The Other Woman, Private Secretary to a Daughter of Exxon Oil
Yes, I did have that job. Yes, it's 592 pg. manuscript, no, it's not a "tell all." It's a "show how" even a bottomless checkbook cannot make life's ugly shit disappear. By the Grace of God I was employed by an ethical rich woman. Yes she had bad hair moments, but never bad hair days. She had class and shared it.
Manuscript Synopsis
Here is an intimate memoir of the private secretary to an extraordinarily wealthy citizen of the 20th century, Jane Blaffer Owen, a daughter of oil money from both parents and a Grande dame of Houston, Texas. She was also a developer, art patron, largest property owner, hostess extraordinaire, and businesswoman with 160 employees in a historic town on the banks of the Wabash River. Additionally, she was a wife, mother, grandmother, Episcopalian, and Republican with immense power in many circles of American culture. She was old oil money and made a point to snub new oil money Barbara Bush for a passionate cause. The “other woman” image shifts to one woman of wealth and power versus another woman with gumption to stand in the face of power.
The Other Woman opens with a letter to a young friend, Kate, with a simple introduction to the legendary town, New Harmony, Indiana, and the new people Chadwick met. The scene changes to a frank woman-to-woman account. Join two friends at a local brewpub, Bell’s Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo, Michigan. There, while enjoying good beer and fine art, Chadwick recounts her life, loves, 14-hour workdays and party nights for over six years.
The real-life fairy tale has elements of human spirituality and frailty, from the in-depth depiction of the powerful employer’s best traits to the evil characters who wrought havoc on underlings. Readers see how Chadwick, a wounded massage therapist, turned into a valued assistant. And yes, she did have opportunity to become “the other woman.” Did she?
