Читать книгу Cull - Stafford Ray - Страница 11

Harry pulled the folder from his brief case and began to prepare for the Ho meeting. Dismay turned to anger. He dropped the papers in disgust and called the steward over.

“Bourbon on ice, please.” The ‘please’ was so strained that the steward paused.

“Is everything OK, Mr Fromm?”

Reaching to retrieve the papers, he became aware of the steward’s discomfort. “Sorry! No, everything’s fine. Make it a double.”

The Steward looked to Ling Mae, sitting beside Harry, who was also surprised by his uncharacteristic anger. She shrugged to the steward and touched Harry’s arm as soon as the steward had turned away.

“What’s up, Harry,” she asked, eyes lifting to his. “That’s not like you!”

“It’s just this nonsense.” He pointed to the page. “They want me to ‘express our dismay at the failure of the Chinese Government to allow their people basic human rights’ and so on. They’re on again about one-child families. Shit!”

“Why?” she asked. “I would’ve thought they’d be pleased their one and a half billion wasn’t about to become two billion, wouldn’t you? And they have eased up a bit.”

“I thought so, and what’s this about bigamy?” He pointed to the heading. ‘Chinese legislate for bigamy’. “I must’ve been asleep for this one. How long since you’ve been back?”

He closed the folder.

Ling Mae, his Australian-born ethnic Chinese interpreter and assistant, turned the corner of the page and put her novel down.

“Mum went a year ago to visit her mother. Gran went back to live after Mao died. It wasn’t my first visit, and I was there for the Olympics. Why?”

“What’s this about officially sanctioned bigamy?”

“Well, it’s a long story, but I guess if you’re about to bring it up with Ho you’d better know.” She paused but he seemed preoccupied. “Well, do you?”

“What?”

“Want to know. Do you want to know?”

“I think whatever they decide for their own people,” he mused. “If it’s not oppressive, it’s OK with me.” He turned to her again. “But bigamy! That’s a bit rich, isn’t it?”

“No,” she answered. “Remember the prostitutes we saw last trip?”

He nodded.

“OK, so why do you think that was?” She turned to face him fully. “Now, just imagine a whole decade of boy babies outnumbering girls by two to one. Then fast forward twenty years and you have maybe twenty million randy young men who won’t find wives. What do they do? They go to prostitutes.”

“Yes,” he agreed. “You can’t but notice the prostitutes.” He looked out the porthole. “But I guess that’s a good thing in a way…practical, sensible.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” she laughed. “Last time I was there I was propositioned by three men together!”

“You mean, a foursome?”

“Yes, a foursome, but a foursome as in a multiple-husband marriage.” She was blushing under her Eurasian tan. “They all wanted to marry me together.”

“Three men, one wife? So that’s what this is all about. Is it legal?”

“It is now,” she replied. “The government had little choice but to ratify the one wife, two or three husband combination when they saw how well it worked. It was happening anyway and they saw it as a better situation than uncontrolled prostitution. I do too.”

He just stared at her. He was processing the idea, imagining what that would be like for women. Was it limited prostitution, or could it offer a deeper commitment? He wondered.

Throughout history there have been cultures that favoured multiple wives in marriage but rarely has there been a stable culture of polyandry.

“You can see the advantages,” she offered. “Two or three men working; she can work herself, or stay home and attend to one or two children. She has choice.”

“She can marry her husbands and sleep with the best man!” He laughed.

“Harry Fromm!” she giggled. “That’s dirty! Just think. If it was acceptable to have sex workers servicing, say, twenty, fifty or more men, it’s safer for the women and maybe even the men, to have a stable relationship where the sexual and economic health of the household could be assured and the children given every opportunity. I think it’s a practical solution. Don’t you?”

He could imagine the government, run by the most conservative men in government anywhere, would have begun by opposing it. But he could also see that if people were more contented and productive, polygamous marriages would receive their blessing. They were pragmatic if they were anything.

“I wouldn’t like it myself,” he smiled. “But I don’t know what Felicity would think…and I won’t be asking her.”

“I wouldn’t either. She might surprise you.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he laughed. “But if it makes possible more than one child to a household. That has to be a good thing.”

“Yes, and the three men, one woman and two or three children model works best because if one of the men wants out, the others are usually relieved to be rid of the one who didn’t fit in.”

Harry thought of the difference between polygamy and polyandry and realised that in polygamy the man was reasonably sure he was the father of the children.

“How do they know who’s the father? I imagine they’d want to know.”

“DNA, Harry! Where have you been?”

“Mmmm,” he replied as he reopened his notes.

He read it again. ‘…object strongly to the Chinese Government encouraging bigamy’. He had been so busy with the Climate and Nuclear Inspection debates while worrying over whatever Devaurno was planning, that he’d missed it in the press and Felicity hadn’t mentioned it. He could imagine shrill voices of condemnation emanating from the God-botherers, having a field day demonising the ‘Ungodly Practices of Unnatural Fornication’.

He read more and became angrier. Tanner was beholden to the politicians of the pulpit and had ordered Harry to tell Ho that America condemned the practice as being against the Will of God.

What would he know? Americans had no understanding of the emotional and social context of Chinese family life and couldn’t care less anyway.

