The Peripheral Sur

by Bart Key

  After Ward had finished his first security course, Sur made him temporary chief of security of his oil company. Ward was away for several weeks inspecting the sites where the company’s various facilities were located. When he returned, he made recommendations for certain policy changes and security enhancements, all of which Sur ordered to be implemented immediately. It was clear to Cory and me that over time Ward would take on the role of being Sur’s second-in-command. Cory reminded me that the two had a similar relationship when they served together in Vietnam. Ward clearly worshipped Sur and, from the day he moved to Ventura, it was clear that his only role in life was being close to Sur and serving him in whatever capacity Sur directed.

  Slowly at first, I began making Sur’s travel arrangements. I didn’t realize it at the time but that included taking on the responsibility for supervising his flight crews, scheduling their shifts, seeing to the payment of their salaries and monitoring the maintenance and hangering of his jet. All statements for his personal expenses were now directed to my attention and I was authorized to pay them out of a separate bank account Sur had set up. My new job had a special perk. As circumstances permitted, I was free to quietly slip out the back door when the surf was up.

  With both Cory and Ward being away a lot, I needed to learn how to cook unless I wanted to live off pizza for the rest of my life. With great patience, Ward showed me how to cook several simple dishes and gave me a couple of dozen easy recipes. With practice, I found out to my amazement that I could prepare some meals that weren’t half bad. Whenever Ward was around though, I practically shoved him into the kitchen as he was the truly the master cook.

  Knowing that Sur expected me to become his computer specialist, I began taking courses on how to use and utilize computers. Once I got into it, I became fascinated by what they could do. One day, quite unexpectedly, I received a call from Karen, a former classmate I had not seen or heard from in years as she had moved to San Diego in our junior year of high school. While we were growing up in Oxnard, Karen had always been the smartest one in our class seemingly without even trying too hard. She was now an office computer specialist working for a well-known Los Angeles consulting firm. Somehow she had learned that I was in charge of our small office in Ventura. As she would be in town later in the week on business, she wanted to drop by to say hello and perhaps brief me on her company’s services. Afterwards she wanted to treat me to lunch. I accepted of course and asked her if Randy could join us as well.

  When she arrived, I was stunned by how beautiful she was. She was about an inch shorter than me and had her same incredible body. Her long brown hair was pulled up into a bun and she was dressed in a business-like suit. She was as tan as I was and had that same temptress smile I remembered so well. Karen and I had been no strangers to sex as she had all but raped me in middle school. She was my first but I’m not sure I was hers. After giving me and Randy her pitch for her firm’s services, just the two of us were off to lunch as Randy had a previous engagement.

  During our meal, she brought me up to date on herself. After finishing high school she had attended Cal Tech on a scholarship and majored in math and computer sciences. After earning her master’s degree, she accepted a position with the consulting firm she currently worked for. She was still single, loved her work and had taken up surfing. While she was explaining all this, her foot was busily playing with mine under the table. We barely managed to stay dressed until we got to her motel room. When I returned to the office at mid-afternoon, Randy took one look at me and grinned knowingly. I had a sneaking suspicion this would not be the last time I would see her. She and I were a lot alike. We were both happy being single but loved making sweet music together.

  Chapter 12

  The Circle Expands

  When Paco graduated from high school, I offered him the opportunity to attend college in the States at my expense. He was both surprised and elated by the news. Jeremy seemed even more thrilled and volunteered to assist Paco in making applications to several California colleges offering degrees in hotel management, the field of study Paco wanted to pursue. He was accepted at Cal Poly in Pomona, a university within the greater Los Angeles area. I invited him to spend the summer with me in Santa Barbara so that he could be tutored to prepare him for college classes. Between sessions with his tutor and studying, he would have little free time except on weekends. As I was still travelling some to Oklahoma City, Paco had to fend for himself while I was away. Jeremy would call him every day and sometimes drive to Santa Barbara to look in on him. On weekends, the two often surfed together. Near summer’s end, it was obvious that Paco was very homesick though he had never once complained. So I took some time off to visit Wild Beach taking Jeremy and Paco with me. While Paco was visiting his mother and little brother, Jeremy and I just surfed and lazed in the sun. When we returned, Jeremy drove Paco to his campus and helped him get checked into his dorm. Paco knew he could call either of us at any time should he need anything or just wanted to talk.

  •

  My Mandarin language courses at Stanford were among the most difficult I ever took. Studying was my life although on weekends I did try to spend some time with friends. If I were really lucky, I might even get to enjoy an intimate interlude with one of my female acquaintances. I rarely talked to Sur these days because I knew how busy he was and didn’t want to bother him. Whenever I did call though he was always delighted to hear from me and catch up. Through resolve and sweat, I graduated at the top of my class just as David had. My mom, grandmother and Sur all attended the ceremony after which Sur took us out to dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant. As my aging grandmother still spoke little English, my mom and I would translate for her. She wanted to know of course what was next for me. I smiled and told her that I was going to work for Sur and, while the details were being worked out, I would be staying at his place in Santa Barbara. The next morning, after hugging them both goodbye as they boarded their plane back to Denver, Sur and I flew to Santa Barbara. I was very excited about the future as Sur had hinted that what he had in mind for me would entail my moving to Hong Kong. At dinner on his deck that evening, he explained.

