Robben Island to Wall Street

46

Chapter 4

0DQ\ RI WKRVH ZKR FRXOG QRW PDNH LW VHQW XV ZULWWHQ DSRORJLHV DQG PHVVDJHV ZLVKLQJ XV ZHOO &XULRXVO\ VRPH RI P\ QHLJKERXUV EURXJKW WKHLU EODFN VHUYDQWV DORQJ SUHVXPDEO\ WR OLYH XS WR WKH VSLULW RI DQ µLQWHJUDWHG QHLJKERXUKRRG¶ ± ZKR NQRZV" 6RPH LW DSSHDUHG KDG FRPH RXW RI VKHHU FXULRVLW\ WR VHH ZKR ZH ZHUH 2WKHUV WKRXJK KDG FRPH ZLWK JHQXLQH LQWHUHVW DQG GHFODUHG WKDW WKH\ ZHUH QRW KRVWLOH WR RXU PRYH LI DQ\WKLQJ WKH\ ZHOFRPHG XV LQWR WKH QHLJKERXUKRRG $QG WKDW ZDV GHPRQVWUDWHG E\ WKH JHQHUDO JRRGZLOO WKDW ZH H[SHULHQFHG EHFDXVH DV VRRQ DV ZH KDG PRYHG LQ ZH UHFHLYHG OHWWHUV ÀRZHUV SDUFHOV RI WKLV DQG WKDW DQG HYHQ FRQJUDWXODWRU\ OHWWHUV IURP SHRSOH LQ WKH 6DQGWRQ DUHD IRU ZKDW WKH\ WKRXJKW ZDV D FRXUDJHRXV DFWLRQ IURP )LUVW 1DWLRQDO %DQN DQG P\ IDPLO\ %XW WKHUH ZHUH VRPH VFHSWLFV ZKR FDPH DORQJ DV ZHOO 2QH RI P\ LPPHGLDWH QHLJKERXUV EURXJKW D YLGHR FDPHUD DQG VHHPHG WR IROORZ HYHU\ VWHS RI ZKDW ZDV KDSSHQLQJ , DOVR WRRN D FXULRXV LQWHUHVW LQ KLP DQG ZDWFKHG KLP HODERUDWHO\ ¿OP D VFHQH ZKHUH P\ IULHQG -L\DQH 0EHUH D 8. WUDLQHG J\QDHFRORJLVW ZDV PL[LQJ D FRFNWDLO IRU KLV ZLIH 0\ QHLJKERXU VWRRG WUDQV¿[HG DW WKLV LQFLGHQW DQG VKRRN KLV KHDG LQFHVVDQWO\ DV KH ZDONHG DZD\ /DWHU KH FRQIHVVHG WKDW KH KDG QHYHU KDG DQ RSSRUWXQLW\ WR PHHW DQ HGXFDWHG $IULFDQ DQG DSRORJLVHG IRU KLV RGG EHKDYLRXU +LV RQO\ FORVH H[SRVXUH WR EODFN SHRSOH KH FRQ¿GHG ZDV WR KLV KRXVHNHHSHU DQG JDUGHQHU DQG WKHLU FROOHDJXHV /DWHU WKDW HYHQLQJ VRPHWKLQJ WHUULEOH KDSSHQHG $Q XQIULHQGO\ QHLJKERXU KDG FDOOHG WKH SROLFH WR FRPSODLQ WKDW RXU SDUW\ ZDV WRR QRLV\ :H ZHUH VXUSULVHG E\ WKH DUULYDO RI WKH SROLFH DQG ZLWKRXW DVNLQJ DQ\ TXHVWLRQV WKH\ ¿UHG WHDUJDV LQWR WKH \DUG DQG RXWVLGH WR GLVSHUVH RXU JXHVWV ,URQLFDOO\ RQH RI WKH $IULFDQ R൶FHUV ZDV WKH PRVW YRFLIHURXV RI WKH ORW +H EHOOLJHUHQWO\ FRQIURQWHG P\ ZLIH WR FKDVWLVH KHU RQ KDYLQJ µDOO \RXU IULHQGV SDUW\LQJ KHUH ZKLOH WKH PDGDP DQG KHU KXVEDQG ZHUH DZD\ 'RQ¶W \RX KDYH DQ\ UHVSHFW IRU \RXU ERVV"¶ KH EDUNHG DW P\ FRQIRXQGHG ZLIH µ7HDU JDV LQ 6DQGWRQ"¶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À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