based on a private investigation, that the senator had been financially supporting his first wife and his son, even after the declaration of the presumptive death of his first wife. She also had proof of his violence against her as well as proof of his infidelity all throughout their marriage.

She voiced out her reaction - Any annulment case is difficult. We need to prove the ground for the annulment that has been set forth. Since no formal case is still submitted, we need to decide which course to take; bigamous marriage, psychological incapacity, or fraud. What is your take on it?

Kathleen's answer was - I am leaning more on bigamous marriage even if there was a declaration of presumptive death. He knew that his wife was alive and that they had a son after he filed that declaration of presumptive death. But he still used that excuse to contract a second marriage.

She then concluded - I think we should go for nullity of marriage instead of an annulment. As you said, even if there was already a declaration of presumptive death, he knew exactly that his first wife was not dead. Yet he still pursued our client. He committed fraud just to be able to enter a marriage that was invalid from the very start. So a nullity case will void such a marriage. We just need all the evidence we can get to prove the invalidity of their marriage. You know what to do next.

Kathleen remarked - You are right! This could end his political career. He is a lawmaker and yet he violated the law.

She agreed - Yes. A man like him should not be part of the law-making body of the country. He is a big disgrace to our state.

Mariam reached the office building at around 4 PM. She was surprised to see her family, friends and co-workers at a small birthday celebration gathering that Katleen and Julie had arranged on the ground floor of their office space. There was lots of food for them to eat together.

Her sister, Margot, was also there with her twin sons, Caden and Caleb. She had not worked anymore as a nurse since she got married. She was a full-time wife and mother already. Mariam tried to be civil with her, but she avoided talking to her. When all her well-wishers had also greeted her, she went to her office to study the nullity case of their new client.

When their client arrived at around 5 PM, they accommodated her in the small conference area in her office.

Louisse Manzano immediately asked, "Why is the wife of Atty. Carlos Medina here?"

Mariam answered, "Because she is my sister, Miss Manzano."

Louisse then conjectured, "So, your sister is the other woman of Atty. Carlos Medina. That is why your engagement with him was called off."

She gave her truthful answer, "Yes," then she said, "Rest assured that we will treat your case with the utmost care. We give our best to all of our clients, no matter who they are. So, if you still want us to represent you, then let us discuss all the details already."

The beauty queen celebrity felt very assured, so they discussed all the details of the petition for nullity that they would file before the week ended.

After the client meeting, Mariam and Katleen had a talk then.

Mariam told her best friend, Atty. Kathleen Dy, "Thinking of all those annulment cases we handled since we practice law together makes me think of not getting married anymore. I just want to have a child, Kat."

Kathleen's reaction was, "Are you out of your mind, Yam? Just because Carlos cheated on you does not mean that all men cannot be trusted."

Mariam's reply was, "You are just saying that because you and Dexter have a happy married life."

Kathleen then asked her, "So how will you have a baby then? You still need a man. In-vitro fertilization can be very expensive. And it is just usually practiced here for married couples. Who will be your sperm donor? Intracytoplastic sperm injection from an anonymous sperm donor is not legalized here yet in the country. In the same way that surrogacy is not yet legally permitted here. You have to go to other countries like the USA to realize this."

Mariam then casually said, "Then I will just sleep around."

Kathleen remarked, "You really have lost your mind already!"