Jade Lotus

On the sixteenth story of a New York high rise; Kendal Archer was planning the biggest move of his career.  As he put the finishing touches on the pitch for his Japanese customers, victory felt closer than ever.  Checking a few last minute emails was all that stood between him and a much needed run through his favorite park. Scanning through mundane drivel was one of the aspects of his job he hated, but maintaining good customer service was the key to his success.  The last email in his inbox stared out at him.  Suddenly the addressee’s name registered.  Why would Mark, his old roommate from college, be sending an email to his work address?  That was odd.  He never received personal email on this account.  Smiling at memories of his old pal he opened the email.  The instant heat of fury blazed through him as the words of the email penetrated his brain.  Months of hard work flashed through his mind.  Few people in his business maintained complete integrity and thankfully his old friend did.  Mark was giving him a heads up on the hostel take over that was about to happen to the deal he was preparing.  Having an ally that worked in the mortgage industry was proving invaluable.  Resentment stung as he plotted his next move.  It was hard to fight off the unpleasant memory that was creeping into his conscious. Working for Hachiro Atsuko was his first job fresh out of college.  He liked to think he landed the job because Mr. Atsuko saw his potential, but in the end he wasn’t so sure.  He worked for Mr. Atsuko for five years with the promise of a promotion fueling his work ethic every minute he spend in Mr. Atsuko’s employ.  Everyday he strove to do the best job he could for his mentor. It was his tremendous work ethic and attention to details that made Mr. Atsuko trust him with one of Atsuko Enterprises biggest deals.  Bitterness now mixed with the memory of triumph he felt so long ago.  Scheduling a pitch to clients that Mr. Atsuko had been trying furiously to obtain was a great victory.  Preparation for the pitch was meticulous.  Sleepless nights were a sacrifice he didn’t mind making if it helped win Mr. Atsuko’s confidence.  The edges of the rough memory continued to pull together from the corners of his mind.  The day of the pitch arrived with stunning speed.  He could still smell the lemon scented cleaning products used on the conference room he demanded be thoroughly cleaned twice before his big presentation.  Mr. Atsuko insisted on being present for the meeting and he was glad.  This was his chance to show off all of his hard work. The staccato clap of the hard sole shoes warned him of the approaching clients.  He sucked in a deep breath and plastered a welcoming smile on his face.  Mr. Atsuko and the clients entered the conference room.  He welcomed the clients with a curt bow, as was their custom.  “Kon nichiwa, gentlemen.” The subtle use of a Japanese greeting was meant to make the customers feel more at home.  Motioning for the clients to take a seat, fear set in as the moment of truth arrived.  Old inspiring speeches from his high school football coach played like a mini pep rally in his mind as he began to speak.  See, believe, achieve, reverberated like a positive echo in his mind, encouraging him to proceed without fear. Just as he was about to begin, Mr. Atsuko joined him at the head of the table.  Good, Mr. Atsuko’s show of solidarity would bolster the client’s confidence.  What happened next was completely unexpected.  Confusion rippled through him as Mr. Atsuko motioned for him to sit and began making the presentation that he had prepared.  Watching with shock and horror, he felt his dream wash out from underneath him.  Mr. Atsuko shook the clients hands at the end of the presentation and never even bothered to mention his name.  Disbelief that his employer would blatantly steal his credit brought angry bile up from his stomach.  He closed the glass door of the conference room and waited for his chance to address his employer.    Blood pumped furiously in his head and ears as he confronted his boss. “That was my pitch.  If you wanted to make the sale to the client then we should have discussed it beforehand.  You didn’t even mention my name while you gave a presentation that I prepared.” Mr. Atsuko shrugged his shoulders and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Kendal, if you want to get ahead in this game you have to take charge.  You did a good job preparing, but I felt like the client would respond better if I made the pitch.” The callous words of his employer chaffed at his ears. “So you just take the credit for my hard work?  Where does that leave me?” “That leaves you with a job if you stop this childish tantrum.” His employment at Atsuko Enterprises ended with that statement.  