CITRUS ~ A Long Way From Home / Trust

Chapter 29

Day 4

<<Speaking English>>

"Hello? Who's calling at this hour" said a stern voice on the other end of the phone.

"Good morning Chairman Aihara. This is April Cross calling from America" she said. "I apologize for calling you so early, but you did instruct me to call at anytime."

"Ahh yes, Kon'nichiwa Miss Cross-san" said the Chairman. "Forgive me, but the sun hasn't risen here yet. I wasn't expecting your call this early."

"My apologies again" she said. "It's well after twelve noon here, but this may be the only free time I could speak with you today."

"That's quite alright, I understand" he said. "But if you're contacting me this early, I'm I to assume that there's been a problem concerning my granddaughter?"

"Actually" said April with a smile, "I wanted to inform you that my services towards your granddaughter may be fulfilled" she said. "I believe things may be turning out better then you had hoped. Although the conference isn't over yet, I believe she's well on her way to making a name for herself.

"And even though you instructed me to assist her in any way if necessary, she demonstrated that she's very capable of tackling problems on her own. Just like I told you earlier this week, she's well-informed and able to hold her ground among many of the representatives here.

"Although I will say that she has difficulty asking for assistance, but I believe she's beginning to realize that as an option now.

"But overall, she has achieved so much in the short time she's been here. You should be very proud of her."

"Well I appreciate that Miss Cross-san" said the chairman with a sound of pride in his voice. "Does this mean that she's dealing with her issues you've mentioned to me before?"

"Well, the outcome of her presentation the other day is still ongoing" said April. "Although Mr. Fredrick-san doesn't holding her personally accountable for the damage that was caused, I believe she's beginning to accept the circumstances of the outcome."

"Yes, perhaps I should call him personally and apologize for leaving his firm in the state it's in" he said. "And I must apologize to you as well for not telling you of our discovery of the embezzlement at the firm. But it was necessary for her to present our findings at the conference so she could learn from the experience.

"But when you told me that she took it a step further by exposing one of your executives, I admit I was a bit surprised and concerned.

"But it sounds like she took the initiative and faced the consequences of her actions on her own. And as long as she continued to learned from this, I have no doubt that it was worth it.

"You also mentioned another issue. One that you couldn't go into before. Something that was more of a personal nature she was dealing with?"

'Personal...' thought April while standing motionless, thinking how she never told the chairman about Mills and what he had done to Miss Aihara at the restaurant. About how his bad behavior and actions emotionally deviated her for a time. And because of what he did, may have affected her judgment throughout the week.

Deep down, she wanted to tell the chairman about what Mills did and for him to face his own consequences. But she wasn't about to upset the chairman about what his granddaughter might be going through.

"Well sir" she said, "it is her own personal matter. And out of respect for her, I'm afraid I can't say any more about it. I hope you understand."