Chapter 30
Niaina and Johannes, Bernardor's awfully handsome chief of staff went along with me. The man carried with him a little slim black note that only held a few pages, he was coming along to record the choices I would make, it would be necessary as their value would equate how the trade negotiations would go.
Normally, a single cargo s.h.i.+p with around 7000 TEU would cost around seventy-million dollars. I wasn't much at all for a country to afford usually, but with extreme poverty plaguing Comoros, I had banked on them jumping at my very fair and opportune deal never did I expect Namibia to express an interest.
The fact that they did, hammered in the fact that I'd been making moves with things I was already familiar with, Comoros, Madagascar, Russia, and I was rather ignorant to many of the opportunities out there.
After all, with Namibia now in play, I would be getting three cargo s.h.i.+ps and a new trading partner for the next five years. With Comoros, I'd have had very little to work with and would have to depend on whatever further mercies the foul man gave me. The thought put a sour taste in my mouth.
Soon we arrived at the port and we stepped out. I'd worn a rather simple plain s.h.i.+rt, I had it slightly unb.u.t.toned, the sleeves rolled up and tucked into black slim fitted trousers which blended nicely with my black belt and shoes.
As I stepped out a man was already waiting for me with an umbrella, I was glad to see that they remembered I wasn't used to such scorching sunlight. I thanked the man and took off my sungla.s.ses to better see the Port.
Just like any other back home, the place was large and busy. In fact, most of the workers were too engrossed to even realize that we'd arrived. Either that or perhaps I was too used to immediately having the attention of everyone once I arrived in someplace.
I let myself and Niaina be guided to through the port, so far she'd been very useful in the negotiations as far as her latest report had been.
"Sir, the Bernardor is fine with getting vanilla, coffee and textiles but he says that depending on what cargo s.h.i.+ps you pick we'd have to bring more to the table."
She'd looked terribly exhausted that day and I felt great that I decided not to go to any of the negotiations. Although the feeling didn't extend much to having to place more on the line for the deal. In truth, we didn't have much else to give aside from the sapphires we barely produced and even that was near worthless to Namibia as they proudly produced much of the world's diamond.
Deep in thought, I caught me off guard
Johannes had asked if I wanted any press to know of my whereabouts whilst I stayed in the country. It was an easy thing saying yes. I wanted to be seen as much as possible. The boy who ruled, mysterious and powerful so-called dictator. I wanted to be in headlines and in the thoughts of as many conspiracy theorists out there. I wanted people asking questions about me.
"Your Excellency, would you mind taking some questions from the reporters?" Johannes had slipped between Niaina and I to ask the rather bold question. I turned to look at him incredulously.
"Why would I do such? This isn't a joint conference with your President. I think it would be rather rude and unwise to answer any questions without the President here with us." I tell him. It was the truth. As much as I would like to take a couple of dozen questions from foreign reporters, this was neither the place nor time for such.
Johannes looked like he meant to protest. I didn't give him a chance to. I put on my gla.s.ses to s.h.i.+eld my eyes from the rapid flashes and go ahead to wave lightly at them. I only do this once as I hurriedly move past where they were being held back not wanting to waste any more time, I brush past Johannes and resume my walk with Niaina.
"I thought you wanted the publicity?" she whispers to me, careful not to let herself be heard.
I shake my head and move closer to her so my height doesn't dull out my whispers, "I do, but this much is enough, I want people in foreign countries to ask questions about me but not get them. I want to be investigated. Soon many rumours will spread about Schelar and you know people are generally adventurous, they will take the risks and see for themselves what Schelar really is and if their governments are slow to respond to their questions, it would only be a matter of time before they began reporting the truth on my behalf."
She hummed at this, looking like she was placing the pieces of my intent together and after a moment she came out with, "So tall, dark, handsome and mysterious."
My immediate reaction was to cringe at the watered-down yet apt manner of explaining the basics of the plan, my second was a shock as Niaina was a middle-aged woman, albeit blessed with a still youthful look and figure she'd already had children at her age. Call me naïve if you will but I never thought for a moment she would ever have anything other than an old-timey outlook on the world.
She chuckles at my reaction and smirks, easily reading me as she always has in the past, "Don't look so terrified, I could qualify as a MILF you know?" There it was again!
I recover from the shocked look I'd been giving her and apologize, "Sorry, it just…I never thought you'd still…"
"Have such interests?" she offers and we notice quietly noticed we'd finally arrived at our destination, "If it's any help, I read a lot of romance in my little free time."
With my rather limited experience with women her age, I was considerably ignorant about what would count as s.e.xual gratification for a woman as Jesse completely lost all interest after our second child. It got even worse after the third and fourth which were honestly careless mistakes on my part.
"We're here sir." She states stuffing whatever careless response I had coming back in my mouth.
I turn my attention to the workers in front of me. They looked just as tense as I'd expect.
"We are proud to Welcome Your Excellency to Walvis Bay."
They spoke in unison and even stood stiff at attention. I smiled as I hadn't received such brilliant hospitality in many of the years I acted as President in my past lives. African nations truly knew how to take care of their guests.
Before the tour began I went ahead to ask about how their job worked. I found it always helped ease the tension when you got someone to talk about what they did for a living or even simply their hobbies.
They all introduced themselves and spoke briefly on what function they performed at the port, although I already knew their names thanks to my almost instinctive use of my intel-ii. I barely caught myself from greeting them as I greet my personnel back home. There would be no easy way to explain how I knew the names of workers indigenous to a country I'd just arrived in.
After pleasantries, the tour began and I was introduced to the rather ma.s.sive MANOLIS P fourteen thousand TEU cargo s.h.i.+p.
Although I knew for a fact that the workers had been given instructions to enthusiastically promote the largest and most expensive cargo s.h.i.+ps but honestly. They didn't need to. The s.h.i.+ps ma.s.sive sizes could have me drooling as all I saw was money being s.h.i.+pped in on their backs.
Not wasting any more time I call Johannes over and tell him the good news, "I'll take three of the largest you've got."