The Money Is Green

by Mr Owen Sullivan

  Throwing his golf club in the bag, he jumped into the cart. “Get this through your thick skull, Jason. Debbie is not coming back, and even if by some remote possibility she did, she’s not the same person you met, loved, and married. You need to let her go and move on with your life. Otherwise, you’re going to be a tortured soul and your daughter will end up being a psychological mess.”

  Staring straight ahead, Jason drove the cart in silence. I know Brian is right and it’s the right thing to do, but it’s just so difficult to admit failure. I need to keep telling Crystal the truth. I’m sure she’ll confront her mother and then Debbie will deny it, if that hasn’t happened already. But Brian’s right. Crystal needs to understand the truth, and I’ll deal with the fallout from Debbie whenever it comes.

  ♦

  Jason sat at his desk the next morning, a steaming cup of Starbucks coffee by his right hand. His attention was on an article about RayTech explaining that it had just landed a solar farm job out in Sonoma County worth around three million five hundred thousand dollars. The article went into detail about the history of RayTech in that it was a start-up American company with help from a five-hundred-million-dollar government loan and that this project was one of the largest solar farm projects on the west coast. It was a flattering article and Jason found it amusing. This distinction of building the largest solar farm on the west coast is going to be short-lived, he thought. Copper Mountain is going to be a hundred times larger.

  He glanced at his watch and switched his screen to an Excel spreadsheet he had been working on for the last week. I’ve got half an hour before my meeting with M. I think I’ll tweak this a bit and see where it takes me.

  Twenty minutes later, he saved his work and gathered the paperwork stacked neatly on the corner of his desk. When he got to Mei Chen’s office, he stuck his head in the doorway and rapped softly on the doorframe. Mei was standing in the corner of her office looking out the corner windows at the parking lot below the building. Her cellphone was in her ear and she spoke rapidly in Chinese. She half-turned and acknowledged Jason, indicating he sit in the chair before her desk.

  As Jason sat down, he did a double take of Mei. Wow, he thought. She’s really dolled herself up today. He tried not to stare at the stylish beige business outfit that fit her curvy body snuggly or the low cut white blouse that exposed her smooth white cleavage. A slit in the dress portion of the suit ran up past her thigh. I wonder who she’s trying to impress today, he thought. Maybe she’s going to try to close the Copper Mountain job with Brian Thompson in person. Any man would be hard pressed not to be influenced by her!

  She hung up and tossed her phone onto a leather couch. “Are you ready to get going on the largest solar farm ever?”

  Jason’s eyes grew wide. “Did we get the Copper Mountain bid? I thought it wasn’t closing until the day after tomorrow. What happened to Earth-Sun’s bid? We beat them out?”

  Mei grinned and held her hands out. “Hold on, Jason, you have a lot of questions. First off, technically the bid opening doesn’t happen until the day after tomorrow, so we officially don’t have the project, but I’m almost positive it’s ours. You did an excellent job putting together the proposal.”

  “Thank you,” Jason said, watching her as she strutted around the office. “But what about Earth-Sun and Andrew Dillon? According to Brian Thompson, their bid was going to be tough to beat.”

  Waving her hands dismissively, she turned her back and stared out the window. “I heard they were having some management problems over there and they’re making some personnel changes. There’s a rumor that their bid might be being withdrawn.” She looked back at him over her shoulder slyly. “Besides, I’m meeting with Brian Thompson this evening for dinner.” She grinned at him. “I’m sure it will be a long evening and very productive. I will have his assurance by today that our bid will be the winner.”

  Jason sat in silence, taking in what she had just said. Earth-Sun is going to pull their bid? After all the work and money they spent putting it together? This is going to be a couple-hundred-million-dollar contract, not something you casually walk away from. Something is not adding up.

  Mei stood across from him, her arms crossed, an inquisitive look on her face. “Well?”

  “I’m sorry, Mei,” Jason stammered. “I didn’t hear your question.”

