Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 68691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68691 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
So we wanted the brunette so badly that it literally hurt, wanted Tina in our lives and by our sides. Where else would we find her sweet intelligence, depth of knowledge and understanding, coupled with a sensuality so heady, so exciting, that it was enough to handle three men, milk the sperm from all of us while bringing us to undiscovered heights? And yet the brunette had dismissed us with a flick of the wrist … and we weren’t sure if there was a way back.
TINA
“There you go,” I said, handing the cash to Annelise. “It’s capital for your business, use it like we discussed,” I said encouragingly.
The small woman smiled, so thin that I was surprised when I’d found out that she was a farmer. Annelise had stopped by my office two months ago explaining that her family planted rice, and needed a loan after a crop failed last season.
“Thank you, Miss Tina. It’s going to make a huge difference,” she said gratefully. “Last year, my husband managed the planting, but this time I’m in charge. Your investment is going to make all the difference.”
“Good,” I said with a smile. “Take the reins from your husband because you’re the boss now.” After all, the truth is that a lot of men in Cambodia don’t have great heads for making money. Khmer Outreach, like its famous forbear Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, has discovered that women entrepreneurs are a much better bet than male ones. The women are enterprising, hard-working, with a 99% payback rate. Male entrepreneurs, on the other hand, seem lazy, shiftless, and only too happy to let their wives do the work. So K.O.C. focuses on women-led enterprises, an otherwise underrepresented minority in this land of fifteen million.
Annelise turned to go, but then hesitated, looking over her shoulder at me curiously.
“What about you, Miss Tina? What about those men who stopped by your office last week? I couldn’t help but hear,” she said quickly, “but it seems you were in a romantic relationship with them?”
I paused for a moment.
“Yes, I was. In fact, they’re the fathers of my baby,” I said softly, wistfully.
“Fathers!” exclaimed Annelise. “All three?”
I nodded, not saying any more. The situation was too complicated, and I was still heartsore after the encounter, staying up nights, unable to sleep, replaying the conversation again and again in my head. Had I done the right thing? Had driving Karl, Kristian and Kato away been the right thing to do? Maybe I’d been overly harsh. Maybe I was too much the alpha female and should have taken a gentler approach. Maybe I should have waited until the babies were born before turning them away at least. Then again, maybe I’d done everything right.
But Annelise was impressed.
“You were wonderful,” she said with a big smile. “I couldn’t help but overhear, but you were the boss!”
I smiled sadly then.
“Yeah, I was, wasn’t I?” I said softly. “I wore the pants that day, didn’t I? Maybe I should have been nicer. I don’t know,” I said, sighing. “It’s too late now.”
Annelise was silent for a moment.
“I know what you mean,” she said slowly. “I know what you mean about being the boss because like we talked about, I’m running the family business now, I’m not letting my husband hold the reins anymore. I’m the daughter of a rice farmer, the granddaughter, the great-granddaughter of rice farmers. Rice is in my blood, and I know how to plow, how to harvest, how to market rice better than anybody else, including my husband.”
“But Miss Tina, it’s more complicated than that. Because I’m in charge now, but my husband and I, we’re still a partnership, don’t you see? For our family to succeed, personally and professionally, I need him. I can’t just send Mr. Peuh away. My husband is still my everything, even if I’m CEO. So be kind to your men, let them into your heart,” she said.
I smiled wryly.
“Oh Kristian, Karl and Kato are in my heart, there’s no doubt about that,” I said. “If you knew how many sleepless nights I’ve had since they showed up, how much I’ve thought about what happened.”
“But that’s it,” Annelise replied slowly. “You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just what they asked for wasn’t totally wrong either. They asked for time, and that’s not so crazy. You think my husband was okay with me being the boss immediately? Heck no! Mr. Peuh, he sulked and skulked around the house for weeks, even months, after I told him I was taking over the business. It was a change, and I had to give him time to come around. Isn’t it the same for your men?”
I thought for a moment.
“But I was pregnant and alone,” I said softly. “That’s no way to leave your woman.”
“Did they know you were pregnant when they left?” asked Annelise.