Birds of Different Feathers

“Francesca, I see you have been highly recommended by my HR Manager. Before we go forward, let me again remind you, I am looking for a personal secretary, not a 9 to 5 office secretary. As you know, I have businesses around the world and therefore this job involves extensive traveling with me. This is a demanding job. I see you just started college. How you are going to manage all this?” asked Mr. McFarland.

“Sir, I am aware of the job requirements. I am taking only three courses, so I should be able to manage. Going forward, I am planning to take more online courses,” Francesca replied.

“If you are sure you can handle all this, the job is yours. Stop by our HR office tomorrow to do the paperwork,” remarked Mr. McFarland with a smile.

“Really!” exclaimed Francesca in joy.

“One other thing – if you prefer living here, you are most welcome to do so. I have an empty suite in the guesthouse which you can use,” added Mr. McFarland on his way out.

“I’d love to live here. This is a beautiful mansion. It will also save me a lot of time and money,” she replied like an overjoyed kid.

“In that case, let me give you a quick tour of the property,” Mr. McFarland asked her to follow him and continued, “Take a look at the empty suite and let Donna know if it needs any fixing. Also, let her know when you are planning to move in.”

“Do you have other employees here?” she asked.

“Twelve. They all have different responsibilities – two drivers, three in kitchen and the rest are in cleaning and maintenance. Donna is the house manager. Donna and her husband, who is also my nighttime driver, occupy the other suite in the guesthouse. All others leave around 6pm,” Mr. McFarland replied.

In a few days Francesca moved in. She loved her spacious two bedroom suite overlooking the manicured garden.

“Please tell me about Mr. McFarland. I want to mentally prepare myself for the job,” Francesca looked at Donna and wanted her advice.

“He is the sweetest person I have ever seen. I’m in this job for fifteen years, yet I have never seen him yell or shout – not once. Considering how rich and famous he is, you will see how simple he is. He gets up quite early, around 5am. He goes for a jog on our trail. After a shower, he meditates for about an hour. He then takes a very light breakfast and leaves by 9:30am. He generally comes home around 9pm. So I come over, serve him supper and then I go back. If he is eating out, he calls me ahead. I must say, he is a very predictable person,” Donna briefed.

“Was he ever married?” asked Francesca.

“As I understand, he got married when he was 28. They got divorced two years later.  No kids. The court papers said irreconcilable differences. His parents have passed away,” Donna said and then added, “By the way, I suggest you take over the supper responsibility. All you have to do is serve and stay by him while he eats. You will get to know him better.”   

“I will be delighted to. How about if I take over as of tonight?” Francesca remarked with a high degree of eagerness.

“Okay. Come down to the dining room around 9pm and I will show you around. Once he shows up, I will let him know and you will take over,” Donna said to Francesca and walked towards the kitchen to work on the supper menu.

Francesca realized that she had to take advantage of the evenings to stay current on her studies. Around 9pm she heard the door bell. Donna was in the kitchen, so she opened the front door.

Mr. McFarland walked in and said, “I am glad to see you, Francesca.” He then proceeded to his bedroom. Francesca went to the dining room to take on her new responsibility.

In about fifteen minutes he walked in.

Donna asked him, “Is it okay if Francesca takes over the supper responsibility?”

He laughed and said, “I will like the change. You are way over-worked. It will free you up for the evening. It’s also good for Francesca. We can talk about my schedules, travel plans, etc.”

As Donna left, he looked at Francesca and started a chit-chat, “So, have decided on your major?”

“Most probably, Political Science. In any event, it is not going to be one of the hard sciences. I hate Math.”

He suddenly changed the subject and got more serious, “Next Monday, I am going to Costa Rica to attend a conference. Please work with my office to finalize my travel plans. During your school breaks, I want you to come along too.” 

“Mr. McFarland, can I come along next week? I can work around my classes.”

“It’s up to you. If you decide to come, you will also travel with me in first class. That’s my rule. By the way, everyone here calls me Jeff. Good Night.”

In her first professional interaction with him, she observed he was a polite and pleasant man with a heart. Even the idea of traveling in first class excited her. She noticed he ate very little – a small piece of grilled fish and some salad. She thought he was the kind of person who would fall for woman’s pressure. But it was just the first night, so she did not want to sound pushy.

The next morning before leaving for college, she spoke to Mr. McFarland’s office to get the details of the travel plan and then communicated with the travel office to have the necessary reservations done. While talking to them, she learned that his company was jointly developing a resort property in Costa Rica with a local partner. It was going to be his second visit in six months. He was also going to preside over the prize ceremony of a tennis tournament that his company was sponsoring. She thought her job so far was interesting and challenging.

That night as Mr. McFarland sat down to eat, Francesca said to him, “I made a little change in tonight’s menu. Instead of meat, I asked for grilled fish and chicken. I also increased both portion sizes. From now, it is not going to be self-service anymore. I will serve you.” She then served him a plate with fish, chicken and salad.

“It is too much food for me. I don’t like to waste food,” he remarked and then tried to put some food back into the trays.

“Please try. If you cannot really eat what I have given you, I will adjust the quantity tomorrow,” she firmly stated.

As he started eating, he said to her, “I will appreciate if you sit down and eat with me too.” So she took a plate and sat down by him.

“Tell me about your family, Francesca.”

“My parents are from Peru. When they came to the US, my brother was nine and I was five. My father works for a law office as a translator and my mother is a house-maker. They did the best they could. Last year my brother graduated with a degree in computer science and joined a bank. I would love to get a degree too. I know that will make my mom very proud.”

“I will pay for your college education as long as you maintain a minimum 3.0 average,” he offered.

“But HR told me there is a one year waiting before I qualify for some education reimbursements,” she wondered somewhat loudly.

