The deluxe room in the classy Le Meridian was to be my humble abode for the next 2 crucial weeks during this important project in Jakarta, Indonesia. We had to finalise the leasing agreements for the new branch and at the same time, meet up with potential new employees.
The regional HR director was here to do her stuff with the hiring and interviews. A small sales team had also come to Indonesia to meet up with existing and potential clients and to handover and train the new guys that had just come in.
I didn't really like Indonesia a lot. Call me old fashioned or scared but I could not get away from this fear of the locals ambushing us Chinese and lobbing our heads off. Or the incessant feeling of being mugged on the streets. EVerywhere I went, I had this sensation of being watched by the poor, desperate and hungry vagrants that would spare no mercy in robbing and then killing me just for the few hundred US$ I had on me.
But that's just me. I didn't want to take any risks at all, and so I commuted daily between the hotel and office via taxi. Meals would be strictly room service in the morning and evenings.
My thoughts flew back to my pretty Han in Vietnam. Just 2 weeks here and I'll be back "home" to Hanoi where there were still lots to be done and where I felt much more comfortable.
It was a bright, hazy Saturday. I was in my room slacking around with the television turned on. This morning, waking up early, I remembered she would be coming at noon and I could finish up where we left off.
Taking a warm shower and shaving myself clean, I looked at the misted mirror and thought to myself, "30 years old already, still behaving and thinking with my balls whenever it came to women."
For a fleeting moment, images of my mother with her constant nagging to tell me to find someone to settle down coupled with my sister's inquisitiveness about "Is this lady THE ONE?". I splashed my face with the freezing cold water and towelled myself dry.
Two days ago, I met her for the first time. She was the my company's, correction, ex-company's Facilities rep from Japan. It was her virgin trip to Indonesia and since we were working on the same project here, we pretty much spent the whole of Thursday together, in boring meetings after meetings with the potential landlords.
As I had been to Indonesia frequently, I became the impromptu tour guide for lunch and brought her out to savor a nice and quiet Indonesian styled meal.
She was called Mayumi but I called her Yumi for short. One year older than me, she definitely did not look like it. As the day bore on, she still kept looking fresh and alert. Sporting a shoulder length hairdo, her straight hair was dyed a slight shade of brown. Dressed in a typical office attire of matching pink jacket and skirt with an orange blouse, she looked the very professional executive woman that she is.
Her energy and enthusiam for work kept me feeling very ashamed of myself. The only talk we had was about work, the next meeting, landlord profile etc. Throughout the day, whenever we went for smoke breaks, the conversation never wavered from work. The only miniscule, personal information I had gotten out of her was that she was 31.
I kept taking frequent glances to my watch as well as the time shown on my handphone. Working together with her made the day feel very stretched. You know, the feeling you get when time seems to move extremely slow through the day.
Close to 6pm, the guys in the office wanted to get all of us visitors out for a get-together dinner and started to make arrangements and ask if we wanted to join in.
I was glad to leave the damned work and maybe look at the myraid of proposals when I'm back in the hotel at my own time.
"Yumi-kun, you want to join everyone for dinner?" The HR big shot was going along and it would be good for PR, not to mention that we have to give her some face too. Expecting Yumi to accept out of courtesy, I started packing the documents and my laptop into my bag.
Japanese work attitude won the day as she said, "Grimnar-san, tomorrow is the deadline and we have to decide today which facility to move into. I think we better make preparations to present for tomorrow."
Crazy woman! We can also discuss the lease over dinner or when we're back in the Hotel. In my mind, I was already more or less decided and just needed her to agree. The work was already considered done and yet, she still wanted to review all the choices again.
"You do know that Ms. Fong will be there, right?" Referring to the HR director.
"Yes, grimnar-san, I already emailed her to say we cannot attend because we need to prepare for tomorrow." She replied, as a matter-of-factly.
Very nice. In the company's hierarchy, I was considered her senior but yet she has boldly gone ahead to make decisions for me. But what the heck, I did not want to make a fuss out of it anyway. The sooner I finish tomorrow, the more time I get to play tourist and I can put all these behind me when I leave Indonesia on Saturday night back to Vietnam.
We took refuge in a now vacated meeting room in the office, since everyone has left for the planned dinner outing and started to pore through the proposals once again. Discarding those that really wasn't worth a second look, we reconsidered the remainders and at the same time, finalised on the presentation materials.
My stomach was growling when we left the office at around 9pm. Her commitment to work rubbed me in a wrong way but I was impressed by how serious and dedicated she was to work. If only she channeled this energy into lovemaking, that would make her one hell of a lover.
"Grimnar-san, would you mind to have dinner with me?" She extended the invitation as we arrived back at the hotel.
Feeling tired and hungry, I readily accepted. "See you at the coffee house in 30 minutes ok? I need to wash up."
Having taken a warm and quick shower, I dressed casually in slacks and a polo T. The 30 mins was not up yet as I sat on the bed and turned on the TV to see what was on. This was certainly one of the more boring business trips I've been on. No partying, no hanging out with the guys and a cold-as-ice, hardcore work attitude woman I ended up chaperoning.
"Oh well," I thought, "Just settle everything and tahan until Sunday and I'll be back on the flight back to Ha Noi."
You would think you know women when in the actual fact, they will surprise you one of these days and astound you. Time for dinner, as I left the room and proceeded to the coffee house to wrap up dinner and to catch a good night's rest after that.
Little did I know, another unravelling twist would unfold in the next few days.
grandmotherr storrie?