see how they transformed with relief when I made my proposal...It was more gratifying than I ever could have expected.
I was experiencing just that as I shook hands with the smiling man in front of me. The vineyard had been in his family for years, but as they struggled to make ends meet, the property had become neglected. I was offering him hope to not only provide a better life for his family but to also uphold the legacy of his family’s business and turn it into something he could be proud of again. The profit I made from it wasn’t to be ignored either.
“I will take these crates you have here with me today, but I expect there to be more to fill the demand when I return,” I told him sternly.
“Absolutely, Mr. Milano. We won’t let you down. Thank you.”
I ordered my men to start loading up the goods. I would market the local wine and boost their sales, giving them more money to invest in the upkeep of their vineyard. Supply and demand would do its thing and soon we would both be a little richer for it.
This was only my first stop for the day. I had two more struggling landowners to visit that day. Each one had something they could offer with a little help. They got to keep their jobs and enjoy more profits, and I got to skim a little off the top for helping their lands to become more lucrative. The whole thing exercised my business skills in a way that was much more challenging and satisfying than any work I had done before.
I smiled at the sound of our infant son fussing in the distance. We turned to see Alicia walking towards us with a smile, but she of course stopped to shout a few directions at the workers loading up the wine. She had surprised me with how demanding of a boss she could be, though I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising at all.
“Ah, here comes my wife and son now,” I beamed to the family. Showing the two of them off had become one of my favorite things to do. It made my heart swell in a way that no expensive car, cigar, gun, or big game ever had.
I introduced them as Alicia proudly took her place by my side. We went over the last details of our deal and then continued on to the next stop. By the end of the day, as we returned to the estate, I was exhausted but content.
I settled in next to the fire and waited for Alicia to join me, which she always did once our son was down to bed for the night. She soon came gliding into the room with a grin eased across her mouth. She seemed to smile a lot more these days but make no mistake, she could still turn cross in the blink of an eye. It was enthralling and never boring. She sank into my lap and draped her arms around me, helping herself to a sip of my drink and a puff of my cigar.
“My father called today,” she informed me. “He’s still hoping you will give him some useful information on the Mendozas.”
I grumbled under my breath. “What did you tell him?”
“That I would talk to you about it...again. But that he shouldn’t get his hopes up.”
“I promised that I would change my ways of doing business...Not that I could get my entire family to. You know I have an agreement with them. You wouldn’t like it if they started trashing all these farms and small businesses we’ve been working so hard to turn around.”
“Well, can you blame him? He did give you permission to marry his only daughter.”
“Si, he didn’t ask for nearly enough in exchange. I got you at a bargain.” I squeezed my hand into her rear. “But it’s not my fault the man didn’t barter with me when he had the chance.”
“Would you have agreed to giving up your cousins if he had?”
“I would have allowed every corner of Argentina to be pillaged by all the scorned gangsters if that’s what it took to get you. But I don’t think that would have made either of you very happy.” I playfully nuzzled my face into the cleavage bursting from her blouse as she squirmed and laughed.
“You never know. What makes us happy can be surprising at times. I’m surprised by how much I love this big expensive diamond