I was terrified of saying anything in case that it would be subjected to scrutiny. I thought that I was independent and had a mind of my own, but here it felt like I was a second-class citizen. There were women in business, but they really didn’t raise the bar for the rest of them. They followed along with the owners’ wishes. It was only if they were able to break free and become their own boss that they were given a bit more than a casual glance.
Michael closed the door gently like he was trying to make a point. August immediately slammed down his hands on the table so hard that it actually made me jump to my feet. I was shivering in place.
“I don’t even know what to say. I have more than enough money to fight them, but it would be a never-ending battle for years to come. I would lose my reputation. You haven’t said much. I know that he can be intimidating, but you have to stand up for yourself in order to be recognized. I didn’t like doing all the talking for us. We are a team and I would hope that you would act like one.” His anger towards Michael and his father was now spilling over. He saw me as a target and he was using me to get rid of some of that pent-up frustration that he felt.
“Honestly, I didn’t know what to say and everything that Michael said was in the face of what we believed. He came in here shaking your hand and I knew that something was wrong when he didn’t even look at me. I didn’t feel that it was necessary to say anything. He had a script before coming in here and he was following it to the letter. Nothing was going to make him deviate from what he was going to say.” I was just as angry and I wanted to scream, but to do so would only feed into their perception of us.
“I came here in good faith and they slapped that in my face. I thought that I had a good standing with Michael over the phone, but I see now that he was only putting on a face. Telling me what I wanted to hear and then slipping a contract through the cracks. I did take him lightly and he made me feel like we were on the same page.” August had turned a crimson red and I thought for sure that steam was going to come out of the top of his head.
I placed my hands on his shoulders in a gesture of good faith. I could feel the tension in his muscles and there had to be a way to relieve him of what he was feeling. I could think of one way, but to use my body in that fashion would be the wrong way to start this relationship.
“We have two days to think about what we’re going to do. It’s really not a long time, but we don’t have to think about it right now. Let’s get out of our head and do something fun. We’re here in a city that we don’t really know. I say that we embrace it.” I turned his head towards me and I saw the look of defeat in his eyes.
I could smell the Chinese Food cooking on the industrial sized Wok in the back of the restaurant. There was nothing like authentic Chinese Food. There was one place back home that had taken their recipe from their homeland and brought it to my table.
August looked anxious, but at least he had discarded that tie for a more casual approach. He had the first couple of buttons undone as if those buttons were choking off the air supply. He kept looking around and drumming his fingers on the table with that excess energy running through his veins.
“I know that it’s going to be difficult, but you need to calm down. There’s very little that we can do at this time of night. You’ve already put in calls to your lawyers and they said that they would get back to you in the morning. I heard their sigh of exasperation when you told them that you signed on the dotted line without them present. It almost seemed like they were laughing in your face. I’ve taken the liberty of ordering some of their favorites and I do hope that you will find it to your liking.” It felt like a lifetime ago when I had to deal with my ex-boyfriend that had come calling when I was just about to admit my feelings for August physically.
All those problems were thousands of miles away and there was something liberating about being here where nobody knew us. We could show affection but still got some strange looks from those that didn’t feel that it was appropriate.
“I just feel like such a fool for getting you involved. It was supposed to be an adventure and not some kind of purgatory where we are sentenced to five years of hard labor.” He had nothing to apologize for. He had always been straight with me. The only thing that we seemed to dance around was our feelings for one another. We were both to blame for that.
“It’s not your fault and they tricked you into thinking one thing and doing another. There’s always going to be those that believe that they are the only voice that matters. I should have said something in my own defense with Michael. There was this tension in the air that you could cut with a knife.” The girl that waited on us was mild. She never said much of anything and went back to the kitchen after she had taken our order.
“I should know better than to negotiate in good faith. I’ve been known in the past to play these same games. I should have known that it was going to come back and bite me in some way. They say that karma is a bitch and that has never been more evident than the way that Michael has treated us. I have never been spoken to like that before and I don’t ever want to be subjected to that again.” August had power, but it appeared that Mr. Nakamura had a lot more clout in a city that had his hand prints all over it.
“This falls on my shoulders as well. I should’ve been more diligent and done a detailed search on the Internet about their business practices. I went on the premise that everything was taken care of. I allowed you to take the lead on this one and I never even questioned how this was going to work. I know from my research of their culture that they can be stickler for details. Their laws are not up for interpretation. You do something wrong and you pay for it. Do you know that when they kill somebody here for a crime that they actually send the bill for the bullet to their loved ones? Like in business ignorance is not tolerated or accepted as an excuse or defense in a court of law.” I had already polished off the rice wine that they had brought over to the table for dinner.