  “I like what you’ve done here. I asked you before about this, but I want to make it official. I want to put you in charge of this company in North America, to be its president. I want you to take over everything, specifically the Copper Mountain project.” She walked over next to him.

  He looked up at her and cleared his throat. “I’m flattered you think that highly of me, Mei. Do you need an answer from me immediately?”

  A look of consternation came across her face. “No, I don’t need it right at this minute, but I need it soon. Of course, this position would come with an increase in compensation for you, of which you’ll find I will be very generous. In addition, I will arrange for some profit sharing.” She turned and paced behind him. “Of course, the position will require more travel for you, so that must be factored into your decision.”

  Jason looked her in the eyes. “That’s why I would like to talk it over with my daughter and my girlfriend. It’s tough on her when I’m away.”

  Mei turned and stared at him. “You know my position you Americans take on parenting. Neither my daughter nor my husband would ever have anything to say about such a decision and would respect whatever I decided.”

  “I respect the way you raise your daughter, Mei,” Jason said defensively, “but my daughter is different from yours. Our culture is different from yours. It isn’t to say ours is a better way, just that we’re different.”

  “Yes, I realize our cultures are different, but look at what a mess American youth are.” She let out a big sigh. “Either way, talk to your family and let me know your decision. You are about to get really busy in a week or so.” She waved her hand at him. “You can go now.”

  Jason gathered his file folder, stood, and returned to his desk. His mind raced. Why aren’t I jumping for joy? I should have accepted that job on the spot. I’ll be running one of the largest solar panel manufacturing companies in the world. It’s one of the most prestigious jobs in the industry. What’s wrong with me? But I’ve been here before. I had a hundred employees three years ago when I owned my electric company and it almost destroyed me when I had to let them all go. All of their lives were ruined because I couldn’t keep my company up and running. What happens if Soltech fails under my watch? I’ll have to go through the same agony of dismissing hundreds of workers again. Do I want that on my plate?

  He leaned back and rested his feet up on his desk. What is Mei Chen up to? She’s way too confident in Soltech getting the Copper Mountain job. But if she can convince Brian Thompson at Inter-Power that we’re the company to do the job, more power to her.

  Before I talk to Crystal, I need some advice, he thought as he sat back in his chair. This is going to be an intense job, with a lot of responsibility tied to it. Is this something I’m capable of tackling? He picked up his cellphone and dialed.

  Brian Thompson answered it on the second ring. “Don’t tell me you want a rematch of our golf game. After the pounding I gave you, you’re a real glutton for punishment.”

  Jason laughed. “No, I don’t want a rematch with you, at least not yet anyway. But I promise I’ll be coming back to you for the twenty bucks. No, I wanted to pick your brain for a second.”

  “Oh, so you want some serious advice. Well, fire away. I’ll go ahead and start the fee meter.”

  “I just left Mei Chen’s office and, confidentially, she offered me the position of President of Soltech. I would be in charge of the whole North American operations. If I consent to take it, I know I’ll be at Mei’s beck and call. It will require me to travel extensively all year, although she’s going to give me a hefty raise and some sort of profit sharing deal. That part I li
ke, but the rest scares me. What are your thoughts?”

  There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “I don’t see what your concerns are. You will obviously be well-compensated. You’ll be able to travel the world checking out every new green energy idea that comes along. You’ll be on top of your field and will have a ton of your company’s money to spend to keep on top. What about this scares you? You should be dancing in the street.”

  “I think, deep down, Mei Chen scares me,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “Sometimes I don’t think she’s in tune with what goes on in the real world. Because of the position she and her husband hold in China, I don’t get the sense that she sees things the way normal people do.”

  “What makes you say that?’ Brian asked. “She may do things different because we have different laws and different ways of running a business, but the bottom line is that she provides a product and the market decides if they want to buy her product. So far, it seems the market is happy to buy her products.”

  Jason sighed. “There’s more to this, but I’m not sure I can put my finger on it. It’s a feeling in my gut that she’s off somehow and I’m going to be tied at the hip to her.”

