Indonesian Gold (20 page)

Alfredo's polite cough as he knocked on the open, study
door gained the General's attention, the aide then standing aside to permit Maria, the maid,
carrying a silver tray loaded with freshly brewed tea, and biscuits, to enter.

‘The driver has radioed that they are almost here,
General.'

‘When they arrive, bring them directly up here to the
study,' he ordered. And, when the maid had exited and was out of earshot, he added, ‘and find
where my niece has hidden those cigars!' A horn sounded in the distance, followed immediately by
a bell ringing somewhere below. ‘That will be them,' the General said, returning to observe their
arrival, from the window. ‘Best you go.'

****

Kremenchug
was startled when
the huge man stepped towards the Mercedes and opened the door for them.

‘The General's aide,' Sharon whispered. ‘Big, isn't he?'
She stepped out of the car, her extended hand gently held by the smiling giant as he guided her
to the steps, then turned and bowed at the visitor.

‘What a magnificent building!' Kremenchug was struck by
the mansion and its setting.

‘It's early Marcos and post General MacArthur,' Sharon
joked. ‘Many of these homes are not as old as they appear. Please, Alex, come in,' she coaxed,
leading the way through the formal entry, then up a winding staircase to the study, where they
were met by General Narciso Dominguez. Sharon moved to her uncle's side, reached up and kissed
him lightly on the cheek, then introduced the two men. ‘General, I am so delighted to be here,'
Kremenchug beamed.

‘
Mabuhay
, Mister Kremenchug,
Mabuhay
!' And
then, ‘Alfredo, please see to our guest's luggage.'

‘General, thank you for the invitation to visit,'
Kremenchug continued, surprised at the much older man's firm grip. ‘Sharon has told me a great
deal about you.'

‘Not too much, I trust?' the old man quipped. ‘Please,'
the general indicated with a sweeping hand for Kremenchug to sit, Sharon taking her cue to pour
tea while Kremenchug's eyes roamed the magnificent décor.

Inbuilt teak cabinets lined one wall accommodating rows of
shelves, filled with encyclopedias and other reference books, with photographs, trophies and
memorabilia placed prominently at eye level, for all to see.

‘Is this not your first visit the Philippines, Mister
Kremenchug?' the General inquired.

‘No, sir, I have been here before.' Momentarily, he fell
into thought. ‘I was here briefly, around twenty years ago.' He wondered if their government
still maintained records of such visits. ‘I was only here for a couple of days,' he added,
lifting the highly aromatic tea to his mouth. He sipped, nodding in approval. ‘Filipino?' he
asked.

Sharon
raised the delicate
cup. ‘As good as anything you will find in Indonesia?' she asked, light-heartedly.

‘Of that I am sure,' he offered, graciously. ‘And you grow
coffee?'

Sharon
's pretense at disdain
delighted the men. ‘You don't think the Filipino people can grow coffee?'

‘Obviously, I have a great deal to learn about the
Philippines,' he offered, in defence.

‘Leave the man be,' the General chuckled. ‘I'm sure Mister
Kremenchug has more important things on his mind than learning about our agricultural
products.'

The three sat, talking amicably, discussing topical events
as the afternoon wore on, the General finally steering the conversation back to the purpose of
their invitation.

‘Sharon informs me that you are well known in the mining
industry?' Kremenchug was delighted with the comment but, before he could respond, the General
pricked his ego. ‘I hope you have resolved your problems in Australia?'

The conversation's change in direction caught Kremenchug
off guard. His eyes dropped to the Persian carpet square as he considered his response. ‘Apart
from the financial loss, yes,' he answered, not entirely surprised by the question.

‘You will not be further involved with the matter?' the
General's thick, gray eyebrows accentuated the severity of his brow.

‘No,' he assured, his face stiffening with
annoyance.

‘Your name was closely associated with the events. At
least, in the newspapers.'

‘I have a high profile,' he acted injured, ‘the tabloids
will do anything for headlines.'

‘And the perpetrators?'

‘Those responsible have been arrested, and charged,' he
revealed. ‘My company has satisfactorily distanced itself from the prospectors involved.' At this
point, he glanced over at Sharon and, recognizing that there would be no help from this quarter,
continued alone. ‘I can assure you, General, that what transpired in Australia was, in no way, of
my doing.' Again, he looked to Sharon, puzzled by her cynical expression.

‘And you really did not have any knowledge of what they
were doing, Alex?' Sharon interposed.

‘Certainly not!' he snapped, paling significantly, ‘and
any suggestion that I was involved would be considered defamatory.'

Silence consumed the room, broken some awkward moments
later by an air-conditioning compressor clicking into life. Sharon looked over at her uncle,
disappointment evident in her face. ‘Then we have made an error in judgment,' she addressed
Kremenchug, confident that they had not. ‘It would seem to us that the prospectors could never
have manipulated the market without
someone's
help.'

‘Well, that person wasn't me,' his denial was delivered
with regained composure – color now restored to his suntanned features.

Sharon
sighed, resignedly.
‘That's too bad,' she said, her statement confusing him even further.

‘I don't understand,' Kremenchug sat upright, his forehead
creased with a heavy frown. He looked at the General, then back at the man's niece, an uneasy
feeling rising from his gut.

‘Alex,' Sharon leaned forward, hands clasped over knees,
‘don't feel too offended, but you were invited here today specifically because we believed that
you were the one behind the…' she deliberately paused, as if searching for an appropriate word,
‘...the scheme.' She smiled innocently; her words left clinging like pollen to Spring
air.

Kremenchug
's neck reddened,
the suggestion that he had masterminded the Meekathara fraud, even though it was true, was an
outrage. He felt the pulse in his temple beating heavily, the muscles in his arms and legs
suddenly taut. He stared across at Sharon, his anger apparent.