He didn’t give his former a mentor a notice.  Allowing himself to be used as a pawn was out of the question, but Mr. Atsuko was right about one thing.  He didn’t need to throw a tantrum of the shady events of the day.  Instead, he just slipped out the front door and never looked back.  Despite all the success he had accomplished since then, the bitter feeling of betrayal never left him completely.  In some strange way he should probably thank Mr. Atsuko for his betrayal.  That feeling of helplessness propelled him into starting his own company.  The success of Archer Acquisitions couldn’t have escaped the attention of Hachiro Atsuko.    Now it seemed that Mr. Atsuko was looking to betray him again.  Kendal called out to his assistant. “Jane, get Hachiro Atsuko on the phone, now please.” Jane walked to Kendal’s door. “It’s four a.m. in Tokyo, would you like me to set up a conference call at a more appropriate time?” “No Jane.  I doubt that old dragon sleeps.  Get him on the phone.  I don’t care what it takes.  Just do it.” Animosity oozed through his veins as he thought of what to say to his nemesis.  Being fooled once by the cunning Mr. Atsuko was all he could handle.  His overworked assistant was bearing the brunt of his foul mood.  The cold feel of his mahogany desk did nothing to cool his ire while his assistant scrambled to connect him to the object of his irritation. “Mr. Atsuko is holding on line one,” called Kendal’s assistant. Good, at least the old man had the guts to talk to him.  He lifted the phone off its cradle and took a deep breath before addressing the party on the other line. “Hachiro, I heard that you’re trying to draw first blood on the Tokyo Deal.  How very much like you to try and come in at the end when all the hard work is already done.” Kendal paused to give his adversary a chance to respond.  Hachiro Atsuko was a force to be reckoned within the Japanese real estate development market. “Mr. Archer, you speak my first name as though you have been given permission to use it.” Kendal rolled his eyes heavenward as his stuffy rival spoke.  After five years of indentured service Mr. Atsuko still held himself above Kendal.  Well that was all about to change. “Yeah well, I’m guessing your attempt to polish my etiquette is to avoid answering my question.” “I’m not avoiding anything Mr. Archer.  That’s one of the benefits of being a native of Japan.  I can make moves in this country that you can only dream of.” He brought his fist to his mouth and bit down hard on his already white knuckles.  He had worked in Atsuko Enterprises’ New York office until Hachiro had taken credit for his deal.  It was because of that deal that Atsuko Enterprises was so renowned in Japan.  “Oh well, I guess you hadn’t heard Hachiro.  I’m moving to Tokyo today, so your home court advantage is about to go right out the window of your thirty floor high rise.  Who knows, once I land the Tokyo deal, I might open my own office in Japan.” “Give me a call when you get to town Mr. Archer.  I would be happy to take you to dinner.” He laughed out loud, “Why so you can poison my sushi?” Hachiro returned his chuckle. “I would never dream of it.  Besides with your reputation I would probably have to get in line to poison your food.  Good day Mr. Archer.” “See you soon, Hachiro.” He slammed the phone back onto its cradle.  He didn’t even stop to think about the rash decision he was making.  Fire to upstage Hachiro Atsuko burned to brightly in him to allow for prudent planning.  He bellowed for his assistant. “Jane, book me on the next flight to Tokyo, and have someone go to my apartment and pack up my clothes.” “Right away Mr. Archer.  Are there any particular pieces of your wardrobe you want to make sure are included?” “Yeah, all of it.  I’m going to be running the show from Tokyo for awhile.” Shock registered on his assistant’s face, but she jumped to do his bidding. “As you wish, Mr. Archer.” He looked up as his assistant walked out of the room.  He really didn’t give the poor girl enough credit.  She was impeccable with her duties, and even though she was an attractive woman he never saw her use her physical attributes to get ahead.  He pondered his assistant for another moment before he called her back in to his office. “Jane, could you come in here again, please.” “Yes, Mr. Archer.” “Would you be interested in spending some time in Japan?” For the first time in the two years they had been working together he saw Jane become flustered. “Ah, well, um, I’m sorry, Mr. Archer.  I don’t know what to say.  How long would I be staying in Japan?” “Six months a year, however long it takes to close the Tokyo Deal and see the project safely under way.” He could tell by the horrified look on Jane’s face that he wouldn’t be taking his well-trained assistant with him to Japan. “Mr. Archer I appreciate the opportunity, but I have a child and I’m not comfortable making such a drastic change in our lives.  