  “Well, my suggestion is speak to Crystal and Janine and then sleep on your decision. Personally, I don’t see how you can lose, but I’m not you. I’m happy for you though. Congratulations!”

  “Thanks, Brian. I appreciate your advice. I’ll let you know what I decide.” Jason started to type a letter on his keyboard, his phone cradled in his ear. “Hey, I understand that you and Mei are meeting this evening regarding our bid. She seemed pretty confident that Soltech was going to win the bid for Copper Mountain.”

  “Really?” Brian exclaimed. “My understanding of our meeting was it was just an early dinner, strictly social.” He paused for a second. “Oh, that Mei. She never lets any opportunity to advance her cause escape. Thanks for the heads up. It’s going to be an interesting dinner.”

  “Yeah, I can only imagine. See you, Brian.” As he hung up, a text came through from Janine.

  Want to meet for a drink after work?

  Pausing for a second, he texted back, let’s meet at Josh’s Pub at 5:30.

  A smiley face with an ok came back in response. Brian is right, he thought. Janine is one of a kind, and I truly love her. I need to show her just how I feel.

  He picked up a picture of Crystal, her smiling face staring at the camera as she posed in her high school uniform, a soccer ball under her arm. Oh, Crystal, what am I going to do with you? If I take this position, I’m going to be away from you for long periods of time. Where will I put you when I’m gone? If I take this job, will you think I don’t care?

  Setting the picture down, he focused on another picture sitting next to it. It was photo of himself, Crystal, three years younger, and his wife Debbie, all smiling in front of Snow White’s Castle in Disneyland. I wish I could turn back the clock and fix our marriage. Now that I’ll be getting back on my feet and making the kind of money that kept Debbie in the lifestyle she was used to, our family life could be more stable. But not anymore with Debbie, and probably never.

  FOURTEEN

  The afternoon sun was slowly fading behind the tree-lined hills of San Jose, which overlooked Earth-Sun’s corporate facility. A couple of cars were parked in the expansive parking lot, with most of the employees having left within the last hour. A hundred yards down the road, from a side street, Wo Sung sat in his black Escalade SUV, its windows tainted black, listening to a hip-hop station and sipping on a diet Mountain Dew, his Maui Joe sunglasses wrapped around his chubby face as he stared out at the three-story glass building. He had spent the last day and a half checking out the movement of Andrew Dillon, the CEO of Earth-Sun, and had a good idea of his daily routine. He watched the front door, where a bicycle rack stood, one lone bike still standing erect.

  He glanced down at his watch. It’s time to get into position, he thought. He should be coming out of there in ten minutes. Wo pulled out, drove a half mile down the road, and turned onto a side street, which was completely deserted. He put the SUV in park and reached around to a backpack sitting in the backseat. He pulled out a black hooded sweatshirt and put it on. Getting out, he glanced around the street then headed across a vacant field to a string of oak trees that lined a bicycle path. As he approached the trees, three riders came over the rise to his left and peddled toward him. He kept his head down and continued walking as they rode by. Reaching the first oak tree, he made his way to the other side and lifted up the leg of his trousers, pulling a six-inch Bowie knife out of the leather sleeve attached to his leg.

  Taking a deep breath, he took another glance around the tree and looked down the bike path. A flock of starlings squawked noisily above him as they jockeyed for position for the evening’s sleep. A lone car drove up the road from where he’d parked the Denali then continued down the road. Suddenly, he faintly heard the sound of bicycle gears from behind the rise in the road. His grip tightened around the handle of the knife.

  A lone rider crested the knoll and headed straight toward him, the rider looking down at the path. Wo studied the rider and recognized the riding apparel and stature of the man and knew this was who he was waiting for. The rider closed the gap between them at a steady clip. As he came closer, Wo counted in his head, Thirty yards, twenty, ten, now!

  Just as the rider approached the first oak tree, Wo jumped out from behind it. The rider tried to swerve to his right, but Wo had reached him first and reached out with his right hand, grabbed the bike to slow it down, and slashed the knife across the man’s throat. He grabbed at his throat as the bike wobbled a few feet forward before crashing on the side of the path, throwing the man face first onto the asphalt. Wo quickly scrambled over to him, his knife at the ready. Blood was gushing out of the massive wound around his neck, and he stared at Wo with wide, frightened eyes. He tried to speak, but only gurgling sounds came out of his throat.