  At his direction, David recently had opened a branch office in Singapore which was managed by a trusted investment advisor who had worked for him in the past as a consultant. David also had retained a law firm in Hong Kong to incorporate a new company with its primary business being to invest in securities listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company’s incorporation records would not show Sur as owner of the company. I was to become the company’s manager with my principle job being to make investments on its behalf and to build up a portfolio of assets over time. All investment decisions would be made by David’s office to start and be communicated to me in code by David’s Singapore manager. I was amazed and impressed by the intricate preparations that had been put in place in anticipation of my coming aboard and realized that my life was about to start a grand new chapter.

  The next day, Sur and I started experimenting with various written and oral codes for use in communicating between my office in Hong Kong and David’s in Singapore. Once we thought we had something that would work, we vetted it through David who signed off on it. Recently, David had opened a an account with a bank in Singapore under which I was named a signatory party. David would make periodic deposits into the account to fund my new company’s investments and other expenses.

  Sur subscribed to a couple of Hong Kong’s leading financial newspapers and each day the two of us would discuss their contents. Often we would examine and comment upon details in the financial reports of selected companies listed on the Hong Kong exchange. One day we drove to L.A. to meet with an attorney who assisted me in applying for a special visa which would permit me to live in Hong Kong for an initial two year period after which I should be able to qualify for a permanent resident’s visa.

  In mid-July, Ward and I flew by commercial carrier to Hong Kong. This
would be my first time back since I was a toddler. For the next couple of days we looked at apartments eventually leasing one on the fifth floor of a luxury apartment building located in the downtown area. That afternoon we met with an interior decorator who would undertake the finishing and furnishing of the place to my tastes. The next day we began looking for office space and found what we were looking for in an upscale office building located fairly close to my apartment. Again, arrangements were made to have that space suitably finished, furnished and equipped. Sur had been adamant that both my apartment and office be first class as it was important to convey the right image from the start. To top everything off, we looked at new cars and I selected a small BMW sports model which I could park in my new apartment’s allotted space.

  Next, we flew to Singapore on an early morning flight with plans to meet over a late lunch with my new investment advisor. Like everyone else who worked for David, he had no knowledge of David’s connection to Sur. After we were seated, Daniel told us all about himself and his background. He had British parents and was born in Singapore where he had lived his entire life. After years of being an independent investment advisor, Daniel joined David’s company as manager of its Singapore office. His instructions were to handle my company’s business personally. He had already memorized our code and was looking forward to working with me. He cautioned me that the potential existed for my office in Hong Kong to be bugged and that I might even be watched by agents of the Peoples Republic as they were a suspicious lot especially of Americans. I took his advice seriously and knew right away that Daniel and I would get along famously.

  That evening Ward and I had dinner with the manager of the Singapore bank where my company had its account. No doubt aware of the account’s currently large balance, he was anxious to please. I asked him if there was anything he could do to introduce me to some of the well-known brokerage firms in Hong Kong. He indicated that indeed he could. As his bank had an affiliated branch in Hong Kong, he would phone its manager and arrange for him to meet with me as soon as I took up residence. The manager no doubt would know many reputable brokers and could arrange for me to meet them. Perfect. The next day Ward and I headed back to California.

  Several weeks later, my apartment and office were ready for occupancy. This time I flew alone to Hong Kong and slowly began settling in. Being able to speak Cantonese, English and Mandarin gave me a leg up in blending into the culture. The first part of Sur’s plan called for me to spend at least two years building up my reputation as an investor and becoming integrated into Hong Kong’s business community. The first person I contacted was the manager of my Singapore bank’s affiliated bank. He was happy to hear from me and immediately invited me to lunch. After we got acquainted, he readily volunteered to call several of the brokers he knew and suggest they contact me. They did and over the next couple of weeks I was wined and dined by some of Hong Kong’s most reputable brokers. I eventually selected two to work with. One was about my age, unmarried and belonged to one of Hong Kong’s exclusive athletic clubs. He offered to sponsor me for membership which I graciously accepted. The other was older, married and came from a well-known Chinese family in Hong Kong. He was very involved in some of the local charities and offered to include me in some of their activities if that interested me. It did.

