The United Providences of Perland wrote:Application Form [Account Creation]
Which one you are [tick one]? Agency [], Alliance [], Business [], Government [X], Individual [], Organisation []
Official name on record: Dan Wells
Official nation of origin: The United Providences of Perland
Type of account [tick one]:
Standard [] Executive [] Cash Fund [X] High Security [] Green Future [] Next Generation [] Gold Bullion []
Initial deposit [US$/gold/assets/etc.]: $2,460,000,000,000
Do you want us to invest the money nationally? No.
Do you want us to invest the money overseas? Yes.
[Optional]If stated as YES, how do you want us to invest your money? In what way? Education.
The Kelburn suburb of Ardenfontein
It was a great day when Kayla took the folders away from her desk. They went a few days before Christmas, three weeks after the school collapsed. It had taken this long for Headmaster Tau O'Shea to gather enough courage to see the site since the earthquake. Kayla had hired a civil surveyor and a site investigator from Dulton & Bogan Engineering in Ardenfontein, where a popular university campus had collapsed three years ago. The site investigator and his men had now worked for three days, finding and recording faulty geotechnical details and foundation materials on the site. They were concentrating their efforts on the western section of the site, near the surrounding dairy shop, pizzeria, and candy store, all located on the same block as the school. Looking to the left, she could see three mean looking small boys, of about nine years if one must guess, swaggering about in a hurried way, eyes staring at them, and then at the ruined site, and then at her. One was bouncing along, his stomach too big for his age, whilst the others looking rather too well fed for their age. One entered the candy store, whilst the others entered the dairy shop. What a thought.
The construction workers had arrived over the last three days, and were hard at work today. The scaffolding steel were fully erected along the north site, whilst a man with a peculiarly clean site jacket stood watching. “Mr, O'Shea, if you would pardon me. I will be back in a wee bit.” The ground and foundation materials were still undecided, as of yet, it seems, looking to her left and right, as she walked through the site. The scaffolding steel looked strong, Made in Afaenvia. It felt like just yesterday that it was Made in Knootoss, but someone had found a less expensive supplier, after all. The wonder of free trade, international market and the race to the bottom. She reached the north site. “G'day, my name's Kayla.” He was a bit shorter than her grandfather, and stockier than Darryl. His extended hand looked pudgy soft and white though, certainly not that of a working man.
“G'day m'lady, the name's Bob, Bob MacGarland, ground civil engineer for intermediate school seventy-one... and you are?”
“Kayla Williams, Fund Management, Bank of Yohannes Te Whanganui a Tara office.” She was used to what would happen next, for it happened most, if not all the time. A change of expression, inquiring eyes, disbelieving frown, and then after three seconds or so, a deep obliging smile. Men like him were rather very well read: big and stocky, quick to judge, and rather harder to reason with; but she had found that the Te Whanganui a Tara name tend to make the whole process simpler for both parties. “We are here to announce that Mr Dan Wells, of the United Providences of Perland, had made clear his intention of wishing to observe the work involved, pertaining to how his fund can benefit everyone not just financially, but also socially.” As yet there were no assistant supervisor to be seen around them, on the north site itself, she doubt that he would take this lightly.
“Madam Williams... I am afraid, as you can see all around us. We have just started work on the starting foundation of the north site. The scaffolding work itself as of yet, is not even near completion. Docked hours you will see, if you will have the time to check, that we have made it here in just days before. We need time. More time. I assure you that everything is going according to plan.” His eyes indicated anything but. “I understand Mr MacGarland, though I must stress that it is not me that you must direct that... assuring answer to, that would be Mr Dan Wells of Perland.” Between you and me, I am sure that tonight, we will all go on our merry way and forget about all this, Kayla surmised. After all, this faceless Mr Wells is located across the seas and oceans, somewhere far away. This man would probably be more worried with what would be on his dinner that night.
“I understand Madam Williams.” So that was it, his face indicated that perhaps he should not be pushed any further. She knew that MacGarland - and those like him - really liked the company of someone like her, only after they had known her position of course. These men were the face of Yohannes' middle aged, white collar workers. They looked up to their superiors, and looked down on or ignored anyone else. The thought was depressing. Maybe a holiday or two to the People's Republic of something might cheer her up, and made her realise that not all human beings are enslaved to the force of unbounded ambition and capitalism. She shook her head. Meanwhile, all her intellectual energy must be brought on this school project, and not unimportant things like that. Albert of the chopping block, or some more politely said the forced retirement overseer, would want to see a semblance of result from her field inspection today.
Of all the site inspecting engineers, construction workers and henchmen, one person stood unmoving still: the headmaster. Tau O'Shea must have felt devastated to see the ruin of his beloved school for the very first time today. MacGarland and his team of blue collared grunts might be the one to build the school, but it was this man, now looking somewhat lost, that would sprinkle it with life, or at least oversee the realisation of such a thing. If there was anything that Kayla had learnt so far, it was that good leadership was one of the most important things to have. And good leaders were hard to find anywhere, a rarity amongst the pack of men and women.
The walk back to the south site was easier. She knew which dirty ground to avoid, and the closest way to the headmaster. The steel beams packed, row after row, overlooking the unused machinery and construction signs around her, indicating that her work, or rather, Mr MacGarland's work, were anything but reassuringly smooth. She looked to the right. One of the mean looking boy was now making his way out of the candy store. He was happy. There must be an assortment of colourful candies bought by someone today. His stomach bulged comically as he ran to approach his mates, now making their way out of the dairy shop too.
“Quite the long walk to the other end... it must be, Ms Williams?”
“It is, Mr O'Shea.” The sun was suddenly strong, for Kayla realised that it was midday already.“... shall we go to the nearby coffee shop? I am sure you would know it better than I do; it's just three blocks' worth of walk. And you have been standing here all day today, I daresay it's time for us to grab some exercise - quick-paced walk along the way!”
“Of course. I was thinking... of all the challenges I will face. Meeting the School Committee, the Parent Board. It will be hard. But we need good a leader 'round here.” He was smiling at her.
Kayla looked at the three boys, now making their way somewhere, and she could barely make their figures from where she was standing there. The boy with the bag full of candy, his bulging stomach still seen, worryingly, even from that distance, was happy.
“Yes, we need a good leader around here, Mr O'shea.”