“I said I will pay for it. Good Night,” he smiled at her and then slowly walked towards the staircase.

She was watching him as he was walking up the stairs. So far she did not notice a sense of haste in his activities; she was even surprised to see how slowly and softly he spoke. The fact that he hardly knew her, yet he already offered to pay for her college made her feel already thankful to him. She suddenly remembered that a paper was due the next day. She rushed back to her room and started working on her paper. At 10:30pm she was finished with her paper. She looked at Mr. McFarland’s bedroom and saw the lights were still on. She went to the kitchen and warmed up a cup of milk and took it to his room.

She knocked at his door and said, “Mr. McFarland, this is Francesca. May I come in?” As she heard him say yes, she walked in. The room was so huge his big bed looked quite small in the middle. He was sitting on the bed surrounded by heaps of newspapers and magazines. He was taken a back as she handed in the cup of milk to him. He stared at the cup of milk and humorously said, “I did not know I was pregnant.” She was not amused by his humor; instead she said, “Please finish the milk. I will take the empty cup back with me.” Meanwhile, she picked up all the papers and magazines from his bed and put them on the corner table. Under pressure, he finished the milk with a frightful gesture. She picked up the cup and said good night to him. She was still uncomfortable to call him Jeff.

She learned from Donna that Mr. McFarland, when in town, ate only brunch on weekends. After that, depending on the season, he would go out for golf or other recreational activities.

Around 10am on Saturday morning he walked in the dining room and saw Francesca reading a book on one corner of the table. He teasingly said to her, “Oh no! I hope you are not taking over the breakfast responsibility too.” With a serious face, she looked at him and said, “You guessed it right. Please sit down. I have rearranged the breakfast menu.” She then served him a bowl of mixed berries and a cup of milk. With a horrified face, he alleged, “I hate milk. I hate all these ugly fruits. I want pancakes and sausages.” She was quite unmoved by his requests and asked, “How do you like your eggs? Or do you prefer egg substitute?” Like an obstinate child, he was sitting with his food, untouched. He intensified the degree of his anguished humor and asked, “What is an egg substitute?” As usual, instead of paying any attention to his humorous talk, she went to the kitchen and asked the chef to make some scrambled eggs using a combination of fresh egg whites and egg substitutes. As she came back to the dining room, she noticed he ate some fruits, but the milk was still sitting. “Where is your breakfast?” he asked. While pouring some milk and cereal in a bowl for herself, she said, “Before your egg is here, please finish your milk.” Again, under pressure, he drank half the milk and then said to her, “I haven’t had a cup of milk in last thirty years. Now, at this old age, I have to start all this milk business.” She politely mentioned, “It is good for you. You will get used to it. To tease me, my brother once brought home a white mouse. In the beginning I did not like it, but I slowly got used to it. Likewise, milk is no different.” 

In a while, a deluge of phone calls poured in; she realized his golf buddies were anxiously awaiting his arrival.

After making a few changes to the supper menu, she went back to her room. Momentarily, she heard a knock on her door. As she opened the door, Mr. McFarland started, “Here is a corporate charge card. Since you are coming to Costa Rica, go out and do some shopping. I have authorized one thousand dollars for you. Any problem, call me.” Before she was able to say anything, he rushed off. She was extremely happy to have access to some shopping money. She badly needed to update her wardrobe, especially as she was going to be part of the corporate delegation.

On Monday morning a stretch limousine took them to the airport. This was the first time she traveled in a limousine. A few other senior management people also joined them at the airport. The plane ride was particularly thrilling for her. In the past, while walking through the first class, she always wondered how it would feel to occupy a seat there. Now she was sitting there. She liked the hospitality and the personal touch. Mr. McFarland asked her to sample some of his favorite wines. After trying two or three she started to feel a little dizzy. He looked at her face and said, “These are quite strong ones. If you are uncomfortable, you should stop.” She did not want to lose control of herself. She stopped. As the plane was descending, she looked through the window. She loved the view – lush green mountains all around.

The local partners came to receive them at the San Jose airport. A limousine took them to a helipad where they boarded a helicopter. As the helicopter was flying over the dark green mountains, she thought it was one of the most magnificent journeys through the nature she had ever had. In less than half an hour they landed on a mountain, the top of which was flattened to build a sprawling private resort. She learned from the pilot that the resort was very low key and only the top dignitaries from around the world were allowed to stay there. To the west of the resort were some gorgeous dark green high-rise mountains and to the east was the unobstructed panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. All her life she heard of secluded resorts for the celebrities, but she could never dream of anything of this grandeur and opulence.

The resort had the look of a castle, but comprised of only two buildings, called the State Building and the Guest Building. While Mr. McFarland and Francesca were taken straight to the State Building, the management team was dropped off at the Guest Building. The itinerary indicated that at 3pm the local partners would host a champagne reception at the ballroom of the State Building. Mr. McFarland was staying at the presidential suite. However Francesca’s room was not ready, so Mr. McFarland asked one of the guides to give her a tour of the building. As she walked around, she was enchanted by the gold castings, the original paintings from around the world, the majestic woodwork, regal art of stained glasses and the efficient use of alternative energies to power the entire resort.  Of course, she was equally captivated by the outdoor landscaping, the waterworks in the ponds, the freely roaming animals, and a natural stream that ran between the two buildings. She also learned from the guide that the west side mountain was the home to some of the most upscale coffee plantations in that region.

An attendant accompanied her to a suite upstairs. The suite looked more like a mini museum than an expensive hotel suite. She was pleasantly surprised by the two balconies to her suite – one facing the ocean and the other facing the dark green mountains. While the beautiful white-sand beach was virtually empty, some people were picking coffee beans on the slopes of the mountain. She walked in the bathroom to freshen up. As she stood in front of the gigantic mirror and all the gold paneling around, she could not but fantasize herself the queen of a fairyland. She thanked Mr. McFarland for this wonderful opportunity.

