Sealing the Deal



- All Things Come Together



The meeting was nearly over and I was looking forward to relaxing. Three young ladies were going through the room topping off water and soft drinks in the ornate glasses on the black lacquer table. It was already 8pm on Thursday Tokyo time though after the week of solid negotiations any semblance of Jet lag was long behind me. All the heavy work was done, the contracts for a new line of electronic circuits and control systems was finally complete. Both our U.S. company and the Japanese conglomerate were coming out ahead. This stuff was easily four years ahead of any rival competitors and we knew it. So did they. The bidding had gone quietly, the governments had stepped aside and it was down to final signatures. That would happen tomorrow after our legal staff worked all day in the U.S. to finalize the paperwork with the changes. Life was looking good and two years of long hours and hard work were coming to a close. I could stand a vacation after this!



My train of thought was interrupted as one of the girls stepped behind me and brushed my arm gently as she topped off my soft drink. Her movements were far slower and more hesitant than they had been with anyone else. It was as if she held her breath anytime she was around me for the last week. She was ever present, but I knew not who she was. Always seeking something in my expression, and yet never said a word. Her face always impartial but just as she would turn away I