Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 713.

Printer-friendly version
Wuthering Dormice
(aka Bike)
Part 713
by Angharad
  
-Dormouse-001.jpg

Simon was late home, he’d been at a meeting in London all day. He looked shattered. I warmed up his meal, which he ate with a glass of wine. I joined him in the latter and with Tom’s help, finished the bottle.

“You look tired,” I said, stroking his face.

“Tired, I’m totally knackered. The sodding train was late, and the guys from the other bank were not impressed. The meeting started fifteen minutes before I could get there. Next time, I’ll stay over the night before.”

“Did the meeting go well?” I didn’t really want to know, I don’t understand finance and banking, sometimes I’m not sure Simon does either, but I’m interested in him and wanted to show it.

“It was damned hard work. Americans always treat us as if we’re third world, either that or they’re trying to stiff us.”

“From what I understand of the causes of the recession, it seems as if they did the latter and the former isn’t too far away.”

“Yeah, well they hadn’t got us, and they still haven’t.”

“Oh well that’s a relief.”

“Not quite.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve been trying to set a deal with a US bank to joint finance a deal in China.”

“In China?”

“Yeah, China.”

“Oh, if it’s making stuff for the Olympics, you’re too late.”

“Ha ha, very funny, not. No it’s actually about developing a western type supermarket chain.”

“Ha so, Tesco.”

“Velly funny.” He wasn’t laughing.

“What are you doing with supermarkets? I thought you were into banking.”

“There is money to be made over there. They aspire to live like we do in the west.”

“What with obesity and unhappiness? Some aspiration.”

“Look, I’m telling you what I’m involved in, as you did ask.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just frightened for you.”

“Why? We set up deals like this all the time.”

“I didn’t know, I thought you bought and sold things?”

“I do, that’s what this is all about. It’s my idea, we get the Yanks on board, then when it’s up and running we either sell out to a Chinese company or we sell our share to the Americans for a profit.”

“Is it safe?”

“Safe? What sort of question is that?”

“I thought a reasonable one?”

“Investment is a risk, even lending to government is a risk. Doing something with the Chinese is a bigger risk than with the Americans, because we can go after them through the courts if they default, but usually they don’t.”

“Always a first time,” escaped my lips and I blushed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s true, they’re also worrying about us, although we’ve never let them down before either.”

“Is the recession happening in China?”

“Not like over here, they still have growth, enough to make it a worthwhile risk.”

“It’s a communist country, isn’t that a risk?”

“We’re starting in Hong Kong, then Shanghai, they seem to be more capitalist than we are. If they take off there, then it’s time to work towards expansion on paper and sell it off in practice.”

“If it takes off, is that the time to sell?”

“Yes, we’ll make a billion or so by then, so it’s worth it.”

“A billion?”

“Yes, a thousand million, although we’re talking dollars, so about two thirds of a billion in real money.”

“In how long?”

“Five years at best more likely ten.”

“That’s a minimal return of a hundred million a year.”

“Yep, good innit?”

“Just so they can get heart disease and diabetes?”

“Yep.”

“How can anyone be covetous of how we live in the west?”

“They want a nice house and a car. I mean the government is now encouraging them to have two children. They want their kids to go to university and earn loads, like we want our kids to do.”

“I want ours to be fulfilled and happy, Simon.”

“Yeah, well making loads a dosh makes you feel that way.”

“How come you’re asking the US not another European bank?”

“Tried that, they’re not interested, but this big US bank was. They have dealing with that huge supermarket chain over there, and we have fingers in pies over here, so it’s not entirely unknown territory.”

“What are they going to call it, Mollison’s or Sainsbellies?”

“Cathy, behave.”

“Velly solly,” I offered blushing and giggling. The wine was definitely having an affect.

“Up to bed I think, oh how’s the kid in hospital?”

“Doing okay, as far as I know.”

“Good, you couldn’t send some blue light to our American friends could you?”

“I thought you said the deal was done?”

“Not yet, we have to get their boards go ahead and then we have to sweet-talk the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Chinese commercial attaché. So a bit more to do yet.”

“A bit?”

“Yeah, it could take another year to set up.”

“Will you have to go to China?”

“Dunno, Dad might do it, why?”