It was 2:45pm local time. She called Mr. McFarland to remind him of the reception. At 3pm they walked downstairs towards the Ballroom. The management team was already there. It was a much bigger gala than she anticipated. In addition to the local partners, a few high ranking political folks were also invited. Since all the presentation materials were shipped directly to the convention center where the meeting was supposed to take place, she meanwhile prepared some talking points for him, just in case he was asked to make a short presentation at the reception. Before long, the town supervisor wanted to know the progress of the project and a tentative timeframe to the finish line. He was very happy to have the talking points in front of him. As he was making the presentation, she was interpreting in Spanish. The local partners and the politicians were delighted to be briefed. The management team breathed a sigh of relief too. Mr. McFarland was ecstatic about Francesca’s smart thinking. He repeatedly thanked her for putting an intelligent presentation together. The management team congratulated her too. They all felt that a new chemistry was in the offing.

That evening, after dinner, Mr. McFarland was sitting alone in the atrium. She came and asked him, “Can I join you?” He laughed and said, “Yes. This is one my favorite spots in the resort. You get an incredible view of the sunset. I always thought the sunset is more romantic than the sunrise. Sunset is followed by darkness, so we tend to be more emotional and appreciative of the sunset than the sunrise. Anyway, can I get a glass of red wine, please?” By now, she was aware of his favorite wines; she chose a full-body Bordeaux wine. As she handed in the glass, she pulled a chair and sat next to him. He again said her, “I am so proud of you today. You put such an intelligent outline together. Precision is critical in presentation. Because of your outline, I was able to present precisely without sacrificing the pork.” He then softly tapped on her right palm. She also felt good that Mr. McFarland appreciated her effort. “Mr. McFarland, you are such a rich and famous person. People know you around the world, yet you are so simple and humble. It really amazes me.”

“The word arrogance is not in my vocabulary. Today I am perhaps rich and famous, tomorrow I can be destitute. These are some phases we go through; nothing is ever-lasting. Let me put it this way – I am just luckier than most others. By the way, please get used to calling me Jeff.”

She got a little more adventurous and asked, “Why didn’t you get married again?”

He just looked at her and replied, “You do not surprise me anymore. You are a bold girl.”

In her funny way, she took exception to his remark and said, “I am not a girl. I am a woman.”

“I thought you are just nineteen. When did a nineteen year old become a woman?”

“A thirteen year old is a girl. A sixteen year old is a young lady. And a nineteen year old is a woman,” she answered.

“Why not eighteen?” he jokingly asked.

“Because I am nineteen,” she emphasized her terms.

They both laughed and then he added, “I will try to remember you are a woman.”

He asked for another glass of wine. She immediately reminded him, “Limit two. You have to drink in moderation.” She poured another glass for him.

“During the interview you sounded so easy and undemanding. Now I see you are the other way. I have never been more fooled. I am sure you managed to fool your mother often,” he remarked with an innocent laugh.

“See, my mother was very partial to my brother. So I found my way to fool her and get my proper dues. She didn’t know that I knew all her hiding places. She never counted anything. I would take two dollars and tell her I was taking only one. She knew I was obsessed with candies. She would always try to hide candies from me. I would even take a chance even with the last piece. Sometimes she would be a little confused, but she never figured things out right,” they both burst out in loud laughter as she depicted her naughty way of handling her mother.

“You are still dodging my question. Why didn’t you remarry?” she again asked.

He realized she was not ready to quit. So he thought of a bargain and said to her, “If you pour me another glass, I will tell you.”

“Okay, how about we meet half way?” she put forth her suggestion.

Under the circumstances, he accepted her offer. As she poured the wine, he started, “After I came out of a messy divorce, I did not want to get involved, at least, not for a few years. I wanted to concentrate on developing my business. Suddenly my business started growing by leaps and bounds. My obsession for money and success also skyrocketed. Before I knew, I was 45. By then I achieved all the name and fame I could ever use. As my obsession began to wane, I felt lonely. But I was not sure what I was looking for. I started to spend more time with women. Of course, most of them were also equally confused about their level of commitment. Here I am, 54 and as confused. Now, even if I have a relationship, I doubt I want to marry.” It was getting cold, so they retired.

The next morning a limousine took them to the convention center where the resort operators’ convention was taking place. Mr. McFarland was the keynote speaker. Many American companies, who were already there or were planning to be there, were attending the conference. After the speech, attendees were waiting in line to talk to him. Because of the extensive presence of McFarland’s companies all over Central America, other US operators considered him the American expert in that region. After the speech, the limousine took Mr. McFarland and Francesca to their project site. The management team stayed back at the conference. His company was developing a huge retirement resort on the Caribbean Ocean. They were expecting the phase one to open in a few months. So he was scheduled to attend a series of meetings all week, from realtors to local leaders to government officials to the American retirees. He did not think she needed to attend any of those meetings, so he asked the limo driver to take her around for some sightseeing.

While she was not keen to visit the beaches or the downtown high-rise buildings, she loved the old Spanish architecture. The limo driver took her to the observatory of a live volcano where she was fortunate to get glimpses of some live eruptions. She was unbelievably happy with the royal treatment she received so far.

The next three days she decided to stay back at the resort. She was happy to play with the animals within the resort. She loved to see the baby deer and the way they cling to their mothers. She wanted to grab the babies and feed them but she was a bit afraid of their mothers. One male baby was a little more courageous and started coming close to her. She got a baby bottle from the housekeeping and fed the baby some milk. Since then the baby stayed around the day with her. Sometimes she would carry him to the beach and run around together. She started to understand when the baby was hungry. She would get some green leaves from the kitchen and slowly feed him one small leaf at a time. Often they would lie down on the grass facing each other and play. The baby’s legs were still not strong enough, so he would fall here and there. She was careful not to make him run too much. The baby became so fond of her that in the daytime he would not even know where his mother was. The mother deer noticed their love affair but was unprovoked.

