Doing Lunch
Page 32
With one statement, Alexi had caused so much confusion in these two men that they would probably be better prepared at the present moment to respond to a nuclear threat to Moscow.
“You, General Ryaskoff, are being sent off to the retreat in the Urals.” The general smiled at the statement, thinking about what could be so wrong about being sent to someplace he wanted to be. He must have spent some of his life living in Los Angeles because he misinterpreted Alexi’s verbal pause as the conclusion of the speaker’s thoughts.
“There you will be assigned as part of the security force at the new ski resort which will be part of the hotel chain that will become known as The White Bear Inns.”
“You cannot do this to me...you cannot! I was a general.”
“Would you prefer being a private in the army and sent to Tura?” The premier’s question struck a chord with Sergeant Ryaskoff that brought a frown to his face. Knowing his fate from the botched takeover attempt, the former general could merely close his eyes to fight back the tears. The thought of seeing others enjoying what he had once loved might prove more than he could stand.
“And you, Mister Foreign Minister, you are now Russia’s ambassador to Monaco.” While the sentence sounded very rewarding to Sergotoff, he had already seen the air taken out of Ryaskoff’s balloon. He knew the other shoe was about to fall.
“Your salary will be reduced by forty percent.”
“I cannot live in Monte Carlo with less than I made as Foreign Minister. You know that, Mister Premier.”
“Yes, I know, and that is your sentence, you are being forced to make ends meet.”
“This rope you have given me is too short.”
“Then maybe you could have Sophia get a job, but I don’t think they have a Hooter’s yet in Monte Carlo. Guards!”
The two men that had brought the prisoners in re-entered Alexi’s office to retrieve them. Quickly, they were escorted out of the office while Alexi returned to his cherry cola.
EPILOGUE
The Russian economy started to turn upward with more of the population finding work. As most new economies discover, they find a need for construction. This led to more skilled jobs in the areas of electricians, carpenters, masonry workers, etc. As they made money, they spent it and once the money began to circulate, it created more jobs, especially in the area of consumer goods.
Capitalism was known for its work ethic and it was often said that if you did the work, there would be rewards. In this case justice was served and it was served well. Mikhail, Allison, and B. Czar shared the Nobel Prize for economics, not to mention the large fortune that B. Czar amassed in commissions and finder’s fees. Tim Russo won the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for his coverage of a country developing a new economic system. General Ryaskoff was returned to the lodge in the Urals. However, this time he was placed in charge of security for the skiers who enjoyed the slopes in the winter and the hiking in the summer. While the area was green during the summer, General Ryaskoff was green with envy all year long while he watched others enjoy the resort that he had once called home.
Foreign Minister Serge Sergotoff, who was sent to Monaco as Russia’s ambassador, found that he could not make ends meet on his reduced income. Leaving Monaco and Sophia, the former Foreign Minister headed for greener pastures, someplace where crime paid, America. There he struck pay dirt speaking on the college circuit at a minimum of two thousand an engagement.
Orlina’s workout center had become very popular in Moscow and the other suburban areas as Russia’s economy began to grow and the demand for consumer products increased. She had gotten down to a size five and was now hoping to corner the market on all those people with hopes and dreams of reaching a size seven or less.