“I wonder if they have dormice there?”

“If they do, they’ll probably be lightly sauted like cats and dogs.”

“Oh God, how horrible.”

“How’s the tour going?”

“Tour? What tour?”

“De France, what else?”

“Oh yeah, sorry. Contador is going to win it but Wiggo is doing okay, and Cavendish has five wins now. He’s also favourite for Sunday’s run into Paris, if it goes to a bunch sprint.”

“What about Armstrong? How’s Lancie boy doing?”

“He’s doing really well given his lay off and his age. He was second or third, but they have the Ventoux tomorrow.”

“Right, surely it’s only nutters who ride up bloody mountains for the hell of it?”

“No, they’re the ones who ride down them off road, sensible people stick to the roads. The downhillers, are like kamikaze cyclists. They have a big course up in Scotland.”

“You’re not thinking of trying it are you?”

“Well, it can’t be any more dangerous than setting up companies in China, can it?”

“Cathy, before I try to make sense of that, can we go to bed and make mad, passionate love all night?”

“You up to it?” I asked.

“No, but I’m trying to go to sleep feeling that at least one person said yes to something I wanted to do.”

“Yes,” I said and kissed him.

05Dolce_Red_l_0.jpg

Don't forget to vote or comment (or both, I'm ever the optimist). Bonzi knows the Comment Fairy, and she is a very good friend of Santa, if you get my drift? >^^<

up
205 users have voted.
If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos! Click the "Thumbs Up!" button above to leave a Kudos

Comments

Ask Santa To

Give Cathy a new bike powered by dormice, Bonzi. ;)

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

It wouldn't be the first time...

Western nations have history on their side when it comes to exporting bad habits to China.

“...the British tried to encourage Chinese opium use to enhance their balance [in trade], and they delivered it from Indian provinces under British control. A massive confiscation of opium by the Chinese emperor, who tried to stop the opium deliveries, led to two Opium Wars in 1839 and 1858, in which Britain suppressed China and traded opium all over the country. After 1860, opium use continued to increase with widespread domestic production in China, until more than a quarter of the male population was addicted by 1905.”

Source: Wikipedia: Opium

Then too, we could mention tobacco...

Perplexed Sceptic

You forget ....

Big Macs are already over there. At least you have some choice in a supermarket.

Big Macs are also ridiculously popular in Asia as a whole I think. In Seoul the line at the Burger King and McDonald's counter ( though it is NOT called McDonald's - it is run by Lotte I believe but they are burger and fries joints.

BTW - The Chinese accent stuff was leelly reird.

Kim ( your resident token Chinese - that I know of )

Micky D's has

Mcky D's has long been popular in eastern Asia, starting when the corporation expanded into the Japanese market. The burgers offered the Japanese the option of eating beef at prices which were considerably lower than the normal beef prices in that nation. Of course, to suit the Japanese palate, McDonalds also began offering traditional Japanese food, particularly sushi, in their restaurants there. As visitors from other Asian nations to Japan began discovering that American fast food giant, it found itself with additional Asian markets opening up.

BTW - agreed on the Chinese accent...reminded me of a scene from Lethal Weapon IV where Mel Gibson keeps teasing "Uncle Benny", the owner of an authentic Chinese restaurand (and head of the local Tong) "Flied lice! Flied lice!" In frustration, Uncle Benny retorts "That's FRIED RICE you plick!"

Jenny

Jenny

opium

It still is being used by alot uf us who depend on it to move and live if you suffer from chronic pain. (oxycodone, oxy contin, vicodin, hydrocodone).

Hugs,
Jenna From FL
Moderator/Editor
TopShelf BigCloset

Hugs,
Jenna From FL
Moderator/Editor
TopShelf BigCloset
It is a long road ahead but I will finally become who I should be.

I don't know.

I think Kamikaze Cathy might just do real well on hillclimb and downhill, since she's crazy anyway, since she has ruled out trying to get on a regular team, since they laughed at her in school.

Bonzi

Bonzi may kow Santa Claus, but what about Hannukah Harry?

Bonzi

Angharad's picture

knows the Comment Fairy, and she knows Santa. How could Bonzi know Santa, he's a fictional character...Oops! Damn, that means I won't get to be one of his little helpers again this year.