On Saturday they all went to watch the final of the tennis tournament. They got a royal treatment there, including seats at the clubhouse. Mr. McFarland was chairing the prize distribution ceremony. The hosting club arranged a luncheon for the sponsors. The entire McFarland team was invited. A few players stopped by. Francesca was tempted to ask for their autographs, but she stopped short because she did not want to spread herself too thin in front of others.

Mr. McFarland however asked her if she collected celebrity autographs; she decided to stick to her decision and politely said ‘no’.

After they came back from the tennis match, one housekeeping lady informed Francesca that the baby deer was looking for her and perhaps did not eat or drink the whole day. She ran out and started looking for the mother and the baby, but it was way too dark to look for them. She knew she had to wait the night out before she could find them. The next morning she woke up quite early. She walked out and started looking for the mother and the baby. She knew it would not be too difficult to find them since she decorated the baby with different paints the day before. As she walked down the slope she found them in one corner of the compound. Because of the mother, she was afraid to go close to the baby. However, as soon as the baby saw Francesca, he stood up. She wanted to run and grab him, but she was still afraid. Suddenly he began to run towards her; amazingly the mother did not care. He stopped in front of her and raised his front legs up in the air to be picked up. In sheer joy Francesca grabbed him and ran to the building. Mr. McFarland was watching the entire episode from upstairs. He came down and said to Francesca, “I wish I could help you. He is too young to be separated from his mother.” He patted the baby and left. She fed the baby a bottle of milk and then let him go. He nevertheless wanted to be with her and showed his restlessness by continuously moving his legs up and down. As she started to walk back, he made some shrill sounds. She knew he was crying, but she was too upset to look back at him.

Around 10am the limousine arrived. Francesca came down. She wanted the see the baby one last time. As she came out, the baby and the mother reappeared. He slowly came forward and licked her hand. The mother was staying back and watching. As she hugged the baby, he licked her hand once more and then went back to his mother. The mother and the baby slowly disappeared in the slopes. She realized the mother did not want the baby to be hurt again; it was as if they just stopped by to say a final good bye to her.

As they were flying back to LA, she kept thinking of the beautiful baby deer. She never had such an emotional encounter with an animal. She thought the baby deer was more affectionate and playful than all human babies she had ever looked after. As the pilot announced that they were landing shortly, Mr. McFarland handed her a handkerchief and said, “I know how you feel. Perhaps this is the reason I did not remarry.”

As months went by, she was getting more comfortable with her job. At home, Mr. McFarland became more like a friend to her. She was always curious about Mr. McFarland’s senior management meetings. She once asked him if she could attend one as an observer. He finally gave her a green signal for one where they were going to be discussing their international expansion strategy. She was very happy about it. It was a two hour meeting in the afternoon. She was asked to sit in the second row against the wall with a few MBA interns. In addition to the senior management team and Mr. McFarland, a few unknown faces were present too. The meeting started with a short audio-visual presentation by their Director of International Projects. The next hour was spent discussing the recommendations of a report put together by a consulting firm. Mr. McFarland sounded like a very different person in the meeting. He asked some of the toughest questions on important issues and whenever he was not totally satisfied with the answers he pushed them off for further studies and discussions. In asking the tough questions, he spared no one, including the CFO. Before the next session started, someone cracked a joke about an outside member of the board. Everyone but Mr. McFarland participated in the extended laughter. As others were sharing the laughter, he was absolutely indifferent and kept scribbling something on his notepad. That night she asked him why he did not participate in the joke and the resulting laughter. He answered, “I don’t enjoy making fun of anybody. It’s like spitting in the air – just matter of time. See, we are all challenged in our own ways, so why should I make fun of anyone? I find it beneath my dignity.” She realized why they all worked for him!

In a few days Mr. McFarland informed her of his forthcoming trip to Sydney, Australia to attend an international conference. It coincided with her spring break, so she decided to come along. She did not know much about Australia except the large kangaroo population there. She decided to learn more about that continent. Instead of a scheduled commercial airline, this trip entailed a charter aircraft. She heard a lot about the upscale charter jets, but never saw one. She knew they would be there during the hot and humid Australian summer. So she had to do some shopping for summer clothes. The charter jet was an experience for her. The limousine ride from the airport to Sidney harbor gave her a glimpse of the beautiful city of Sidney. They were staying at a gorgeous hotel on the harbor. The convention was taking place at the hotel next door. The top three floors were reserved for them. Mr. McFarland was staying at the penthouse suite. She was staying in a suite right below his penthouse suite. She thought the harbor and the skyline view from her suite was simply majestic. The lighted view at night was equally magnificent. She discovered that the third floor of the hotel had a massive shark aquarium and the first two floors contained top of the line boutiques from around the world. She knew she could easily spend hours shopping there.

“I have never seen a penthouse suite. Can I later stop by and have a look at it?” she asked Mr. McFarland.

“Yeah. Please do so after the inaugural dinner tonight. I also want you to look at my speech the PR office has put together.”

She stopped by his suite that night. She had never seen anything like this before. With a remote he opened the curtain and the entire glass wall and dome appeared. The suite was surrounded by a beautiful flower garden. In the middle of the garden there was a sitting dome with a breathtaking view all around. As they sat down inside the dome he remarked, “This is the best spot in the hotel.” She said, “I looked at your speech. It was not agile enough. I had to make a few changes.” He thanked her and said, “I really like your speech-writing capability.” He was running a little low on his wine, so he asked for a refill. She reminded him of the rule and refilled his glass. He laughed and said, “Oh no! I made a mistake asking this girl to stop by.” She gave him a comical look and said, “Didn’t I tell you I am not a girl. I am a woman.” He sounded equally funny, “Please keep reminding me. I will get it someday.”

