[...] Always a disciplined and serious student, the former Michelle Robinson followed her plan from early on. It took her to Princeton University, to Harvard Law School, and on to a career at one of Chicago's top law firms. Then she met Barack Obama, a smart, charismatic young lawyer who changed her plans forever.
Michelle was working at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood. Barack, who had just finished his first year at Harvard Law, was a summer associate there, and Michelle, only a few years out of law school herself, was his adviser.
The two had a lot in common, except when it came to this: He wanted to date her. She had other ideas.
"I was more focused on my plan," she says while finishing a decidedly unhurried lunch at La Petite Folie, one of her favorite Hyde Park restaurants. "I had made this proclamation to my mother the summer I met Barack, 'I'm not worrying about dating . . . I'm going to focus on me.'"
Considering him a "friend," who was also "a great guy ... cute, really smart," she tried introducing him to other female friends.
He wasn't interested.
"He wanted to take me out and I didn't know that until he asked me out," she says.
She resisted, telling him, "I'm your adviser. Certainly that's going to look bad. That's just way too predictable. [We are] the only two black people here, and [we're] going to start dating?'
"I'm thinking, `No, that's just tacky,'" she recalls.
Eventually, the planner was persuaded and the date took place. [...]
| We got a lot out of Cassandra West's registration-required Chicago Tribune article "Her plan went awry, but Michelle Obama doesn't mind"
posted in articles on September 5, 2004 4:48 PM | t (0)
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