But it could be used politically. Here was an identifiable group, holding alien values, to be vilified and demonised. Best of all, here was another abominable practice to cite as evil. Harry could see the holy flagellator of his people kneeling at his bedside shouting his prayer of thanks.

‘Thank you, Oh Lord, for revealing this evil temptation. This Abomination before You, Oh Lord, will be driven from the hearts of your people by the power you have vested in me, Your Servant. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.’

Reluctantly, Harry broached the subject. The meeting had already gone overtime and Harry had not yet raised the issues he had been avoiding.

“Chairman Ho, I have been instructed to raise a matter of some delicacy.” He waited for Mae to translate. Chairman Ho bowed, almost imperceptibly, his permission to continue.

“President Tanner is anxious that current negotiations toward a free trade agreement, particularly the sharing of nuclear and renewable energy technology, should not be jeopardised by the perception in America that the Chinese people do not enjoy basic human rights.” Harry’s expression was of humility. He watched for Ho’s reaction as Mae translated.

“Exactly what freedom does your president consider is denied my people?” Ho asked politely, clearly suppressing anger.

“In America,” he began, then distracted by Ho’s demeanour, began again. “In America we believe in the freedom of married couples to have as many children as they wish.” He paused again as the translation followed.

Ho had heard it all before and did not reply, but waited, putting the pressure back on Harry to continue.

“Also, Americans object strongly to recent changes to your laws governing matrimony. They are particularly offended by the practice of a woman taking more than one husband.” He tried to soften the words by continuing to appear apologetic as the translation continued but the lined old face hardened further.

He turned to his ethnic sister and hissed. “Tell Mr Fromm that it is of great concern to the Chinese Government that President Tanner has had the audacity to criticise Chinese women who seek a better life for themselves and their children. In this country there is no compulsion to take a husband. There is no compulsion to take one, or two, or three husbands. Chinese women are free to choose. American women are not. We have the freedom. You do not. You should learn from us!”

Anger in the old eyes deepened. Ho had suffered a moral battle within himself. The criticism had tapped into his private sense of morality.

Mae struggled. “Chairman Ho rejects the right of America to dictate Chinese internal policy.” She paused and thought again. “He says America has no right to interfere in China’s internal affairs.”

Of course, the message from Tanner should never have been forced upon him. He felt gratified by his old friend’s anger.

“Tell Chairman Ho…” He paused to bow and smile his message of personal goodwill, “that his points are well taken. I will convey his valued thoughts to my president.”

Ho glanced at the general by his side as a messenger passed him a document. The general scanned it quickly, then passed it to Ho. What he read seemed to increase his anger.

“Ambassador Fromm. Border security has intercepted a significant amount of money coming into our country. The man carrying the money told us he was an American aid worker but he had no documents supporting his claim, just money.”

He paused for Mae’s translation and to observe the reaction. Harry had no idea what Ho was talking about.

Ho went on. “He said he had brought the money into the country to help poor people buy boats. That’s a noble thing to do, don’t you agree?”

“I don’t know,” answered Harry. “I guess so, but did he say where the money came from? Was it some wealthy relative overseas?”

“He said the American government gave him the money. He said he was told to help people buy boats to go to Australia.”

“Did he say who in the government gave him the money?”

“No, he said he was just given the money by a man in the government and he thought he was doing a good thing for his people.”

Harry shrugged. He turned to Mae. “Tell Chairman Ho I know nothing about it but I’ll make enquiries and let him know what I find.”

Mae translated as Ho read more from the document in front of him and stared angrily at Harry. “Mr Fromm, there is more. Our satellites are picking up suspicious activity in the vicinity of Denver, Colorado. What do you know about that?”

This time, Harry did have the official answer. “Mr Chairman, I presume you are referring to the new hydro generating plant being built there, and I understand they also manufacture generating equipment for other countries. There’s nothing suspicious about it. I see no reason why you shouldn’t be shown around when you next visit. That project has been well publicised. There’s even a model of it on display at the UN. I don’t understand your concern.”

“We suspect the hydro scheme is a cover, Ambassador Fromm,” he growled. “We want Chinese inspectors in there as a matter of urgency.”

Harry recalled his meeting with Tanner and Devaurno. There were things he hadn’t been told. He decided to launch a diversion.

“I see no problem with that; so, we set up a joint inspection team to look at Denver and then we’ll check out what you’re doing in Mongolia.”

As Mae translated, the general became agitated. He turned to Ho and whispered earnestly in his ear. Ho turned away from the general, clearly angry.

Harry thought the anger was directed at him and tried again. “Chairman Ho, I assure you, there is no covert operation in Denver. I am confident the Denver project is what it appears but I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful until I investigate.”

“You do that, Ambassador, and be quick. I am beginning to think there is more going on than you know. Your government is lying to you too.” He smiled briefly and more gently added in English, “Be careful, Harry,” surprising them both.

Mae was surprised too as she carefully translated the rest of the message.

Clearly the Chinese knew more than they were saying. Ho seemed to be warning him to be careful back home, but with the translation done, Ho stood, with a bow to Mae and a perfunctory handshake for Harry. He was joined by the enigmatic General Duk in animated conversation as they passed from the room, leaving Harry and Mae to be offered refreshments by his ambassador to Washington.