She suddenly changed the conversation and said, “Tell me why you got divorced. I know your court papers said irreconcilable differences. I have a funny feeling there is more to it.” He looked at her and said, “You don’t quit, do you? You should be concerned with my business life, not my personal life.” She was not ready to give up. She remarked, “There is perhaps a line of demarcation between personal life and business life for average folks, but there is no such difference for people who are larger than life. Just take the case of Mahatma Gandhi – his personal and political lives were deeply interwoven.” He countered her statement by saying, “The only difference between a so-called average person and me is that I am luckier. Most average folks work as hard or smart. It’s just that luck does not necessarily work in their favor. At the end of the day, the luckier folks are generally more successful and they tend to write the how-to books. By no means am I a larger than life figure.”

Over the months she developed a tremendous sense of respect for him. When she heard humble statements like this from him, she could not help believe that there were living gods among us.

Because of the hot and humid summer, the conference started at 7am and ended at 3pm, leaving enough time for the attendees to sail and surf. The next day they all went to the beach. They were advised not to go too far out as the sharks routinely showed up. They all had a wonderful time sailing around. She also tried a few other water sports. At the CFO’s suggestion, they all visited a well-known Down Under restaurant at the harbor for dinner. Most of them including Francesca settled for a popular local dish involving some grilled steaks. Mr. McFarland opted for fish. She thought the Aussie meat had a distinctly different flavor from the American meat. While everyone enjoyed the meat and ordered more, the CFO asked her, “Francesca, do you know what meat you are eating?” In a somewhat confused voice, she said, “I hope it is Aussie beef.” In the midst of a loud laugh, someone mentioned kangaroo steaks. She ran to the bathroom and threw up. When she returned, the laughter continued. Meanwhile, Mr. McFarland whispered, “I thought you knew. I am sorry.”

After dinner they went back to the hotel. Mr. McFarland felt bad for her at the dinner. He asked her to stop by. She was not too keen, yet she could not refuse his request. He told her, “I am really sorry that you had to go through that kind of nonsense. It’s a shame.” After an hour she showed up at his place. He opened the door and said, “I am glad you came.” They sat in the garden dome. He added, “Let’s see if this can cheer you up. Tomorrow the team is making the presentation; I have cancelled my commitments and instead arranged a charter trip to the Great Barrier Reef. It is truly a natural wonder. You will enjoy it.” She was stunned. She could not believe he would go to that extent to cheer her up. She had to thank him, “You did not have to do it. I am just a secretary. Now I feel embarrassed. I am okay. If this trip is to please me only, you should cancel it.” He laughed and said, “I enjoy visiting there too. It is just a great experience.” She felt a little relieved and began to regain her usual self. She looked at him and started “You didn’t answer my question yesterday. We wasted the evening talking about some unrelated issues. Tell me why you got divorced.” After having had a big laugh Mr. McFarland said, “You silly girl, you don’t forget. You keep coming back to the same topic. It’s so long ago that I don’t even remember.” She again insisted, “I want to know what really happened. Jeff, I am a woman.” Mr. McFarland got his second glass of wine and said, “Wow! You finally called me Jeff. I can’t believe it. I am happy. I am really happy.”

He knew that she was not going to let this topic go away easily. So he started, “We got married because we really loved each other. At least, I thought so. One day I was severely under the weather. I left office right after lunch. I came home and went straight to the bedroom to lie down. As I walked in the bedroom, I found my wife in bed with another man. I felt numb for a moment and then walked out. I knew I could not live with her. We decided to get a divorce.” She was shocked to hear the story. She wished she had not insisted to find out. She asked, “How bad was it?” He replied, “The worst.”

She adamantly remarked, “Why did you give her a normal settlement? She did not deserve anything. Did you ask her why she cheated on you?” He answered, “I did not ask her the reason. Perhaps I was not man enough for her. I knew her for so long and I was so used to being with her that I could not smear her in front of the world. I did not care about money. I wanted her to be happy.” He sounded quite emotional. She checked her tears and asked, “Did you meet her since?” He answered, “Once, in a party. I guess it was two or three years later. She was married.” She asked, “Did you talk?” He laughed and said, “Yes, we did. I liked her husband. He was a well-known political figure. I remember he asked for some campaign contributions. Before leaving, she put a small piece of paper in my jacket. “What did it say?” she enquired. “You are the greatest,” he replied. She could not check her tears anymore.

The next three days were fun-filled for her. She loved the day in the Barrier Reef National Park. She was amazed by the beauty of this gigantic ocean park and the numerous colorful species. The submarine ride through the coral reef was truly an unforgettable experience. The next day they all went to watch a cricket match between Australia and Sri Lanka as his company was one of the sponsors of the tournament. Jeff was perhaps the only American to understand the rules of this English game. Once he explained the rules of the game, she liked the game. Like baseball, it was a game of strategy and statistics. But she had a long laugh to hear the names of the field positions starting with the word ‘Silly’ like ‘Silly Point’ and ‘Silly Mid-off’. She exclaimed, “What a silly way to name the important field positions. I will never forget these names.” On the final day, they explored the countryside. She was ecstatic to see the kangaroos and the snakes in the wilderness. She was amazed to see how fast some snakes could move. Of course, she was a bit sad as their guide was unable to locate a python.