‘Mister Kremenchug,' the General intervened. ‘Or, perhaps
it is time to put formalities aside. May I call you Alexander?'

Kremenchug
turned to his host.
‘General Dominguez,' he commenced, looking challengingly into the old man's eyes, ‘I'm sorry, but
I think it's probably better that I leave.' He moved forward in the chair, preparing to
stand.

‘Now, now, Alexander,' his host tried to soothe, ‘best we
clear the air before we start, don't you agree?'

Kremenchug
was flabbergasted
by their presumption of his involvement in the West Australian gold fraud. ‘General, I'm sorry,
but...'

Sharon
had risen and moved
across the room to the General's cocktail cabinet, her graceful movements lost in the heat of the
discussion.

‘Alex,' she called, Kremenchug glancing over as she poured
Chi-vas Regal into a pair of crystal tumblers, ‘it was not our intention to insult you. Please be
patient and you will understand.' She carried the amber colored drinks over and placed these in
front of the two men, returning to the bar for wine.

‘I apologize if you are offended,' the General offered,
Kremenchug remaining on the edge of his seat, undecided.

‘Well, the suggestion that...'

‘I'm sure that Sharon never intended to upset you. Perhaps
we should have left this conversation until later?'

Kremenchug
was at a loss as
what to do. He had come a long way, the promise of a major mining deal being aborted, foremost in
his mind.

‘Just so we get it clear for the record, Sharon,' he
insisted, ‘the only reason my name was mentioned in relation to the Meekathara fraud is because I
directed the group which had negotiated a controlling interest in the prospect.' Then, as if
appealing his case, he addressed the General directly. ‘My group lost millions in the end...' his
voice trailed off, the memory of his paper loss refreshed in his mind. He reached for the Chivas,
accepting that, having come this far, he may as well remain to hear what else they had to say.
‘Sharon,' he continued, his mouth still curled down at the corners, ‘if you had suggested that I
was involved in the Meekathara mess during our meetings back in Perth, I would never have
undertaken to come here.'

‘Alex, please listen to what we have to offer. Just be
patient a little longer.'

‘What is this really all about?' he asked,
bewildered.

The General beckoned for Sharon to sit by his side and,
with glass in hand, she obeyed.

‘Alexander, we have a proposal which requires the most
serious of discussions. It is only because my niece, Sharon, convinced me of your
trustworthiness, that we invited you here. So,' the old man smiled sincerely, ‘let's start
afresh.' The General raised his glass in salute. ‘Alexander, I offer you a toast,' he smiled
widely, the conciliatory gesture obliging Kremenchug, albeit reluctantly, to reciprocate. ‘To a
mutually rewarding relationship, trust, and friendship.'

Without waiting, General Dominguez drained his glass,
Kremenchug following suit, the whiskey's mellowing effect evident as the men placed their glasses
down, inhaled deeply, and suddenly grinned at each other.

‘Perhaps I was a little hasty in reacting the way I did,'
Kremenchug apologized, easing his body back into the comfortable cushions. ‘It's just that the
past months have been very distressing.' He smiled weakly at Sharon. ‘I'm sure you'll
understand?'

Sharon
did not hesitate. ‘Of
course, Alex, of course! Now, why don't you freshen up first and then I will show you around the
grounds?'

Suddenly, he felt very tired. ‘Actually, that would be a
great idea.' He rose, and extended his hand to his host. ‘General, sorry we got off to a bad
start. It's been a long day.'

General Dominguez's eyes twinkled. ‘But a fruitful one, I
hope. Sharon, please show our guest his room. Now, Alex, you will have to forgive me but these
old bones usually take a rest around this time.' He patted Sharon on the knee. ‘Take good care of
Alex, my dear. We will regroup before dinner to continue our discussions.'

****

‘I decided it best to walk you through the main house,
first,' Sharon explained, leading Kremenchug around the downstairs formal areas. They wandered
through the lounge, filled with ornately carved furniture and paintings, statues and awards, the
General's portrait in full uniform highlighted as a centerpiece against one wall. On each side
there were two similar sized paintings, and Sharon pointed to these. ‘Our family has a proud,
military history. The painting on the left is my great-grandfather. He was killed in 1898 when we
declared independence from colonial rule,' Sharon stated proudly, indicating an oil painting of
the revolutionary hero. She glanced at Kremenchug. ‘Did you know that the Philippines was the
first constitutional democracy in Asia?'

Kremenchug
was intrigued. ‘I
thought that was Burma.'

‘No,' Sharon shook her head, ‘it was the Philippines, even
though the first republic was short-lived.'

‘What happened?' Kremenchug was genuinely
interested.

‘Well, Spain had lost its war with the United States and
my country was illegally ceded to the U.S., along with Cuba and Puerto Rico.' She went on, ‘We
ended up fighting the Americans for more than ten years. They killed more than half a million of
my people.'

‘I'm sorry, Sharon, but I find this really incredible to
understand.' Kremenchug wasn't sure what he was hearing had not been embellished. He had never
read anything regarding the country's history, but if what Sharon said was true, the United
States had its first ‘Vietnam' almost seventy years before troops were sent into Saigon. ‘I was
under the impression that the Philippines and the United States were very close. I had no idea
that such history existed.'

‘You'll find it well documented in libraries and
historical archives,' Sharon said, matter-of-factly, before moving on.

‘And the other painting?' Kremenchug asked.

‘My grandfather,' she answered, tilting her head for
Kremenchug to see. ‘The General says that I'm just like him.'

Kremenchug
laughed. ‘No,
you're much more attractive,' he complimented her, observing Sharon lift her chin, a fraction,
with these words.