Monopoly 2

Summary of part one: A middle class Cuban family was forced to shift to China due to job related reasons. They set up China’s biggest corporate company in a short period of time. Shawn was the all in all of the company. Chinese government imposes some restrictions on their company due the monopolistic behavior and Cuban ownership. After this Shawn visits Cuba. On his journey through the Havana International Airport Highway Shawn asks for “Angetine Phigteror” in some medical shops.

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MONOPOLY 2

Shawn resumed his journey. He reached the resort that was arranged for his stay. It was ‘Paradisus Rio De Oro” hotel located right alongside Playa Esmeralda beach, in the Natural Park of Bahía Naranjo, 5 km from Guardalavaca in the province of Old Havana. The hotel has a very special beach. The beach has a three side seashore with one side heavily covered with rocks, and the other two sides are beautiful sandy and calm beaches. The hotel can be said to be situated in a small subcontinent.

The evening sun was floating over the sea when Shawn got into his room. He still doesn’t have any plans about what to do in Cuba. He stayed in the resort for one day. The resort had only foreign tourists. He had not had much chance to interact with anybody.

On the second morning after his arrival in the resort he decided to investigate the possibilities of starting his business in Cuba. Shawn decided to get to Havana, this time in a taxi. He went to many consultancies and discussed with them, most which got the agencies interested. Shawn didn’t need any introduction, as he was well known among the world business circles for the amazing growth of his company. But Shawn was clever; he was getting as much information about the situation as possible. The situation was such that the government was open to any investment from anybody. They were wiling to provide anything the investors wanted, land, power, tax exemptions etc. Shawn took two days to get hold of the situation. He started his journey back to “Paradisus Rio De Oro Resort” after a long discussion with Mr. Victor Vance, the secretary of industrial minister of Old Havana province, which lasted till 9 pm.

As his taxi flew back through the Havana International Airport Highway, he saw many ladies wearing mini skirts and t-shirts waving towards his car. They were trying to get a customer. The waving ladies disappeared after Jaguey Grande. It was nothing new for the taxi driver, yet may be for Shawn’s amusement he said” Cuban women are prostitutes not because they needed to be but rather because they liked to make love, and they are the most educated and the healthiest prostitutes on the market”.Shawn didn’t respond, may be that’s why the driver didn’t open his mouth till they reach Paradisus Rio De Oro Resort.

Shawn often says” Business can stop to grow or die, nothing in between”. Its this belief that tempted him to make some investment in Cuba as the growth opportunities in China were few and far. He called in a group of his managers from China to discuss about the opportunities and challenges of investing in Cuba. They flew in within two days, they held many discussions with the Cuban government. After a month of meetings and analysis Shawn and his managers have decided to build a Ship manufacturing company at Matanzas. Matanzes is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas, 90 kilometers east of the capital Havana and 32 kilometers west of the resort town of Varadero. The Cuban government has offered to give land in Matanzas for free.

In the proposed project area of Matanzas lived a community called Matanzians who earned there living from fishing alone. They have to be evacuated from the project area. That was no new trick for the state cops. It has been a general trend in Cuba to take land from the poor fishermen, and give it for free to multi billionaire industrial tycoons to make profits for themselves. Nobody except the sufferers questioned it since this has been happening in all third world countries. Anyways cops did their job .Around five hundred families have to be evacuated. Almost hundred people lost their lives during the evacuation drive which made the job easier. It took around one month to evacuate the land. All this time Shawn’s head was working like a computer. He had to attend many meetings, make arrangements to roll the money for new investment and gather the resources required. At last, the day has come, the commissioning of the new plant. His whole family has flown in from China. Shawn flagged of the first work in Matanzas Ship Factory. As the metallic noise of the huge machines filled the atmosphere, Shawn felt like an yellow light filling his eyes, he lost the strength of his legs, and he fell down. His father rushed towards him, Shawn said in crumbling voice” I forgot to take Angetine Phigteror..since I left…CH..CH….”over, it was all over for him. His father murmured holding his son’s cold hand”SON, you are not the money you have, you are not the car you have, you are not the companies you set up… how did u forget to live?”

Disclaimer: This story does not have any relation to the present or past political, social or economic situation in Cuba or China. The places and characters are mere imagination of the author. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.

"To err is human":any errors may be indicated.