Meanwhile she was delighted to get a 3.5 average in her spring semester. Jeff said, “I am happy to see your grades. Now you should vie for 4.0 average. That’s how you advance in life. Just see how Wall Street treats the public companies. If a company just meets the Street’s consensus earnings estimate, most likely, the stock price will take a beating. But when a company beats the estimate by a wide margin, the Street rewards the stock. And, that’s true growth. Given your smart mind, you should be able to do the same.” His words of encouragement touched her heart. She always knew he was a great motivator. Yet she thought she should convey her gratitude, “Thanks for believing in me. Come Fall, I will go for the gold.”

During the summer she wanted to work as an intern in his office. He was not too keen about her proposal but he finally accepted on condition that she would not interfere with his personal life there. She agreed, “I promise I will be totally professional.” She was thrilled to learn that she would be getting a stipend of $2,000 per month for her internship. Jeff also informed her that she had earned her free pass to the fall semester. She noticed he was a very different person at work – very serious, hardworking, yet easily approachable. He would sit with his regular employees and eat the same cafeteria food. While most management people routinely complained or fussed about the cafeteria food, she never heard Jeff make one negative or unpleasant remark.

Along with other management interns she started sitting in many senior management meetings as an observer. The more meetings she attended, the more she was convinced of Jeff’s leadership style and capability. She thought he was not only an exceptional strategic thinker, but he was a gifted visionary as well. She noticed that most meaningful ideas came from him. While the company employees in general had a very high opinion of the management team, she however thought at least half of them were highly overrated.

One evening she mentioned to Jeff, “You should take a hard look at your management team. Some of them are way overrated. They can take you down.” Of course, Jeff rationalized the event as a “team approach.” She realized that he was not ready to disturb the winning chemistry.

During the fall semester she learned from Donna that Jeff usually took his winter vacation in early January. Since her spring semester did not start until the end of January, she decided to ask him if she could come along. He said, “I will be very happy if you could join. This year I am staying at our Catalina Island resort property. This is a beautiful oceanfront property on top of a hill, with our own helipad. In terms of location it is quite similar to the Costa Rican property you stayed in, but not as stately. Anyway, let my office know that you are coming.” She was excited about the vacation. If the conference trips were so much of fun, she knew the vacation with him would be awesome. Since her semester’s progress report would be out before the vacation, she thought it would be a nice way to surprise him too.

After the summer internship, Jeff routinely sought her help in studying the quarterly project reports, especially the international ones. He loved the way she put together the one or two page summaries. Once during a dinner, he even casually mentioned, “I find your short and unambiguous summaries more meaningful than the volumes my analysts put out. Now, we have so many projects around the world, I simply don’t have the time to read through those volumes. If you didn’t have school, I would have made you my management assistant.” She replied, “What are your senior managers doing? They are simply getting a free ride by dumping their work on you. I know we had this discussion before, but let me rehash – you need to take a hard look at them. Times have changed. Just good looks and friendships don’t cut it anymore. Get rid of the ones that do not belong there; or else, your empire will start to crumble – some cracks are already visible and I can feel it in your talk too. Because you are a soft and sweet person and you do not have a woman at home to bitch you around, they are pushing you beyond your physical limits.” On the way out Jeff had a loud laugh and said, “I like your French. You should skip it in college.”

She was extremely happy with the way the fall semester was going. Through the middle of the semester, she was able to maintain a perfect average. She knew the papers and the finals carried higher weights, so she could not let up on her efforts. It was her golden opportunity to prove her potential to Jeff. Meanwhile, she got an approval from him to decorate the house for the holidays. After having consulted an interior designer, she ordered a natural Christmas tree, the necessary lighting and other decoration materials. She knew this beautiful mansion was too dull and lonely; it required a dose of adrenaline to give it a vibrant and cheerful look. She wanted at least a cheerful holiday season. When suddenly the lights lit up around the house and on the Christmas tree on the lobby, Jeff could not believe it was the same house that he had been living in the past decade. On the Christmas Eve, his management team and their spouses were invited for a get-together. Everyone admired the new look of the house. The CFO said, “Francesca, if you could pull off such aggrandizement, I wonder how you would reshape the company someday.”

The day before their vacation, she stopped by her college to pick up her fall progress report. She was ecstatic to find that she was able to achieve the 4.0 average. She wanted to keep it a secret for the vacation. From LA, the Catalina Island was a short helicopter ride away. Instead of a cluster of suites, the resort was well laid out, consisting of fifty-plus three and four bedroom oceanfront villas dotting the top of a hill. The resort offices and the other amenities were in the middle without the view. Her villa was next to Jeff’s and the front veranda had a magnificent view of Pacific. She loved to watch the thousands of boats all around. A few hours after arrival, Jeff asked her to join him on a speed boat ride. She had seen them before, but never had the opportunity to ride one. For her that one hour in the speed boat was more nerve-wrecking than the roller coaster rides in theme parks. Once she got off the boat, she told Jeff, “This is not a fun I will look forward to anymore.” Jeff laughed and replied, “I thought you are a brave woman.” She remarked, “At least, you got the woman part right.”

The next four days they had a lot of fun sailing, balloon riding, snorkeling in a private lagoon, swimming with dolphins and whale watching. She was however upset that Jeff was busy at night attending parties at various local clubs. Suddenly on Friday afternoon he told her, “I have no party to attend tonight. If you like, we can spend some time together.” She was very happy to hear that, considering they would be going back the next day.

As he opened the door, she said, “Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you.” He was delighted to see her report card and said, “I knew you could do it. Now, it’s a matter of just maintaining the momentum.” Before she could say anything, he added, “I have a word of advice for you. Don’t ignore the quantitative courses. They will help you in your MBA.” She replied, “I am not thinking that far ahead. I want to play it by the year now.” He then looked at her and remarked, “You look so beautiful in this outfit.” She laughed and said, “I hope you are not planning to surprise me with a pink slip. You never said anything about how I look. Are you complimenting me or my new outfit?” With his usual laugh he said, “Perhaps both. Anyway, let’s sit in the porch upstairs. There are too many flies and bugs at the ground floor.”

