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He deserves to be terrified. He expected Brooke and Romeo to be the only representatives of my family with whom he would have to interact. As such, he felt very comfortable behaving toward them in a way in which he would never behave with me.
When I arrive, he is standing above Brooke and shouting at her, his fingers inches from Brooke’s face. Romeo is watching, a smile on his face that widens when he sees me. He winks at me, a familiarity he can get away with having been with my family for thirty years and having known me since I was a child.
I can see why when I see Brooke’s expression. There’s no anger on her face. No fear either. She regards Jannsens with perfect strength and calm, and when he stops shouting to catch his breath, she very calmly says, “Mr. Jannsens, shouting at me accomplishes nothing. The fact is, we willnotbe participating in or supporting this agreement until you agree to allow an independent commission consisting of representatives from all of the businesses involved along with the member nations and the EU itself to have final regulatory say. We will not agree to allowing the EU government carte blanche control of trade.”
“What trade?” he shouts, flinging his hands in the air like an NFL referee signalling a good field goal. “There won’t be any trade if you drown everything in bureaucracy!”
Without waiting for her to respond, he shouts, “This is what happens when you allow women to…”
He doesn’t finish his sentence. He turns and looks at me, and when he does, his face instantly pales. He stares at me in open-mouthed shock and starts to tremble. “Mr. Vipera!” he says, his voice squeaky. “Hi! I mean, hello! I, um… I wasn’t… welcome!”
“Have a seat, Mr. Jannsens,” I say, calmly but firmly.
“Mr. Vipera,” he begins, “Let me explain what—”
“Sit down.”
He sits and lowers his eyes, hands folded on the table and trembling. I walk over and sit across from him. He keeps his eyes averted until I say, “When we allow women to what?”
Then he looks at me in wary confusion and asks, “What do you mean?”
“When we allow women to what,” I clarify. “You said that this is what happens when we allow women to. Then you didn’t finish that sentence. Please finish it.”
He swallows and says, “I apologize, Mr. Vipera. I was upset, and I—”
“Answer my question.”
He looks at Brooke and Romeo, but of course finds no help there. He turns back to me and swallows nervously. “It was just… I was angry, and…”
I lean forward, and his voice trails off again. “I am not in the habit of repeating myself, Mr. Jannsens,” I say.
He takes a deep breath, and in a small voice, he says, “This is what happens when you allow women to involve themselves in matters that should be entrusted only to qualified men.”
I don’t answer him right away. The truth is that he makes me angry. Not violently so. I wouldn’t waste my energy hurting a little worm like Jannsens. He makes me angry because he’s the worst sort of man: a small, insecure, weak-willed little sniveling worm who uses bullying to get his way and doesn’t care if his way hurts others.
He’s the kind of man dragons would kill back in the day. Fortunately for him, things have changed.
“What happens?” I ask.
“Wh—what?”
“What happens when you allow women to—as you say—involve themselves in matters that should be entrusted only to qualified men?”
He swallows and says, “We… we can’t seem to come to an agreement on the… um, the agreement.”
Romeo chuckles. Jannsens reddens at the ridicule, but fortunately for him, he has the good sense to remain quiet.
“I see,” I reply, “Well, perhaps I can clarify. As to the qualifications that women have, if you are so much of a fool as to believe that governance and economic cooperation are things about which women shouldn’t involve themselves, then I suggest you educate yourself on the number of women who have contributed greatly to the growth of the European economy and trade within the EU and between the EU and the world.
“As far as the lack of ability to come to an agreement; that is due to the fact that the current draft of the agreement is a blatant and frankly very clumsy power grab by the European Union in an attempt to limit the freedom of trade in the financial markets of its member nations. I could perhaps be mistaken, but my understanding is that the European Union was formed to facilitate free trade, not limit it. The Union is not intended to be a government, Mr. Jannsens. The rights you’re asking for would grant your office governmental powers. We and the others affected of course do not accept that.
“As to future cooperation between us, that can be accomplished by two things. First, the agreement must be rewritten according to the suggestions that Miss Patterson has offered. Second, you must be replaced as director of this commission.”
His head snaps up and he looks at me in shock. “But… but… Mr. Vipera, I assure you—”
“I don’t believe you,” I say. “I don’t trust you. I don’t believe you’re the right person for this job. I don’t believe that anything you tell me is the truth. You have my word that I will never negotiate with the EU again unless you’re replaced. I would tell you to deliver this message to your superiors, but I know you won’t, so I already have.”
His face blanches. “You… you…”
