Gemscentric

Written by Julian Robov


Fifteen


Potch waited for Rudy at the Omni Collection, a jewelry store on the fourth floor of the World Trade Center. No sooner did she see him coming, Potch bid her host a quick sawadee (greeting) and proceeded to the parking lot with him. This time she had a Ferrari. There were several onlookers staring at them, as she drove towards Victory Monument, and then turned right to Phayatai Road.
“I think you will like the house. It’s on private land and belongs to Busaban. You see, you need a permanent shelter, and I believe this is the one you were looking for,” she said while stopping in front of a Chinese-looking house.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit too early?” Rudy asked.
“Nothing is too early. You’re not a teen-ager anymore. Okay let’s get in,” she commented.
They entered through a carved door, and from the first impression, he realized the place was something very different. The architecture, theme, and the water flows, all had a genuine uniqueness, as he walked through the entrance lobby. A broad verandah, granite wall frames, dining pavilion overlooking the serene green pool reminded him of one sure factor. Whoever built this masterpiece had an acute obsession for privacy.
The spectacular high ceiling bedroom took his breath away, as he stood in awe wondering what she had in mind. It was a fusion of different cultural trends portraying Indian, Balinese, Thai, and Chinese themes.
“Do you like it?” she asked. He didn’t know what to say, but knew one thing. Offending her meant no more companionship.
“I think I like it. Maybe, I can turn this into an office and residence as well,” he remarked, while strolling through the front garden.
“Busaban should be here any moment. I think ,” she added. “I forgot to tell you this. Having an office on Silom is not that good. It may be a business street, but not enough privacy. In fact, you don’t need to go anywhere. She has installed state of the art communication equipment for business. And also there is a servants quarters, so your food problem is taken care of. What else do you need? Perhaps few visits by us to keep you informed so that you will always be happy.”
“How much is all this going to cost me?” Rudy glanced at Potch.
“You don’t have to worry about that now. Busaban always does business fairly. Ah, there she is…” Potch walked to the front lobby to greet Busaban. They sat on a wicker chair on the verandah to ease the situation.
“Do you have houses like this elsewhere?” Rudy asked.
“In fact many. We travel often to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore all the time because of our business and friends. When we spot a new design it is immediately transplanted to Thailand in one of our family properties. So you will see a lot of these traditional style houses, and I hope you will like it,” she answered.
Busaban went on and on talking about the Chinese characters involved in the design, and the awaiting luck and fortune for the residents. The spirit house was one such example. She even suggested consulting a feng shui expert in case he needed any renovation to meet his style. After a pause, Busaban began talking like a business woman.
“I sell houses like this one only to close friends, who keep three or four houses for investment purposes. Since you are a close friend of Potch, I have decided to sell it all for ten million,” she concluded. Rudy thought for a while before making a decision.
“Agreed. Cash in five weeks. Is that okay?” Rudy asked with a smile.
“No problem. It’s yours,” she said. They shook hands in the presence of Potch, and later they walked together for a detailed inspection.
“We thought of an idea. May be you will like it,” Potch interrupted.
“Sure. Why not now?” Rudy added.
“Busaban and Khanita did like the idea. We’ve just bought a thirty storied building on Rachadapisek Road, and have decided to call it The Blue Color City Tower. In fact, it was just a thought, we’ve decided to invite you so that we all could work together. That means Khanita will get involved in bringing more tourists through her wide network of tour operators from around the world, and Busaban has blue sapphires coming from her mine and, of course, you will market her stones, and yours as well if you wish. That way we have a brand, and people will trust our stones. We have also decided to work with an independent gem testing laboratory to certify our gems regarding their natural origin, treatments, and what not. We will have to discuss it in detail later. Are you with us?” Potch asked.
“Of course, I am, count me in,” Rudy said.
“That’s good. I knew you would like it. It’s good that we are now all working like a team, aren’t we?” Busaban added.

Hours later they were in their cars, Busaban driving towards Rangsit. Potch and Rudy decided to ease the time at the Sheraton Grande on Sukhumvit Road. They took their seats in the bar, as the jazz music took the beat. But his mind was orbiting elsewhere. Putting together the numbers seemed easy at first, but expenses kept creeping from elsewhere—like the house purchase.
“What are you thinking? Don’t think too much. It’s not good for your health,” she said. After ordering from the menu, she then continued, “and after all I’ve been with you all the time in need. By the way, my husband is coming in two days time. He wants to modernize the antique Chinese telecommunication systems. Believe it or not, with a couple of his close friends, including the Chinese government, they have closed the deal. He is good in that kind of stuff, but not always the way I want to be.”
“What does that mean?” Rudy interrupted. The food arrived.
“You know something. I feel safe talking to you because we have known each other for a long time. All my friends have this problem. Their husbands just don’t know how to handle their wives sexually. They are good in making deals and money. After all with all this wealth and status, and if we don’t get what we want, then relationships with other men become common. At least this is true among my friends. The kids have no idea what’s happening behind the scene. And I hope, they won’t,” Potch said in a low tone.
“What do you want me to do?” Rudy had no idea what she had in mind. The only alternative left was to probe gently.
“Stay with me,” she added, “and you have been faithful to me all the time. I appreciate that. You are the one filling my needs. Don’t go away.”
Rudy looked around to note if anyone was watching them. The bar had only a very few occupants, mostly tourists. The music continued in full blast—that was good. At least no one was listening to their conversation. She was getting emotional and needed his company at any cost.
“I understand,” Rudy replied.
“Do you really want to open an office on Silom? Your enemies will be out for your life. It costs only a few thousand to hire a assassin. That’s the value of your life. I don’t know much about the men you deal with, but believe me when it comes to money and protecting their interests, human lives are worth nothing. So please be careful with those shady characters. I don’t want you to be seen taken as a captive again. I couldn’t sleep well for the past six years,” she said pressing his hands gently. It was a very emotional moment for both of them.
“It won’t happen this time,” Rudy said. The waitress left the table after collecting the bill.