Just business by Ber Carroll

Author:Ber Carroll
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bolinda Digital Pty Ltd
Published: 2005-05-14T16:00:00+00:00

Do you know what your husband did at the Christmas party?

The typed words were threatening on the otherwise blank sheet of A4 paper and she felt a little sick. She turned the page over to check if there was something written on the back. She checked the envelope again. Both the envelope and note were anonymous. What had Chris done at the party? Something bad? Or was it more likely to be something funny?

She decided this must be someone’s idea of a joke. She spent a few moments wondering who the joker was and then went back to work.

HDD had its headquarters in Mita, an hour outside Tokyo. Yoshi was staying with his parents on the other side of the city and the commute to the office was ninety minutes in total. Sitting on the crowded train, there was more time to think than he was used to. His sister still lived with his parents and all three had fussed over him since his arrival. There had been a big family dinner and a homemade cake. Yoshi felt very undeserving; all he could think about was his new lady friend back in Australia. He didn’t tell his family about her. They would certainly disapprove.

He got to the office for seven-thirty. The smoking room was full as he passed. It was an early start and it would be a late finish in the headquarters of the Japanese multinational. The staff worked their day around their superiors; it was important to be in before them and to go home after them. A young woman passed Yoshi in the corridor, giving a quick bow to acknowledge his importance. She, like the others, was very well dressed. The women spent a high percentage of their take-home pay on their clothes. Appearance was everything in Japan – it got you halfway to where you wanted to be. It was ambition that got you the rest of the way.

Yoshi made his way through the nondescript workstations until he reached the one occupied by Nishikawa Shacho. He couldn’t help comparing the humble décor to the pretentious offices of HDD Australia. Nishikawa Shacho was a vice-president and board member. He was infinitely more senior than Malcolm Young yet the workstation he occupied was smaller than that of Malcolm’s secretary.

In his late fifties, Nishikawa Shacho wore a charcoal suit with an immaculate white shirt. Yoshi bowed with respect and Nishikawa Shacho rose to return the greeting.

‘Murasaki San,’ the older man sat down, ‘for how long will we have the pleasure of your company?’

‘I plan to be here until the end of next week.’

‘We must have dinner one night.’

They always had dinner together whenever Yoshi was in town. In fact, nine times out of ten they would travel three hours outside Tokyo to Kyoto where Nishikawa Shacho liked to be entertained by traditional geisha. There was one particular geisha the vice-president liked to see. She was beautiful, articulate and very knowledgeable.

‘Thank you. I will arrange it with your secretary,’ Yoshi responded.

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