As they sat upstairs, she could see the white surf and hear the beautiful rhythm of the breakers. Realizing that he had been drinking for a while, she asked, “How long have you been drinking? I hope you didn’t go over the limit.” He smiled and replied, “Today I am drinking Bloody Mary. This is my second or the third one. I am glad you are here. I was so bored.” She chided him for drinking too much, “I thought you have been abiding by the quota of two drinks. Now I know you are fooling me.” He remarked, “You silly girl, I have been good. But once in a while when I am bored, I don’t know what else to do. I tend to overstep the limit.” It was a little cold so she went inside a got a light comforter. She wrapped him around under the same comforter and placed his left hand between her arms. As she felt warm and comfortable, she said, “You know, I am in love with you. I was upset the past few nights because I didn’t see you.” He laughed out loud and remarked, “You silly girl, I am fifty-four and you are only nineteen. You should find a real boyfriend who is right for your age. This is not love; this is plain infatuation. Once you find the right partner, you will get over it. Some kids go through this phase.” She felt very upset that he did not understand her feelings and take her seriously. Anyway, she tried to convince him more emphatically, “First of all, you can feel I am a real woman, and not a kid. And secondly, I am madly in love with you. I don’t care about your age. I don’t care about your wealth. All I know is how I really feel about you. One day we will be married and live happily thereafter.”

After they came back from their winter vacation, she often mentioned how much she loved him. He would simply disregard her comments and tell her, “You badly need a real boyfriend who is compatible and who can take care of your emotional needs. Let’s face it – six years from now, I will be a sixty year old man and you will still be only twenty-five. How can I ever satisfy you? Even if you want, you wouldn’t know how to get rid of me. You will be stuck with an old man. At that point, name, fame and wealth will mean nothing to you. So, dispose of this silly obsession from you mind. Be free. Have fun. Whatever help you need, I will provide. I will not only pay for your undergraduate, but I will also pay for your MBA. After that, if you want to work for our company, that will be wonderful; or if you decide to pursue other options, that will be perfectly fine with me. Just get rid of this silly idea from your mind. You have your whole life ahead of you.”

One night the same topic came up. She became very upset and started screaming, “I know you don’t want be seen with a poor Spanish girl. You will be degraded to your fancy world. If I were a successful American CEO or a well-known clothing designer with an Italian last name, then my age would not have mattered. When did a rich American last marry a nameless and faceless Latino? It does not happen. Oh God, what a mistake I have made. I should have realized my limits. I should have stuck to my roots and found a Latino boyfriend. That’s what my brother did and I see how happy he is. He warned me. He warned me so many times. I should have listened to him. Oh God, what a mistake I have made. Please tell me how I can get out of this mess.”

He felt equally upset and tried to console her, “Francesca, I did not mean to hurt you in any way. You are so beautiful and smart. To me, all beautiful women are the same, irrespective of where they come from. God creates beautiful women for men to worship. You do not know what a big place you occupy in my heart. I wish I could say I love you. If I do, I know I will be committing the biggest sin of my life. How can I commit such a sin at this age? Please try to understand my dilemma.”

She looked vacantly at him and remarked, “Your dilemma is not about committing a sin, but it is about your image. You are wondering how you are going to present me to your world. You are worried if people might wonder about the circumstances of our marriage. The rules of our civilized world are very rigid and I should have played by them. Now, I am simply paying the price for not following those rules.” She left before he could say anything.

After that incident she tried to keep the relationship strictly at the professional level. Sometimes they would hardly talk at the dinner table. She noticed he was trying to initiate conversations, but she kept them at the service level. Meanwhile, she dropped out of the spring semester. She was mentally way too stressed to concentrate on studies and maintain her high grades. One day he asked her why she did not pay her tuition. She simply ignored his question and changed the topic of their conversation. She avoided his next trip to a project site in south Florida. He was under the impression that she was in the middle of her semester, so he did not expect her to come along, either. She was happy to avoid the trip knowing very well it would otherwise complicate their relationship again. At times she thought of quitting her job, but her mother warned her not to jump ship without a proper alternative. Her father’s hours at work had been cut to half, so she had to help her parents out too. Under the circumstances, she knew she had to stay put in her current job.

In a few days she learned from Donna that Jeff had developed severe hypertension. Since he religiously followed the prescribed regimen of foods and exercises, she knew it was the all-around stress that was causing his hypertension. He also drank very moderately. She had no doubt in her mind that she was one of the main contributors to his unhealthy condition too. She realized that they drifted so far apart that he did not even care to mention it her. She secretly consulted his physician and dietician and developed a new diet plan. She however introduced those changes in a way that he did not resent. At the dinner table, to ease tension between them she tried to be more normal and relaxed. But over the months he had also changed so much that he hardly spoke to her in his usual gracious way. She once asked him if he would like to have Donna back to manage his breakfast and dinner affairs. He softly remarked, “I prefer you.” After he left, she sat there and pondered the wonderful time they had together. She was concerned whether he was taking his medication on time. She knew he would not let her take over that responsibility, so she arranged with his physician’s nurse to stop by once a week to arrange and monitor his medication. She also hired a well-known Yoga instructor to teach him some stress-release exercises. He was quite indifferent to all these new gyrations, though.

She knew the only way she could distance herself emotionally from him and try to reconstruct her life was to see other men. She thought of Francisco, the guy from her college who used to bug her for a date. Back then she did not care about him because she was crazy about Jeff. Her birthday was coming, so she thought that would be a good day to go out on a date. Francisco was delighted to hear from her. They set a date for the Saturday following her birthday. He would pick her up. She also let Jeff and Donna know that she would take the night off.

