I almost didnt answer the callI had been gazing absentmindedly out at the hills and the purple splash of heather as the train sped south toward York But the car was almost empty so l took out the phon

“Oh, I see,"I said,starting to understand the situation a bit better. “And now the Chinese partner wants to change the terms of the deal?" “Exactly!"said the voice."They want to reduce the amount of carbon credits we get and increase the price we pay for the incinerators. We need you to go down there and sort it all out." “I don't know,"I said hesitantly. "I'm not really a negotiator or anything like that." “You don't have to negotiate,"said the voice."Just go down there and make sure everything is running smoothly. You've been to China before, haven't you?You speak the language, don't you?" “Well, yeah, but..." “Great!So it's all settled then.You'll go down there and sort out this mess for us." “I don't even know when I'll be back in the UK,"I protested."I've got a lot of work to do here." “You can take some time off,"said the voice dismissively."We'll pay you a generous fee for your services,of course. Just make sure you get everything sorted out down there." I sighed and rubbed my forehead."Okay, I'll think about it. Let me get back to you." “Don't take too long,"said the voice."We need you down there as soon as possible. This is a major deal for us." The line went dead again and I leaned back against the wall of the train, staring out at the passing countryside. China was a long way away and I wasn't sure I wanted to get involved in this mess. But the voice's urgency and the promise of a generous fee were starting to sway me. Maybe it was time for a change of scenery, a new challenge. I pulled out my notebook and started scribbling down some notes, trying to figure out if this was something I really wanted to do