America 1982-Chapter 239 - 81: You Are Fulfilled, Tommy_2
"No, no, no, my girlfriend goes to help those needy poor people, which of course includes black people, but not to become one of them," Tommy immediately retorted.
Ottelia can’t afford to be too familiar with black people. Given her nature, if she truly got intimate with black people, those lazy and thick-skinned black paupers would surely take Ottelia’s charity for granted, and Ottelia might even come to think of it as natural.
"What she should have done first is to use her kind heart to help me influence Professor Yunus in Bangladesh. My girlfriend has the funds and is willing to do the right thing to help Bangladesh. Professor Yunus would not refuse goodwill. That’s what we need to do: find opportunities to inject capital, turn that small bank into ours, then have Yunus work for us. Take those great ideas in his head, make them ours, and then gradually develop this business internationally. There are so many impoverished countries in Africa and Asia with countless poor people. Targeting them, we can use Yunus’s brain to design many ways to help them. And helping, at times, can also be a business. We draw the blood of black people from California to nurture our branches in other countries until the time is right..." Tommy looked at Jim.
Jim pulled away his napkin to wipe his lips, poured a gulp of wine into his mouth, took a deep drag of his cigarette, then bluntly interrupted Tommy, "This isn’t business at all, Tommy, it is business, but... not in the traditional sense, unless you work for some politician, but that’s impossible. The investigation the firm completed for Lotus Corporation shows you come from the countryside with no political background of significance."
"I had wanted to work for myself, but now I’ve decided to work for my brother," Tommy said frankly to Jim.
Jim didn’t bother to listen to Tommy’s completely insincere drivel and turned his head, cursing before saying, "If being a mechanic counts as a political personality, then sure, you could say that."
"I’m planning to get him and Dennis into the United States Naval Academy, to join the SSD Chapter at the Naval Academy; after graduation, they would join the Navy. So, the business in those countries is like trading goods for each promotion he gets. There’s nothing we can’t sell." Seeing Jim thought he was joking, Tommy added another sentence.
Jim turned back to scrutinize Tommy and, after confirming the bastard’s expression was not one of humor, ventured to ask,
"You have to understand, if America and the Soviet Union go to war in the not too distant future, it would be like you’re sending your brother and friend to their deaths. Are you truly untroubled by such a possibility happening?"
"Then why not bet that there won’t be a war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union?" Tommy said to Jim.
"For the poor to change their fate, how could they do it without taking risks? There’s no gain without something put forward. If the military maneuvers by the Soviet Union hadn’t scared the great military academies into not meeting their enrollment targets these past years, how could politicians provide opportunities for poor boys to slip in?"
Seeing Jim remain silent, Tommy continued speaking as he ate,
"They give, and they will receive. My brother might one day become the captain of a cruiser or some other commander of a unit, the same for Dennis. Otherwise, is my brother supposed to spend his life fixing cars in the countryside, and Dennis to be a garbage station manager forever?"
Looking at Tommy’s nonchalant expression, Jim couldn’t help but ask, "Can you use anyone for your own needs without hesitation? Tommy, do you have any real friends? Any real family? I mean, whether it’s family or friends, is there anyone in this world you can truly confide in and fully trust?"
"None, not a single one," Tommy replied without even a moment’s hesitation, looking at Jim with a calm gaze.
"An impeccable answer," Jim mumbled as he continued to eat, "You’ve got it all figured out, Tommy Hawk."
Both men quietly finished the food on their plates, and Tommy, wiping the corner of his mouth, broke the silence,
"Apart from needing you to teach my girlfriend how to do charity, there’s one more thing. The SSD Chapter at Stanford University is hosting a Veterans Association fundraising charity dinner, and I need a few influential people to make an appearance. The other guests aren’t important, but I want to attract the SSD Chapter members from military academies like West Point and the Naval Academy to attend."
"Why?" Jim looked at Tommy, perplexed, "What can those idiots do? You won’t have anything in common with them. In fact, even someone my age can hardly keep up with your train of thought, let alone share any common topics."
"Those guys are perfect as loan salesmen, and they might even be potential shareholders for our little venture, Jim. Of course, I’m going to organize a charity dinner to keep them happy, then I’ll leverage the illusion that I’m rubbing shoulders with influential folks to talk about collaboration." Tommy patted a thick stack of SSD military academy alumni information on the seat next to him:
"These guys can either help us to lend money to others while they are in the military or at school, and we can assure them no interest for the initial period, only principal repayment. Whether they like making interest themselves or prefer using interest-free loans to gain a good reputation, it’s up to them. Just need to expand our clientele base, it’s no big deal because soon it will change from us needing them to them needing us. As long as money still tempts them, they’ll be inseparable from us."
Jim, no longer surprised by such schemes, nodded indifferently, "It’s becoming a habit, the stupidest thing SSD ever did was admitting you to their ranks. Under the SSD banner, you turn those guys, whose minds are far less mature than yours even if they’re the same age, but whom you think are worth cultivating, into your little brotherhood. You’re young and rich, willing to lend a hand to SSD brothers; they’re all going to like you."
"Get to the point, Jim, use your talents from ’National Review’ for pimping, and help me bait some influential people," Tommy asked Jim.
Jim snuffed out his cigarette, looking at Tommy speechlessly: "These things always need bait to catch fish. You need to show me what you plan to use to attract the big fish, so I can decide if I can pimp for you."
Tommy picked up one of the files from the pile of information and tossed it to Jim: "These are issues I’ve come across through various military papers and magazines, and then I’ve attempted as a rich man to figure out how I could lend them a hand. This folder contains my thinking."
"I think I still have a say in choosing the bait," said Jim after quickly flipping through the folder and then speaking to Tommy:
"There’s always some foolish congressman who thinks they’ve got a great idea to curry favor by doing something for active-duty soldiers or veterans to get a good PR, wanting to publish it in ’National Review.’ But they often overlook the fact that the criticized agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs or Veterans Health Administration are also part of the military, so their courting often backfires. You, at least, haven’t made that mistake." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Jim had handled many congressmen’s drafts during his time as an assistant editor at ’National Review’, which he referred to as bait — the textual material. What Tommy had given him could not be considered a well-crafted draft, nor was it remotely whimsical or slick. It was just some social aid plans for soldiers, veterans, and their families, fitting for certain congressmen who wished to seek reconciliation with the military and earn some brownie points.
However, in Jim’s view, compared to Tommy Hawk’s schemes of swindling people, this sincere plan of helping others seemed quite dull and lacked sufficient allure for him.
Jim closed the folder and offered his verdict after reading it: "Did you get someone to ghostwrite this? This thing doesn’t reach the level of sophistication you typically apply to your profit-driven schemes. It lacks sincerity."
"I’m about to send my own brother to the military to serve and protect the country, isn’t that sincerity enough? If you think it lacks sincerity, you find a way. I’ve done all I could," Tommy said, taking a sip of wine.
Jim stretched his upper body languidly, "If you want my help tossing your rubbish out there, it’s going to depend on how sincere you are. A dinner isn’t nearly enough."
"So?" Tommy asked.
"You owe me a welcome-back party with at least 120 beauties," Jim said, patting the folder, talking to Tommy.
Tommy nodded, "Deal. You handle this, and I’ll have two hundred girls ready for you in Las Vegas. I’ll have my new driver and bodyguard, Mr. Page, count them for you. If you don’t finish, don’t think about leaving."