Who is Hannukah Harry, already?

Angharad

Angharad

Hannukah Harry

Hannukah Harry is fictional character created on the NBC show Saturday Night Live and was defined as a jewish version of Santa Claus for Hannukah. Here is a link to a wiki site on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanukkah_Harry.

Hugs,
Jenna From FL
Moderator/Editor
TopShelf BigCloset

Hugs,
Jenna From FL
Moderator/Editor
TopShelf BigCloset
It is a long road ahead but I will finally become who I should be.

Why Has a Billion…

…been devalued? A million is one thousand thousands (10 to the power of 6) A billion always USED to be—in the "old world" anyway—a million millions (10 to the power of 12). So why has a billion now become a measly thousand million? (10 to the power of 9). A Trillion always used to be 10 to the power of 24.

Everything seems to have been devalued these days.

Get your pussy brain round that one, Bonzi.

Gabi.

“It is hard for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy—Far from the Madding Crowd.

Gabi.


“It is hard for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy—Far from the Madding Crowd.

one billion

From Wikipedia...

1,000,000,000 (one billion, short scale) is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001.

In scientific notation, it is written as 10^9.

In modern (short scale) English language usage, it is usually called a billion (although in many other languages and long scale usage, a billion means 1,000,000,000,000 - a million millions).

(I'd never heard of "short scale" and "long scale" before.)

Franco-American Billions

erin's picture

A billion used to be a thousand million in the US and France and American and French colonies, while it was a million million in the rest of Europe, including the UK and the Commonwealth. This distinction went back to the coinage of the word, apparently. Lately the UK has been changing over to the American meaning while France has gone with its continental neighbors.

And the rest of the world is still confused. Canada has long used the short (American usage) scale in English and long (European usage) in French. Australia uses one then the other, rather haphazardly, South Africa follows Canada's system but with Afrikaans instead of French. Most of Latin America uses the long scale, except sometimes when talking about money. Asian countries have used mixed systems but lately have been borrowing words from native languages to avoid the problem, even when speaking English.

Hugs,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Lance got third

And that's not bad at all IMHO. I'm sure he'd rather have won but finishing is good enough and being up there on the podium is pretty great.

Well i voted

so will i get a vist from Santa this year?... And just what will the Comment Fairy do if i did'nt leave a comment....But then... They are both fictional characters so i should'nt worry...Should i?.... Kirri

The Well Is Running Dry, Bonzi!

I voted (I always so). But comment? Bonzi, I don't believe in Santa Claus or Father Christmas or whatever you're currently calling him in the UK, so do your worst! And sending your cousin or whomever after my dog is hitting below the belt, eh? My dog is an innocent third party to this. So there!

Yours from the Great White North,

Jenny Grier (Mrs.)

x

Yours from the Great White North,

Jenny Grier (Mrs.)

So basically as I understand

So basically as I understand it from all this banter between Cathy and Simon, is a billion dollars (in this most recessive and very poor economy)is now just $10.00 (ten dollars) and a large Burger King Whopper with a drink and fries. "Chips" to our English, Welsh and Scotch "Cousins". :) Janice

Scotch? I don't mind if I do—

Janice, dear. It is a commonly held misapprehension among you friendly ’merican folks that “Scotch” refers to the native people of Scotland. Actually the word you want is either “Scottish” or, preferably, “Scots”. We Scots get a might tetchy about it.

Scotch refers to Whisky (NB no “E”) and mine is a double Laphroig, no ice, no water—just by itself.

Slainte mhath. [pronounced ‘slan-chee vah’ very, very approximately]

Friendly hugs,

Gabi.

“It is hard for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy—Far from the Madding Crowd.

Gabi.


“It is hard for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.” Thomas Hardy—Far from the Madding Crowd.

Christmas?

Story date stamp is 7/26? Good one Angharad!

Now Bonzia, he scares me.

Who is HE?

I thought Santa was surrounded by elves. Why are we worried about S. Clause in July ?
Aren't badges cute? Huh ? Oh, badgers, cute when young, like lawyers.and reporters.

Cefin.

I will not

I will not be badgered into making a comment just because you threaten to set your pet unto us.

Oh,.... Ah,.... Well,....

Anne Margarete