Gemscentric

Written by Julian Robov


Fifty Three


Rudy went to Potch’s new condominium on Rachadapisek. She was expecting him for an important announcement. As always he had a way of surprising her. Just one second before three thirty, he rang the doorbell.

She was wearing Pauline Trigere crinkled silk full-length evening gown in V-neck halter-style with diamond-studded black netting covering entire back and the full-length sleeves, with high front slit, wine glass in hand.
“You look different. Are you fine? Drinks?” she asked, holding his arm.
“Yeah! I just had a meeting with Lec, a good friend, and had a couple of drinks. That’s all,” he said charmingly. She liked it.
“Well, I must tell you this,” she continued. “I had a chance meeting with a retired geologist, and now a farmer from Queensland, Australia. We met in New York, during my last trip, at a private gathering, hosted by the Thai embassy. Later, I found out his farm was full of sapphires crystals and other gemstones, and he wanted to sell the farm to the right person so that he could also remain there, till he dies. For some strange reason he had difficulty finding a buyer in Australia. His wife had passed away a few years ago with no children. He had been fascinated by the Thai culture, and happened to be a friend of the Ambassador, while he was serving in Australia. He had been living with the Ambassador as his guest for a few days, so there we go. The thing is, I have decided to purchase the farm for you, and in fact I did consult with a gemstone specialist in New York, who had experience heat-treating rubies and sapphires. It was made possible because of Peter. In his opinion, the blue sapphire crystals are perfect with no color zoning, no secondary hues such as violet or green, and they don’t need treatment. The crystals are not tabular in shape, but bi-pyramidal. Meaning, we have discovered a huge source of untreated blue sapphires for the rest of our life. The deposit should produce good crystals for at least fifty years. The quality of color is as good as Pailin or Burmese. My gut feeling is you are going to be the next blue sapphire king. What do you think?”
Rudy sat speechless gazing at her in disbelief. She poured more wine into his glass, and he gulped his, waiting to hear more.
“And, I met Madonna too?”
“You did?”
“I had dinner with Al Pacino, a close friend. In fact, I have invited him to Bangkok as well. I want him to make a movie on gem dealers with Robert De Niro. We have money but no talent in this country.”
“He is my personal hero. You didn’t tell me he was your close friend. Anything to do with……?”
“Nothing to do with blue sapphires nor gemstones,” she added. “A quiet chit-chat. In fact, I am planning to invite Madonna for the grand opening of Blue Color City.”
He looked up at her. “There will be a riot or an imminent earthquake, if she visits Bangkok.”
“That’s what the city needs at present,” she said, raising the glass slightly.
He nodded.
“How is your new company? Is Seri acting honest?,” she inquired. “My friends have been reminding me of mysterious dead bodies floating in rivers, some even hanging from telephone line posts. Is Silom moving forward to replace Bogota (Colombia)?”
“I think the whole incident is exaggerated,” he said tactfully. He knew the newspapers always had the edge to sensationalize whenever they were killings or even simple accidents. But he had to tread carefully knowing well that Potch was not gem market novice. She knew what was going on in general.
“You know, I always disliked some of the gemstone dealers in Silom,” she repeated. “They are dishonest, dislike change, and arrogant. It’s not good for the image. The world is changing and they have difficulty understanding the concept. I’m deeply worried about you.”
“I’m just fine. Bill, Gary, Toni and James are working hard these days. In two weeks our entire operation should look different, but professional. No more hanky-panky friends. It will be clean, flawless, with no included personalities,” he said slowly.
Half an hour later, they were sitting in the kitchen hungrily eating a casserole of pasta, rice crackers and onion dips, fermented noodle with mushroom in coconut milk, vegetable salad with dressing, and a tray full of fruits.
After the dinner, she tactfully withdrew to her bedroom. He sat numb, his head spinning from the excessive drinks, and curious mix of vegetables and herbs, but waited. When she returned, he was handed an envelope. He opened gingerly for the content. He wiped his weak to inert eyes repeatedly to make sure he was not dreaming. And then he looked up at her.
“Are you serious?”