  Through my two brokers, I cautiously began investing in securities listed on the Hong Kong exchange. My brokers were both highly skilled at their trades and generally offered excellent advice which I always took note of. My investment decisions however were not always in accord with their recommendations. They wisely never took offense to that and willingly carried out my instructions to the letter. They did not know, of course, that my investment choices were being communicated to me in code by Daniel. Knowing the reputation of David and his staff, it came as no surprise to me that many of my investments did well, indeed sometimes spectacularly well. And as it always does somehow, the word began to get around.

  Once I joined by my broker’s athletic club, I started a regular workout regimen and began taking lessons in tennis which was a popular sport in Hong Kong. Eventually I became a regular at playing basketball and handball. In order to increase my knowledge of local business customs, I enrolled in a couple of continuing education classes at one of Hong Kong’s reputable business colleges. Best of all, I began dating whenever opportunities arose. I loved picking up my lady for the evening in my new car which was a fine machine indeed. Sur had his Vet, I my Beemer.

  While investing was my only visible business activity in Hong Kong, there were other tasks I undertook surreptitiously. One was to learn as much as I could about the ferry companies in Hong Kong particularly those which transported passengers to and from Macau. The other was to observe the workings of the Macau gambling casinos. Sometimes my date and I would hop on a ferry to Macau and hang out at one of the casinos for the weekend. This was work?

  About every two months or so, Ward would fly in to say hello. It was always a pleasure to see him and he always passed on Sur’s good wishes. Our meetings, always held in secret, served two purposes. One was to pass on to me messages from Sur which were for my ears only. The other was to check on me and confirm that I continued to be content in my new surroundings. For my part, I would pass on to him anything noteworthy about the ferry businesses and Macau casinos. Once or twice a year, I would fly to Thailand and meet secretly with Sur and Ward in Pattaya. Our discussions always focused on Sur’s future plans for me and our company in Hong Kong.

  •

  Not long after Li moved to Hong Kong, I received an unsolicited cash offer to purchase my beachwear company. I had been thinking about selling it anyway and the timing was convenient. Over lunch I told Randy and Mei of my inclination to accept the offer. Neither was all that surprised as most of my concentration at the time was still directed toward my oil company. The offer was contingent upon purchasing the company intact which I knew meant that the buyer wanted the freedom to negotiate with Randy to continue as its manager. That was wise thinking because Randy was extremely talented. My company’s lines of men and women’s beachwear had become popular nationwide thanks to his excellent management. Within a month, the purchase details were finalized. Randy would become a vice president of the purchasing company and its new beachwear division for the present would continue to be headquartered in Ventura. Mei and Randy were happy knowing the family would be staying in Ventura but realized that it might not be forever. Jeremy was particularly glad they would be staying also as he had become very close to the family. The net proceeds from the sale were put into David’s skilled hands for future investment.

  •

  Living in New York City was a blast. Each day I would get up, have a bite to eat and ride my bike to work. After arriving, I would shower and get dressed in business clothes which I kept at the office. I rode my bicycle just about everywhere unless the situation called for taking the subway or a cab. I didn’t own a car which was not uncommon in New York.

  After my first year, Sur visited me less frequently although we still talked by phone almost every business day. He still made all final decisions on major investments but increasingly went along with my recommendations. After having invested the proceeds from the sale of his two companies, the value of his portfolio had mushroomed to the point that he was now a very wealthy man just based on that asset alone. And he paid well, indeed very well. I was very careful to never invest my own funds in market securities in order to avoid ever placing myself in any kind of potential conflict situation. My savings were always tucked away in interest-bearing certificates of deposit.

  Not too long ago, Sur had queried whether eventually moving our office to Europe might be something to consider. More recently, we discussed this possibility in greater detail and made the decision to move the office to Luxembourg City. It was one of the financial centers of Europe and, for that matter, the world. The country of Luxembourg was somewhat centrally located and h
ad long tradition of neutrality. It was also an extremely safe country with a small population density. Luxembourg City was dotted with parks, forested areas and cultural sites. Most importantly, it had excellent transportation connections to the rest of Europe.

  Sur and I were of the same mind that our new office should be computerized using the very latest technology. As Randy’s new company was deep into computerization, Sur suggested that I call him to learn about his experience. Randy and I had a nice conversation and among other things he referred me to Karen’s consulting firm which he thought was first class. When I called her, she flew to New York to explain to me in detail of how our planned European office could be properly set up in the growing computer age. Let’s just say that I learned more than I expected. Not only was she a whiz when it came to advising on the uses of computer technology, she was also good, indeed really good, at selling herself. Intimate liaisons with women had never been one of my strong points but that didn’t slow her down for a second. She did all the work and I went along for the ride.

  Our move to Luxembourg went very smoothly though living in Europe took some getting used to at first. Fortunately, I spoke fluent French but needed to retain a tutor to get me started on mastering German as well. Some of my European colleagues at the office kidded me about my American accent. I would have to correct that. Not that I wasn’t proud as hell of being an American, but the faster I spoke like a true European, the quicker I could become assimilated into the culture.