I’ll just go clean out my desk.” Realization set in that Jane thought he would fire her if she didn’t accept his offer.  He didn’t know why but that really bothered him.  Had he become such a tyrant that he would fire someone because they wouldn’t move to a new continent at his request?  He wouldn’t allow himself to operate like his former employer.  He addressed Jane before she had a chance to leave his office. “Ah, Jane, I wasn’t implying that you would no longer have a position in this office if you chose not to go.  Since Japan is out of the question I will need you to stay here and help run the things in my absence.  I understand there will be added duties so I will give you twenty percent increase on your salary.” For the second time he saw Jane become flustered.  He could be mistaken but he thought for a brief moment it appeared as though Jane might cry with relief.  True to form she composed herself gracefully and accepted his new offer. “Thank you Mr. Archer.  I will do everything I can to make sure your office continues to run smoothly.” “Thank you, Jane.  I’m going to run home and pick up an overnight bag.  Email the flight itinerary to my phone.” “Will do Mr. Archer.  Good luck with the Tokyo Deal.” “Thank Jane.  Mr. Atsuko won’t know what’s hit him.”  Flying first class was one of the job perks he usually enjoyed, but the fourteen-hour flight to Tokyo was something he wasn’t looking forward to.  The only flight from New York to Tokyo left at midnight.  Great, his insomnia would make sleeping on a midnight flight next to impossible.  Hours later as the lights of New York disappeared into the night sky he reclined his seat and closed his eyes. He tried the calm his mind enough to sleep.  He managed a three-hour nap before he inexplicably awoke.  His insomnia was baffling to him.  He enjoyed sleep, knew it was necessary to function at his best, but still he couldn’t ever seem to manage more than a few hours in a row.  He often wondered if his ambition ruled too much of his life.       He took a deep breath and raised his seat.  He buzzed the stewardess and asked for a bottle of water.  He looked down at his watch, damn; he had only been asleep for three hours.  The stewardess brought him his water.  With ten hours of the flight left he pulled out his laptop and began working on the details of the Tokyo deal.  He couldn’t completely distract himself from the boredom of confinement, but he was at least able to do something productive. The rest of the plane ride was a trial patience.  He liked flying because it gave him the rare opportunity to sit still, but fourteen hours of peace and quiet was too much.  His legs were stiff from being confined for so long and his back hurt from craning over his laptop.  Even in first class his six-foot-four frame was cramped.  When the plane finally touched down in Tokyo he couldn’t disembark fast enough. With the time difference he arrived in Tokyo in the middle of the night.  Wonderful, his body would be confused for days.  He checked his phone and found his assistant had emailed him a hotel reservation.  She had also arranged for a driver to pick him up at the airport.  He walked down the long corridor until he saw a man holding a sign that said Archer.  The efficient driver showed him to an elegant but sedate black sedan.  He climbed in the back seat and watched the neon lights of Tokyo flash past his window.  Even at midnight the city was bustling so it took nearly a half hour for the driver to reach the hotel.  As he stepped out of the car he thanked the driver in Japanese.  He had taken the time to time to learn the language in the last few months in hopes of gaining an advantage with his foreign clients.  He asked the driver to meet him again at nine o’clock in the morning then set off to check in the hotel. His assistant had booked him the Chairman’s suite at the Four Seasons.  Once inside, he walked to the wall of windows to stare out at Tokyo.  Tomorrow he would tackle one of his toughest sales yet.  Doubt began to well up in his chest as he thought about the tough sale ahead.  He needed to run. His assistant knew he liked to have a treadmill in his room wherever he traveled.  It only took him a few seconds to locate the treadmill in this room.  Thankfully it had been placed so that he could run and look at the view.  Despite his exhaustion he was too wired up to try and sleep just yet.  He changed into his running clothes and fired up the treadmill. After a long run and a warm shower he finally felt relaxed.  The thick comforter on the bed was a welcome cradle of comfort when he finally climbed into the bed.  As he drifted off to sleep he prayed that he could close the Tokyo deal.