  Seeing that the wound was fatal, Wo moved across the path the same way he had come, just as another set of riders came over the rise. One of them shouted at Wo as he headed over the small rise in the ground. “Hey, what happened? Hey, you, slow down. What’s your hurry?” Wo glanced over his shoulder, his eyes peering out of the hoodie covering his face. He saw the cyclists pull up to the rider on the ground and set their bikes aside to render aid. One took off his shirt and wrapped it around the man’s neck while the other furiously dialed 911.

  Wo kept walking and made it to the SUV. He looked across the field, barely able to make out the commotion on the bike path. He put the SUV in gear and headed down the street. He smiled to himself. That was almost too easy. I think I’d like to bring the congressman in on the Juarez job. I owe him one and this job could be a perfect way to pay him back.

  After driving a mile down the road, he stopped and picked up his phone. He texted, Job complete, send balance. He then added, I’d like to meet with you to discuss what you’ve come up with for Mexico. Let’s get together next week. Pausing, he looked at the words and to the recipient, Congressman Waters, then hit the send button.

  FIFTEEN

  A tall white candle flickered at the center of the table located against the front of the window of the Stinking Rose restaurant in the North Beach area of San Francisco. The distinct smell of garlic and basil wafted around the bustling room. White-shirted servers moved quickly from the kitchen to the tables, bringing pungent dishes of shrimp, mushrooms, fresh pesto, and other items to the packed tables.

  With her elbows on the table and her chin resting on her hands, Mei watched Brian Thompson as he spread creamy baked garlic over freshly baked bread. He smiled at her as he stuffed a piece into his mouth and dreamily chewed it, slowly savoring the flavors.

  “Oh my, that’s so good,” he said as he tore off another bite. “I skipped lunch so I could stuff my face here tonight.”

  “I love it too. It’s so delicious,” Mei said as she tore off a piece of the warm bread
. “But this food is so good it’s worth not eating all day for it.”

  Setting the bread down, he turned serious. “Well, Mei, I know you didn’t bring me here to discuss the garlic smells. So let me guess: You want to discuss where Soltech’s bid stands on the Copper Mountain project.”

  Mei looked away, trying to look as demure as possible. She lowered her eyes and dabbed her napkin daintily to her mouth. “Well, that’s not the only reason I asked you to meet me, Brian. Of course I would be lying if I didn’t tell you how important this job is to me and my company. I know there’s a lot of competition for that job, but I thought that by you and I getting together face to face I could point out the positive things that Inter-Power could benefit from by using Soltech on this job.”

  Brian raised an eyebrow. “Really, other than the fact that you might not be the low bidder, there are other benefits we should consider? Go ahead, I’m listening.”

  Mei smiled and reached across the table to hold his hands. “Well, for one, which I don’t need to remind you, is we have had a very special relationship together, which would become more solid if we were to work closely together on this project.” She rubbed his hands. “But putting that aside, I’m also an investor in Inter-Power, even if it’s silent, and I would like to think that I would be helping not only myself, but Inter-Power if I do this job.”

  Brian nodded. “That’s just the point, Mei. You aren’t the only investor in Inter-Power. As much as I like our relationship, I have to make my decisions based on what’s best for all the investors, not just you.”

  Mei felt her temper flare but tried to keep calm. She pulled her hands back and set them on her lap. “I get it that you have other investors, Brian. I have other investors than myself in Soltech, primarily the Chinese government. But they don’t dictate to me what to do with the company. If I wanted to do your job for my cost, or lose money on it, I could do it and none of my investors could do a thing about it. You can do the same thing. There’s no rule that says you must take the lowest bid.” She waved at a waiter who came by their table. “Excuse me, sir, but could you bring me another martini?” She turned back to Brian. “Would you like another cabernet?”