Naomi smiled.
“I thought you would ask that.”
“Then answer it.”
She told him the truth.
Her mother's death.
Her father's illness.
The university.
The debts.
The decision to work.
Henry listened without interruption.
When she finished, he asked:
“What did you study?”
“International relations and economics.”
“Not law?”
“I started law school.”
“You were studying law?”
“Yes.”
“And you stopped?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“My father needed me.”
Henry nodded.
“Would you go back?”
Naomi looked at him.
“I don't know.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don't know if I can afford to.”
Henry smiled.
“You have one hundred thousand dollars.”
Naomi laughed.
“That doesn't mean I can stop working.”
“Who said anything about stopping?”
He reached into his briefcase.
He placed a folder on the table.
Naomi opened it.
Inside was a proposal.
She read it carefully.
Then looked up.
“What is this?”
“A position.”
“As what?”
“Business consultant.”
Naomi shook her head.
“I've never worked as a consultant.”
“I know.”
“I've never managed international accounts.”
“I know.”
“I don't have the experience.”
Henry smiled.
“That is why I am offering you a junior position.”
Naomi looked down again.
The salary was more than twice what she made at the restaurant.
There was health insurance.
Retirement.
Education assistance.
Travel opportunities.
She looked at Henry.
“Why me?”
“Because you listen.”
Naomi frowned.
“That's it?”
“No.”
He leaned forward.
“Last night, while everyone else was trying to impress me, you noticed that I wasn't comfortable.”
Naomi remembered.
Henry continued.
“You understood my questions before I asked them. You knew when I wanted clarification. You noticed when one of my associates was uncomfortable with a particular phrase.”
He smiled.
“You weren't simply translating words.”
“You were translating people.”
Naomi was silent.
Henry continued.
“Most people think language is vocabulary.”
He shook his head.
“Language is intention.”
Naomi looked at the contract.
“What exactly would I be doing?”
“Research. Client communication. Market analysis. Translation. Eventually, negotiation.”
“Eventually?”