“I was actually looking forward to learning about this city through your eyes. I’ve been here a time or two, but I never really took the time to look around. It was always about business. Being an architect is not the only thing that I have my hand into. I have the kind of money that allows me to invest in various ventures. I have lost my shirt, but that is par for the course.” August was ashamed of himself for letting his guard down. I imagined in some small way that he would blame me for that and rightfully so. I did take him off his game and made him vulnerable to the manipulation of others.
“This is not a good way to start a new business partnership. I feel that if it wasn’t for me coming into your life that you would’ve seen this coming. I hope that you don’t have any regrets coming here with me. I probably shouldn’t pull at that thread, but I need to know if what you feel is still as strong as it was before we left the states.” I waited for an answer and I thought that he would have given it to me quicker than he did.
It felt like forever, but it was only about a minute before he finally said what was on his mind. “I’m not going to lie and say that you didn’t affect the way that I do business. I can’t say for sure that things would be different if you were not in my life. I don’t mean that to sound like I regret anything. I don’t and I think that I can find a way out of this for the both of us and still save face with Michael and his father. I just don’t see it right now, but there’s always a solution. I’m sure that if we put our heads together that we will come up with some way that will benefit both parties.” I could see that his mind was whirling and that mumbling underneath his breath was his way of figuring things out.
“I’m sorry that you feel that way and maybe being together is not the answer to anything. I’ve never wanted to change you. I’m sorry to say that I did change you and it appears not for the better when it concerns seeing what is most likely obvious.” The food came, but I was in no mood to eat anything. I was not only mad at myself, but I was furious tha
t he would even consider that I was at fault.
“You did ask and I thought that it was a good idea to be open and honest. We need to show each other the courtesy of being upfront at all times. There can be no secrets between us. I still feel deeply for you and the love that we share will overcome any obstacle. I know how that sounds. I heard it coming out of my mouth and I almost began laughing despite my best intentions. We have been through a lot and this is just another thing in our way that we’re going to have to make sense of." August was at least referring to me as an equal and not just a partner in business.
I felt like I had put him in this position. He was doing nothing to discourage that belief. I could tell that he was having second thoughts. It was a woman’s prerogative to change their mind like a man changes his pants. I couldn’t decide what to do, but standing by him seemed to be the right thing.
I wasn’t at all ready for the taste sensation that touched my lips. The food and the egg rolls that were made by hand and not commercial in some kind of factory were something that you would have to experience to enjoy. The fortune cookies were lying there after we had finished our meal and we were both hesitant to open it up to see what our fortunes would read.
“I feel that I need to apologize. This can’t be easy on you. You came here because I gave you every reason to think that this was a fresh start for the both of us. It hasn’t turned out the way that I had envisioned. I’ve always believed that we make our own luck. We can turn this around and we just need to find a way.” He took my hand and held it lovingly with his thumb moving across the back to ignite old feelings that had never gone away.
“Fighting amongst ourselves is not going to accomplish anything. I dressed in this beautiful red dress with a plunging neckline and skintight against my frame to get your attention. I thought that when I came out of the bedroom to get ready for dinner that you would have said something or at least had your mouth wide open and your tongue hanging to the floor.” I could tell that some of the patrons were looking my way. It was only when their wives were otherwise indisposed in the bathroom that they gave me that unwanted attention.
“I haven’t done anything right since the moment that we arrived in this god forsaken country. I was foolish to think that this was going to make us happy. My father always said that if it looks too good to be true then it probably is. He would be so upset with me that I didn’t see this coming. I’m just glad that he’s not around to see it.” His connection to his father was very deep and his approval even now was paramount on his mind.
“We can both agree that the food is exemplary. I don’t know if I could eat another bite. There’s an old wives’ tale that says that if you eat Chinese that you’ll be hungry an hour later. I’ve never witnessed that for myself. That was a filling meal and one that makes me want to come back here again.” This place was close to where we were living. They had put us up at a very nice penthouse suite. They did that to keep us happy and not ready to make any waves. They thought that if they gave us luxury that we would roll over like a dog.
“Let’s forget about all of this ugliness and get back to the romance. I’m not much for the sappy things in a relationship, but I think that I could be convinced under the circumstances. I do love the way that you touch my hand. It shows that you are able to show intimacy. I don’t want either one of us to shy away from this.” I was trying to let him know that there was a way that we could make the best out of a bad situation. We didn’t have to let them have the power over us.
“I know you’re right, but it’s hard to think of anything else. I can’t get over the way that he spoke to me like I was beneath him. He probably feels that way every time that his father talks to him. It’s a vicious cycle and one that I regret making you a part of.” This wasn’t the first time that things had gone astray. His words did cut deeply like a cleaver that a butcher would use to make short work of a slab of beef.
“You can only account for your actions, August. What he does shouldn’t concern either one of us.”