Around 7pm that night she stopped by the main house to remind Jeff that she was out for the night and Donna was in charge. He came back from the golf course a little earlier, so he was in his room resting. As she reminded him of her night off, he jokingly asked, “Where are you going this late? Shops are ready to close.” She just said, “Date.” He pretended he was curious, “What’s his name?” She replied, “Francisco. This time I am sticking to my roots and within my limits.” He did not believe anything she said. He thought she was just being bored and wanted to go out and spend some time shopping. He continued his pretentious curiosity, “What’s the occasion?” She answered, “My birthday.” He was shocked. He knew of her birthday, but it had completely slipped his mind. He wanted to surprise her with a fitting birthday party and gifts. He spontaneously said, “I am really sorry I forgot your birthday. I feel so ashamed. Can I still do something belated? Will you please give me another chance?” She comically remarked, “My birthday is not significant enough to be remembered. Just don’t forget to take your medication at bedtime.” As he stood there speechless, she left. He thought she completely made up the ‘date’ event to remind him that her birthday was gone totally unnoticed and unrewarded.    

He was upset that she was not there at the dinner. He sat in the rear porch upstairs with his drink. It was a pleasant LA evening. He could see clearly the guesthouse apartments from there. The lights were on in Donna’s apartment but it was dark in Francesca’s. He thought she would return by 10pm. He was still upset about her birthday. He went and poured another glass of wine. It was already 10:30pm, and she did not return. He started missing her. He tried to call her, but her cell was off; he kept getting her voice mail only. He started to wonder if she really went on a date. Even that idea was making him sick. He just wanted her to come back. He wanted to tell her she was right and he was madly in love with her. He realized he should have done that a long time ago. He knew all along that she genuinely loved him. Her naïve and innocent heart never cared about his wealth or fame.  She just wanted to spend her life with him, in thick and thin. He felt so lonely without her that he started crying. He went to his prayer room and sat down in front of the Lord’s statue. Then he kept hitting his head on Lord’s feet and began to cry, “Lord, please forgive me for my arrogance and stupidity. Please return her to me. I will worship her for the rest of my life.”

In the middle of his prayer and cries, he fell asleep. He woke up by the sound of a car pulling in. He was happy. He knew she was back. He went back to the porch. In a few minutes her apartment lights were on. He was relieved. He sat there for a while and thanked Lord for returning her to him. He now knew how he felt about her. He decided to tell her that he loved her with all his heart. He started dreaming her as his bride. He even wondered how to propose to her. He knew she was upset. But he also knew he could make up to her by being honest to her about his mutual feeling. He believed if his sickness got worse, she would not leave him and run; instead she would take care of him to the end. She was pure. She was beautiful. She was real. And, she was part of him.

He decided not to wait until the next breakfast time to confess to her about his feelings for her. Her apartment lights were still on, so he slowly walked down the stairs and approached her apartment. One end of the blinds on the side window was not completely closed. He peeked through the open end of the blind. First he thought he was dizzy from his drinks. He took a second peek. A young man was lying down on her. He felt as if he was getting a heart attack. He quickly leaned back against the wall. As he got his senses back, he walked back towards the main house. He felt completely at a loss. He thought the world was collapsing around him. He went back to his cellar and grabbed a bottle of whisky and started drinking straight from it. His whole body was still shaking. He did not know whether to scream or cry or just grab a knife and cut his throat. As the whisky sank in his system, he was completely disoriented. He grabbed a set of car keys and staggered down the stairs. It took him a while to locate the right car. He did not drive in years. But now he was too drunk and disoriented to think of his driving capability. He simply drove out of the building compound.

Around 6am, Francesca’s office cell phone rang. She did not expect a call that early in the morning. As she tried to reach the phone, Francisco said, “Let it go. Why bother this early in the morning?” She said she had to answer. He angrily remarked, “If you answer, I will leave right now.” She again insisted that she had to answer. Out of rage, he picked up the phone and crashed it against the wall. He screamed, “Didn’t I tell you not to pick up?” She immediately realized he was one of those monsters. She started to cry thinking that she just spent the night with him. She moved to the corner of the room and sat down. Without looking at him, she said, “I want you to leave – right now.” Again with his barbaric loud voice he remarked, “If I leave, you will never see me again.” She was too sad and upset to scream back at him. Instead, she indifferently said, “Just go away. I don’t want to see you again.” On his way out, he again screamed, “You whore, I know why you are after an old man.” This time she looked at him and said, “He is God. I just trashed God.” He again cursed her using some filthy languages and left.

As soon as he left, she called the answering service to find out what the missed call was about. The voice from the other side asked her to contact the CFO immediately. The CFO said, “Jeff is in ICU fighting for his life. He crashed his car against a poll. His blood alcohol level was exorbitantly high. I don’t understand that. I thought he moderated. He often mentioned he didn’t take more than two a day.”

Before he finished, she hang up. She realized what had happened. With all force she started banging her head on the Lord’s picture on the dresser and began crying, “Lord, how did I let this happen? For a piece of trash, I killed my God. Please spare his life. Please don’t take him away for my sin. I will never see him again. I will dedicate my life to you.”

As she kept violently hitting on the picture, a big broken piece of glass cut her artery on her left wrist. Blood drenched the wall and the floor. She slowly fell into a swoon.

Two years later

“Sister Francesca, you have a visitor,” Sister Clara remarked.

“My mother?” asked Sister Francesca.

“No. A man. He said his name is Jeff Mc something,” replied Sister Clara.

Sister Francesca looked shocked.

Sister Clara just smiled and said, “Why do you look so shocked? Some of us are here to hide from our past.”

Sister Francesca was still in a shock and sat still.

Sister Clara gave her a humorous look and said, “Have fun!”