THE HOUSE OF CHEN Chapter 7

For Cheri this was a new beginning; one that was filled with apprehension.

She had lived with Martha for a number of years and owed her more than she could ever repay.

She was educated and not bound by the culture of her people. She was almost able to cope with the new life that lay before her.

When Mrs. Anderson the wife of the ambassador first saw her she said, “She will never survive in this atmosphere because she is far too innocent. The men will swarm around her like a flock of vultures.”  

She continued, “I’m coming to the office each day and will teach her how to navigate through this sea of sharks.”

Mrs. Anderson watched over Cheri like a brooding mother hen, and explained every move the men in the office made and those who came there to do business were making.  

After a month Cheri had heard most of the lines that men used, those she had contact with and with Mrs. Anderson’s help she learned how to cool the guys off without embarrassing them.  

The one fact that was so evident was she was a beautiful woman and hard to resist.  All of this occurred without her trying to attract them.  

After five weeks Mrs. Anderson told Cheri, “I’m going to leave you on your own now. It has been a lot of fun squelching these guys but now you must fend for yourself.”  

 

She left her with a few more words of wisdom about keeping men in their place without offending them.

Cheri thanked her for all the protective devices she had learned from her.

The last thing Mrs. Anderson said was, “Men aren’t all bad, but they are weak when it comes to a beautiful woman like you.  Don’t shut them out completely but always let them know when and where to stop.  

Even if you are interested in someone, take it real slow for it takes time to get beyond the facade they project.  After a while they will let down their guard and the real person will come through.”

The ambassador took notice of the way Cheri handled situations and was thankful his wife had taken charge of Cheri.  He began to take her with him when entertaining business associates.  

He found her presence created an atmosphere where it was easier to come to an agreement on the business at hand.

Cheri was a quick learner and soon became an integral part of the Embassy’s operation.  Her attendance when meeting with corporate heads of businesses made it easy to communicate with the non-English speaking directors and establish a good rapport with them.  

She became especially helpful in putting thoughts together that could be understood, without offending the Chinese business community.

The Ambassador marveled at the success he was having now since Cheri became involved in the negotiations.  He wasn’t alone in noticing that she added a pleasant atmosphere at their meetings, and the business men began to look for her when they called on the Ambassador.

One of the ambassadors from another Embassy said he didn’t want to go behind Ambassador Anderson’s back but he wanted to hire Cheri away from him, if she wasn’t under contract to the American Embassy.  

The Ambassador lied and said, “We have her tied up for several years and would extend her contract at the end of the present one.”  

After the meeting he called Cheri in and told her he wanted to put her under contract and would give her a big raise.

Cheri knew from experience how to read her boss and she asked him what was all this about, and to tell her the truth for she would know if he wasn’t being honest with her.

He said, “Alright I guess you deserve to know what is going on.”  He told her every detail of his conversation with the other ambassador and said he preferred to keep her with him.   

 

To be Continued