C4 More on the insight

"Hello!" Engineer Kennedy responded to the call.

"This is Dr. Richard from Jackson Mississippi."

"Did you say Dr. Richard from Jackson Mississippi?" Engineer Kennedy asked speculatively.

"Yes."

"Have we met before?"

"I don't think so."

" How did you get at me since we don't seem to know each other?"

"I'm a contractor for NPC Jackson Mississippi here. I happened to get your number from there and decided to call you for help on certain inquiries that I want to make."

"is that so?"

"Yes."

"What is the inquiries all about?"

"I understand that NPC often require supplies of Oil pipeline pit for its various work and I'm of the opinion that you're in a position to tell me when your Depot will want supplies again."

" Yes, we make use of the product so much. Right now we are in dire need of the product and I'm almost set to leave Baltimore for Providence in search of it. Do you have it?"

" Yes, I do."

"What type do you have and can supply us Im mediately assuming we ask you to do so?"

"l have A-10."

"Good. That's just the type we need now. Are you ready to supply us with it Immediately? We shall need about an three hundred and eighty packets. Do you have up to that number of packets?"

"For now I have three hundred but if you're ready to buy from me, I will try my best to make it up to the quantity you want."

"How much is your price?"

"My price is two hundred and forty thousand dollars per packet."

"Your price is too high. My company has made a budget of two hundred and thirty thousand dollars as what it will pay for a packet. Are you prepared to sell at that price?"

"Two hundred and thirty thousand dollars is close to our purchase price and we wouldn't like to operate at a loss or fail to earn at least a marginal profit,"

"Are you willing to sell at that price?"

"What price?"

"Two hundred and thirty thousand dollars," Engineer Kennedy said, sounding with finality in his voice.

Dr. Richard didn't want to lose the deal or by any means mess up the business for Engineer Shaw. He decided to be contented with Engineer Kennedy's offer.

"Anyway, as this is our first contact with you, l think we have to consider and accept your offer," Dr. Richard recapitulated.

"I'm happy that you have accepted my offer. I had planned to fly to New York, then to Boston and finally to Providence. But as it is now, I'm already booked for New York and my flight will leave Baltimore at 11:00am. l will not go to Boston or Providence again. I'll come direct to Jackson from New York. You have to wait for me at the airport, will you?"

"Yeah, I'm."

"Please do not fail me because I don't want to disappoint my company."

"You don't have to be afraid of anything; I will not disappoint you."

"You know we have not met before, how will I know you're the one I'm looking for when I arrive at Baltimore airport?"

"You can easily notice me by my stature. I'm a little below average height with solid build. I will put on blue lace and my car is a Ford focus 2015 model in sliver colour. you can so easily identify me at the airport."

"Your description of yourself is clear enough so anyone I see at the airport with that description is supposed to be you."

"Yes."

"You also have to come to the airport with the samples of the product to assure me you're the one. I'm not familiar with Baltimore and I don't want to get into a wrong hand."

"Don't worry about that. You won't be disappointed."

"Fine, I will call you when I get to New York and tell you when our flight from New York will arrive Baltimore. Please remember to wait for me at airport with samples of the product."

"I assure you of that."

"Thanks; expect my call when I get to New York."

"All right, I'm waiting for the call."

Dr. Richard concluded his business negotiation with Engineer Kennedy very happily as the negotiation appeared to have worked like a miracle in his favour.

He had no two minds about the business going to be a successful one. But he thought vaguely of the enormous amount involved in the transaction and wondered how Engineer Kennedy was going to pay him.

At the same time I there was another thought in his mind that Engineer Kennedy's money would be used to pay Shell before delivery of the product and so leaving him only with the profit and this idea sounded good to him and no more.

Because he was not on duty that day, so he was prepared to receive Engineer Kennedy at the airport airport in Baltimore.

He decided to stay at the office until a call from Engineer Kennedy would tell him that their plane had left New York for Baltimore.

Suddenly, a certain thrill of excitement started building up in him and he could no longer hold himself together at any one particular place.

He went out of the office to his car at the parking lot and ten minutes later he found himself driving to the State Department of Health.

There was no business or any appointments that he had to do in the State Department. While he was at the Department of health passing time, for that was what had become his lot in the department and waiting endlessly for Engineer Kennedy's call, he decided to call Francis to make sure that the product was available and ready for collection on payment.

Francis answered the call and Dr. Richard re introduced himself to Francis as the person who called him the day before to inquire about A-10 Oil Pipeline Pit.

"Ohh... Yeah. I remember, Dr. Richard."

"That's right."

"What exactly do you want? I remember you said you're not registered with us."

"Yes, but I want the product because my client will soon arrive Baltimore to collect them and I don't want him to get disappointed."

"Are you collecting the product today?"

"l think so as soon as my client arrives."

"You're not registered as one of the contractors and you don't have tally which is mandatory for all NPC contractor, as regards to this, you cannot be allowed entrance into the sales department."

"Tell me how I can be registered?"

"You have to pay sixty thousand dollars for registration and a tally fee of fifty-five thousand dollars. if you're ready with the money, give me a call and I will arrange for your registration and tally immediately so that your customer won't be stranded when he comes. I'm going for a management meeting now but when you're ready with the money call and I will issue instructions to my assistant to arrange for your registration. You can hear that I'm driving. What do you think?"

"l have decided to register."

"Good."

"I'm about to start heading for Shell office."

"No, I'm not at the office now. Am on my way to a management meeting and it's about to start. But not to worry, I'm direct my assistant to arrange for your registration."

Dr. Richard then told Francis that he was in the State Department of Health and Francis requested to be given fifteen minutes to enable him reach assistant to meet him in the State Department.

Dr. Richard was now compelled to stay longer in the State Department than he had expected.

He didn't want to leave the State Department and make a mess of the director that Francis might give his assistant to come for his registration and tally.

He refused to enter into any office in the State Department so that he could spot Francis's assistant as soon as he showed up at the gate of the State Department.

He was there in the State Department's compound for about ten minutes but was yet to receive a call from Francis.

lt was a tedious task for someone of Dr. Richard's status to hang around like a loafer in the premises of the State Department for a reason that no one other than him knew.

The business that was non-existent in his mission to the ministry had so surfaced for him that he now became more occupied than anyone else in the ministry.

Not until the fifteen minutes promised him to call back by Francis had elapsed did he begin to think of the next line of action to take.