of time and money in the long term. That suggestion would be to first select only those employees that expressed an interest in taking the job; second, I would recommend that you send the best candidates there for a short stay to see who was able to adapt to the new environment. Better to spend a little money up front, than a lot of money later on.'
They said they could understand that, and agreed that it was probably the best thing to do.
'As for the second problem, keeping up with what's going on in the plant, that's a relatively simple task. You've got computers. The plant will have computers. All you really need to do is establish a link between the two sets of computers, and you're set. At this point, it could even be added to the plant's design with no trouble.'
I continued by telling them 'As for a liaison, I had a similar thought after I got over there, and planned to bring it up when I got back. From my knowledge of the country and culture, I think that you would be better off with a Filipino doing the PR-type work. But I can easily understand that you would have concerns about the effectiveness of such a person. So I'll add that an ideal candidate for such a job would also have some knowledge of, and even experience in, the United States – enough to have an understanding of OUR culture, and thus be able to act as a mediator for the inevitable conflicts between our culture, and theirs.'
Their manager told me 'I should have expected that you would have thought of that, Dan!' with a smile. He went on to say 'Do you have thoughts on how we could best go about finding such a person?'
'Actually, as it happens, I did meet a few people that would be good candidates. Most of them would require a little training here, to both get a refresher in our culture; and to learn your particular needs, such as how and why you manufacture things the way you do. Because of their culture, there would even be certain social benefits if such a person was female.'
At that last part, I heard Kelly give a small gasp – one that nobody else seemed to have noticed.
As they thought that one over, I looked down to where Kelly was trying not to stare at me.
A few minutes later, the manager told me 'It's pretty obvious that you've put a lot of time and thought and effort into this, Dan, and we appreciate it. As it stands right now, I expect there's a better than ninety-nine percent probability that we're going to go ahead with this project. If we do, we're going to want you on board, to handle the liaison details and help us find the people we'll need – not just there, but here, too. And of course, you'll be doing all of our I and C work, too. I'm extremely happy with the results you've given us; you'll receive full payment the day we get your invoice – and there won't be any fussing from our accountants about your expenses, either.'
I thanked him, then Kelly and I excused ourselves – it was clear to me that they were ready to make a decision and go.
Outside, and out of sight of their receptionist, Kelly suddenly grabbed me and pulled me into a fierce hug before kissing me to within an inch of my life. When she turned loose of me, I could see that she was starting to cry before she told me 'You! You had that planned the whole time, didn't you!?'
'Had what planned?'
'That bit about them hiring a Filipino – Filipin*a*! – to be the liaison between the company, and the government and everybody. You were thinking about that when you told Marilyn that you didn't think she was going to have to stay in that terrible orphanage for very long! You were going to try to find a way to get them to hire Marlyn for some job, weren't you?'
'Hmmm. That's a good idea – I wish I'd thought of it…' I answered.
Kelly just gave my arm a gentle slap, and told me 'You did think of it you big stinker! Oh! You just make me crazy sometimes!'
Then she saw me grinning at her, and wrapped her arms around me as she said 'You big softie. You're so devious with all your plans and schemes and all that – when all you're trying to do is help someone that deserves it. Sometimes I wonder why I stay with you.'
I hugged her and said 'Sometimes, I wonder why you do, too.'
She looked up at me and replied 'That's easy. Because I love you.'
I hugged her again, and told her 'I'm glad to hear that – because I love you, too.'
That settled, we got into my car and headed home. On the way, Kelly used her cell phone to tell Sarah that she could leave early if she wanted – that we wouldn't be back into the office until the next day.
Around midmorning the next day, Sarah let me know that I had a telephone call – and that it was from my client. Figuring that they just need clarification on some point or other, I took it, and said 'Good Morning, Bill. What can I do for you?'
'You can start getting your bags packed, Dan. We're going ahead with the project.'
Surprised (!!) at how fast they'd reached their decision, I asked 'Already? I figured it would be a couple of days, anyway.'
'Nope. I told you before we sent you, we've had this on our minds for a while. What you brought back for us was all we needed to make the decision – we were there till almost ten last night, hashing it out, but we settled it. I've got two lawyers that are ready to make the trip, any time starting two weeks from today. Today and Monday, I'm going to see if any of our young go-getters are ready to step into the big leagues.
If any of them are, they'll be going, too. How long would you need with them over there to see if they can handle it?'
'I think a week or so would do it.'
'Take two, if you need them. You've always done right by us, and I'm going to trust you to let me know which ones are my best bet. I'll be making the final decision, but what you tell me is going to count for most of it. I'm also giving you authority to hire our liaison person. So how soon can you go back?'
'Let me get in touch with my guide over there, and see when the best time would be. Time zones and all, it might be tomorrow before I have an answer.'
'That'll do. Aren't you going to ask what it pays?'
'I figured to scale it from last time, if that's okay.'
'It'll do for now. But we're gonna be working you, Dan, and I expect to pay for it. This project is gonna save us a chunk of change, and it's only right you get some of it.'
'Fair enough, Bill. I'll get things started, and we can haggle when I know more.'
'Good deal. I'll be waiting to hear from you.'
That ended the conversation, and I asked Kelly to come into my office.
She did, and all but screamed when she heard the good news. Sarah came in to see what all the fuss was, and surprised Kelly and I both when she did her own little victory dance – wearing an ear-to-ear grin.
I checked my watch, and realized that if we were quick about it, there was a chance of contacting Marlyn right away. Sarah hurried to her desk and made the call; she managed to catch them before they left the office. With a little begging, pleading, and cajolery on my part, they agreed to get a message to Marlyn before the conversation ended. All three of us waited anxiously for the next couple of hours – jumping every time the phone rang, until we were finally rewarded by the call we'd been hoping for.
The first thing I did was to give Marlyn the good news – Kelly was listening to the conversation, and we both heard as she started laughing and crying. When she'd calmed down a bit, I filled her in on the rest of the details: me, two lawyers, and an unknown – as yet – number of others that were being considered for the plant management job. She told me that she would be free to guide us when we needed her, and that she would be happy to get Bhoy to drive for us again. I said that there were a couple of other things that I wanted to discuss with her, but that they would have to wait until I got there – earning myself a jab in the ribs and dirty look from Kelly. Marlyn said that she'd get things started, and email me the details. I thanked her, she thanked ME, and that ended the conversation.
When I'd hung up the phone, Kelly gave me another dirty look and asked 'Why didn't you just tell her that you had a job for her?'
'A couple of reasons. First, there's the off chance she might have her own reasons for not wanting the job, okay? Second, I don't know what it pays yet. I'm sure it would pay more than her guide thing, but how much I don't know – so there's no point in offering her a job when I don't know the gory details. Finally, I want to see the expression on her face when I tell her about it!'
Kelly just grinned at that last part before conceding that the other reasons were reasonable.
I called Bill, and told him the good news.
'Damn, you work fast. I'm sure glad you're working for me! Okay, here's the rundown. We got it narrowed down to three places. First choice is Dagupan. Second is Cebu, and Suribao to round it off. From what you said, I
