How do you take your coffee?
Tiffany Lokasher sat facing the hostess stand at the Continental Inn. It was a habit she inherited from her father. "Never sit with your back to the door. You give up your chance to react to any harm that may be coming your way," he had taught her.
Justin Scoville's chief of operations had arranged breakfast with Tsu Yen as her boss had instructed her to do. She assumed Mr. Scoville had put her in the position of power over his new blushing bride because it was his chief of operations he loved, and not this upstart Asian "temptress."
In Tiffany Lokasher's eyes, Tsu Yen had no pedigree, no earthly connection to the wealthy publisher, no right to be in his world, and nothing to offer except slanted eyes, and a squeeky accent. "Let's see how she likes being in exile," she thought to herself, anticipating her boss's instructions to send his wife back to Hong Kong and for her to communicate only through Tiffany for the next year.
Tsu Yen struggled to keep still. Having her back to the door was nearly excruciating to her until she remembered her Kung Fu teacher's words, "It isn't circumstance you should fear but your own lack of control over your emotions." Then she cooled herself down and looked for some point of reflection so she could see whatever was behind her. She found it in the shiny paper towel dispenser near the dish station, and when she recognized the calm scene behind her, she became calm herself.
She knew from the first moment meeting Tiffany Lokasher, when she had been introduced in Beijing by her husband, that a rivalry was unavoidable. But she also had determined that the skinny American was no match for her, only a nuisance.
"Mr. Scoville has asked me to act as a liaison," said Tiffany Lokasher as she nodded in the affirmative to the waitress who had signaled the question, "Coffee?"
She continued, "I've arranged for your return to Hong Kong. You shall have no direct contact with him. I will be your connection to your husband. All of your needs which will require his support will have to be communicated to me and I will provide them to you according to Mr. Scoville's instructions. You are to leave this afternoon. Yes, cream please."
"Hot tea pweese," said Tsu Yen to the waitress, who was unable to control her shaking hand as she poured the tea. The power radiating from the two females at her table was more than she was able to handle.
"Wahwey welww Ms. Wokashah. No pwobwem," assented Tsu Yen calmly as she took the first sip of her tea, using both hands. Then after replacing the cup to the saucer carefully so that not a sound was made when the two pieces of porcelain aligned, she continued, just as carefully, "and what of my caw-nol needs Ms. Wokashah, we ahl yo awso take cay-ah off dose too?"
"Excuse me," replied Tiffany, twisting her neck slightly so that she could hear the word again, not understanding Tsu Yen's pronunciation of the word carnal.
"I say, how yo tink yo going to take cay-ah off my bed woom habits, Miss Wokashah," said Tsu Yen upon completing the sipping ceremony, exactly as she had done previously. "Yo know a bwide has needs in that ahweah. Is daht a fay-ah kwees ton?," she asked.
Tsu Yen examined the reflexes of her rival and recorded Tiffany's reaction as a mental note.
"Excellent," she said to herself, anticipating how to use it as leverage in the final battle with her ill equipped rival.
"I'm sure a woman with your predisposition and desires," said Tiffany slyly, "has enough experience to have many clients who would satisfy her urges. Perhaps you've even acquired previous marketing skills. I'm sure a well placed classified ad in the Hong Kong newspapers would serve your needs perfectly."
"Absorb or deflect." Tsu Yen's teacher would always say.
"Chahming Miss Wokashah," replied Tsu Yen in between sips of tea. "But no my ek spee wee unts is wauvah wimited. Justin is my own wee wuv. But I can tewl yo speak wiff au tor itee as secwetawy. My fuhwst comm mune ee ka shawn wiff my huzbin is to con grat u wate him on his puh son al hoarw."
When the hot coffee splashed on her face, thrown from the cup of the angry operations officer sitting across from her, Tsu Yen sat stoicly, without flinching or drawing back in the least, as if she were a shiny mirror or brick wall.
Tiffany regretted it instantly and realized that she was overpowered by a superior adversary. Without wiping the dripping coffee from her chin or hair Tsu Yen took another sip of her tea and then tested the flavor on her lips.
"Is an ecksee went coffee tay suhve at Contin neentow Inn. Tank you fo dee sampawl."
Tiffany pushed the packet forward on the table which contained the tickets and travel papers for Tsu Yen's return to Hong Kong and left flustered, without paying the check.
Tsu Yen took a crisp one hundred dollar bill from her purse and left it on the table. As she left, the coffee was still dripping off of her but she walked past the staring crowd as if showing off the latest designs from Paris.
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