The Last Barrel of Oil

By D.C. Raymond

Richard Martin is an American economist and presidential advisor. He is concerned with the direction in which the world is being steered by the delegates of the oil-producing countries who are considering a reduction in oil production. Suggestions are being made that preparations to live without oil must be made now before we are down to the last barrel. Continued global growth has accelerated the reality and Richard Martin contemplates having to change his lifestyle and relinquish his hard-earned comforts. His wife, Sherry, is a beautiful, athletic, intelligent, and successful corporate lawyer. What more could a man want? Lately, she has not provided him the solace she once had. This worries her. Was there someone else? Was she going to go through this again?

As a university student, their son, Jacob, strives to show that he has the same economic prowess as his father. Desire for a mysterious, Nigerian classmate, Zaria, and an allegation of sexual assault threaten to derail his ambitions. His skeptical sister, Sophia, attends the same university and discovers secrets about her brother, mother, and father which shatter her already bleak outlook on life.

After reviewing research done by Jacob and Zaria, Richard Martin deduces that materials such as plastics will become more valuable as oil production wanes and plots with an Englishman, Brian Smith, and a Nigerian, Ajani Oni, to corner the plastics industry. He risks his marriage and career, so that he can stake a claim on financial security for his family. Nigeria is chosen as the test-market for the initial venture against the wishes of his wife who is unaware of her husband’s intentions. Then, a fateful business trip to the Delta reveals deep secrets and wreaks havoc on their self-absorbed lives.

Who will have the last barrel?

• Language: English
• Publisher: D.C. Raymond
• Release date: Apr 11, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301715633

D.C. Raymond

D.C. Raymond is from Trinidad and Tobago and views the world through the eyes of a dreamer. Relationships are important to him and he enjoys observing people’s actions and interactions. Having ventured away from the comfort of his twin-island paradise, he was lucky enough to encounter someone who views the world as he does and now resides in Bermuda with his wife, daughter, and son. Live and love!

Book preview

The Last Barrel of Oil

D.C. Raymond

Published by D.C. Raymond at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 D.C. Raymond

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

~ ~ ~ ~

Now, we cry like children.

What will become of us?

Dedicated to the indigenous peoples

Who remain committed

To a natural life.

Acknowledgements

Sometimes, through the haste with which we live in these current times, we regretfully err and neglect to appreciate the support with which we have been blessed. Hoping that this small token of appreciation would suffice, I would like to thank my wife, Kim, for all of her support and encouragement in the writing and rewriting of this book and her willingness to love and to walk through this adventure called ‘life’ with me. By example, she has been a tremendous source of inspiration to me and others. Thanks also to Aunt Eunice who was very open with her criticisms of my first book, The Visa, and also with the manuscript for this, my second book, The Last Barrel of Oil. Thanks to my cousin Cheryl who, through our discussions on publishing, has continued to encourage my writing. I wish her success with her published works. Thanks to Angel, Valarie, and Lindsay for encouraging and supporting my literary efforts. My gratitude to Lynne Pembroke of www.coverscript.com who provided valuable mentoring, criticism, and guidance. Thanks to Josephine for her exciting feedback and discussions. Special thanks to my dear children, family, and friends – you are most precious to me and have all shaped my essence. Last but not least, I would like to give thanks for life itself. Live and love! Happy reading!

Disclaimer

The story contained herein is fictional and any resemblance to actual events and/or persons is coincidental. Current global events and entities are used only to supplement context.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Session One

Chapter 2: A Month Later

Chapter 3: Essentials

Chapter 4: It's Just Economics

Chapter 5: Race Against the Night

Chapter 6: Intimate Distractions

Chapter 7: The Cover of the Mangrove

Chapter 8: Merit Increases

Chapter 9: Touched

Chapter 10: Damned If You Don't

Chapter 11: Presenting the Plans

Chapter 12: Me - Not You

Chapter 13: True To Thy People

Chapter 14: The Call of the Delta

Chapter 15: Taken

Chapter 16: The Value of Oil

Chapter 17: The Value of Life

Chapter 18: Unstoppable

Chapter 19: A Future on Hold

About the Author

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Chapter 1: Session One

Rushing out of the house, Richard Martin heard the shout to stop at the same instant that he heard the shots. His dear wife was stopped in her tracks by the first bullet – a direct hit to the forehead. She spun around as she went down and her eyes displayed submission as if she knew that it was finally all over. Ironic, she seemed to be smiling. The second and third shots struck him before she was on the ground – one in the arm, the other in his heart. As he began to fall, he felt a body strike him from behind. It was his son, who bore the wounds of the fourth and fifth bullets. A nanosecond of hot ammunition had brought clarity to the chaos – it was fitting, he guessed.

For years, the economists had warned that the country was too dependent on foreign oil. Environmentalists had agreed and had extended the warning to include all oil. Many scientists had pushed for research into renewable energy sources but none had argued for renewable resources. Oil was not only a viable life-sustaining energy source but it was the foundation of many basic materials.

That last convention of the world representatives had been the turning point. It was as though the discussions had confirmed the fears of the member nations and cemented their resolve. Never before had such a hard line been taken and it was certainly unexpected. The speed at which the global economy could be turned inside-out came as a greater surprise to the developed nations.

You have to lead the way forward for the rest of the world, lamented the delegate from Indonesia. Her remarks were being addressed to the major world players present at the convention and she was ominous in her manner. Over the years, the third-world countries have lagged behind with regards to development but that has also meant that they were utilizing less of the available resources.

