The Gentlemanly Client

I replaced the china teacup on its matching saucer and he commented favorably on the mark that my carmine-red lipstick had left on the cup’s pristine white rim. Hmmm!!!!!!! The remark took me aback because most people would have been too absorbed in other things to even notice; but it shouldn’t have, as it really was quite typical of his multi-faceted nature.

He is quite unusual in that he is surgically precise in his dealings, razor sharp, quite demanding and unwavering in his objectives, and yet wraps his exchanges with people (male and female alike, of ALL ages) in impeccable manners that are personalized and yet without misleading, or being flirtatious. No lingering eye contact or prolonged handshakes which one encounters all too often. He is a consummate communicator par excellence indeed! He gets his point across without a whiff of creating false expectations that just might eventually sour relationships. His methods have worked exceedingly well - he has arrived at a position of immense influence in many countries, and amassed the thundering power and wealth that naturally accompanies that level of influence.

From our first business meeting Client had insisted that we would take tea together as we held our discussions – in fact on the couple of occasions he would even adjust the time of having his afternoon tea till I arrived, and his secretary would smilingly bring it in, within minutes of my sitting down. Perhaps it was our common familiarity with traditionally British ways of yore that had struck a rapport between us from the time we has first spoken – it was over the phone, when obviously our diction would have carried the greatest impact on our mutual perceptions of the unseen personality at the other end of the line.

Although he is busy making international deals he always returns my calls and messages promptly, emerges from his office to personally greet me and see me into it, and walks me to the elevator when I leave. The pointed questions I ask regarding progressions of our dealings are never avoided but always answered to clearly and accurately without giving too much of his part of the negotiations away.

But you know what has really endeared me to him? It was when – while we were waiting for someone to call back – he conspiratorially lowered his voice and asked “Would you like to see a picture of my old girlfriend? I still keep it in my wallet you know”. GULP. You could have knocked me down with a feather, but I struggled to keep my external composure and politely said “Of course. She must be very special to you if you have kept it all this time.” He took out his well-worn, leather wallet and fished into it to retrieve a faded, black-and-white photo yellowed and almost obscure now with age. He pointed to the male half of a stunningly attractive couple in their youth glowing into the camera and said “That was me.”

As he went on to lovingly describe the woman in the photo, I understood that while it had been taken when they were working on their professional qualifications, she had since become his wife and business partner – a challenging combination that had obviously withstood the grueling tests of time to become the ultimate couple who are now ‘two opposite halves of one whole entity’. Yin Yang.

I just can’t wait to meet her and anticipate being a witness to what must be an unwavering commitment that each one of them has kept – each one to being the fulfillment of the other. A very, very rare and invaluable stance. It reminds me of my days with the Kings: Barrington was a treasured supervisor and mentor who exuded a fearsome and commanding power over everyone (he was U.S. Ambassador Plenipotentiary), but whose eyes would instantly soften and features would melt when his beloved Sara walked in, even at a business meeting. Sweet! Precious, embalmingly Sweet!