The U.S. delegates were uninterested. The very thought of a third-world country trying to dictate to the U.S. was ludicrous. But the convention hall was filled to capacity as many had predicted that a crisis was looming. China had been growing as an economic powerhouse and was a threat to world dominance by the U.S.

It is also true that the resources of the third-world countries have largely been used to develop nations other than their own, the Indonesian delegate continued. This was to the detriment of their local development. Yet, now that there is a projected end to these resources, there is no consideration by the developed nations. If the developed nations insist that they continue foolishly exploiting the world’s resources, then the other nations would have no choice but to embark on their own path towards an existence without oil. This would mean that we would end this dependence by whatever means are deemed necessary. You see, we are committed to the preservation of our nations rather than the development. To support our proposal, we would have no choice but to end economic ties to the developed nations.

A murmur went around the virtual hall. The delegates of the rogue nations were resolute and the developed nations were astounded by this. The U.S. delegate, Richard Martin, buzzed in. He was an economist and a realist but was concerned with the direction that world economics had taken since the last U.S. recession. The war in Iraq had increased the dependence on oil rather than ensuring stability. Governments around the world had become cautious in their strategic planning.

The world economy had always progressed by development, he started. It is this development that has afforded a higher quality of life around the globe. Advancements have reduced mortality rates and increased comforts. And now you are suggesting regression?

Not regression, my friend, the delegate from Brazil interjected tensely, but survival.

You could not possibly believe that your economies could survive without the developed countries? Richard Martin firmly doubted such intent.

A delegate from Nigeria buzzed in. Only a maximum of four delegates were allowed screen-time at any given time and there was a time limit of one minute for each time a delegate buzzed in to contribute. This meant that contributions to the discussion had to be concise and clear; a task made all the difficult when the semantics of each nation and the ability of the computer system to accurately translate content with regards to context. Once the entire session had ended, each delegate immediately received a transcript of the minutes translated in his/her own language.

Delegate Martin, please bear een mind dat eet ees as a direct result of the efforts of the minority member nations that dees convention ees now held een a virtual hall rather dan have the delegates flown to one location. Even dees move was resisted by the U.S. but embraced by less-developed nations who could no longer fund such extravagant travel. Without such a commitment, dees nations would no longer have a voice at dees forum. Also, we have been able to have meaningful communications more frequently and on short notice. Eet ees the ability to communicate more effectively dat has brought about a greater understanding of the gravity of the global situation.

Richard Martin had known in his heart that this day would come. He had not known that it would come so soon though. The lesser-developed nations were beginning to make demands that the developed nations could not afford to agree to. A devaluation of oil would mean that the U.S. would lose its position of control. By exploiting the resources of other nations while conserving its own, the U.S. had intended to maintain domination and control.

Wat we propose ees dat each nation assesses how best eet can transition to an oil-free economy and how long such a transition would take, remarked the Nigerian delegate. Knowing that the proposal would only meet with stalling tactics from the larger members, he added dees proposals will be presented and discussed at the general meeting to be held next month.

Before Richard Martin could respond, there was a call for a vote. I move for votes to be cast now, shouted India. Seconded! shouted Thailand.

Seconds later, the results of the vote flashed across each screen and the U.S. did not like the decision. It was foolhardy to think that the world could exist without using oil. Surely, the proposal would fail. They would all know that in a month.

With all the delegates having a lot to report to their respective governments, the session was ended. The screen no longer showed any delegates speaking but a quickly reducing count of the number of delegates logged on to the session. One month was not a lot of time to produce proposals that would allow each nation to properly predict an oil-less future. But it would impress upon the larger members that the situation was serious and that a stand would be taken soon.

Before he logged out of the session, Richard Martin privately buzzed his colleague from England. He wanted his take on the proposal.

Brian Smith was one of the most highly-regarded British economic minds and had become a close friend of Richard’s during the restructuring after the Iraq war. Each had directed the recovery of their country from the huge budget deficits created by funding the war. Progress in Iraq had taken much longer than originally planned; much longer.

Hey Brian, glad that you could make some time for me, Richard Martin said in an exasperated voice.

No problem. What’s on your mind, Richard?

Brian, I’m concerned by the level of agitation shown by the members at today’s session. It seems that trouble is brewing and it’s hard to pinpoint which member is leading the charge. Can it be that so many nations are in agreement for the first time?

Yes, I must agree that today’s session appeared to be a spreading sentiment. Next month, things may be even worse if we can’t quell their fears, Brian Smith said. It does seem that they are prepared to act on whatever proposals are brought to the table next month.

What scares me the most is that their fears appear to be genuine and not economic strategy as previously. Brian, are we missing something? What if they are right? I mean, what are we going to do when the oil runs out? We have tried every means to predict when that would happen and as models change, we have differences in opinion. Inaccurate reserve statements certainly don’t help the situation. Was development wrong along?

What do you mean?

Well, we are probably the only creature alive that has not evolved physically. We have always adapted our environment to suit us. Without oil, we could no longer do that; at least, not at the same rate. I shudder to think of how ill-prepared I am to live without all these modern conveniences.

Richard, before you go off preaching that the end of the world is coming – the human world, that is – let’s look at the possibilities. Call me in a few days and we will discuss it again. You would have had time to reflect and we could thrash it out then.

Sure. You’re right, replied an unenthusiastic Richard; then, he logged out of the private session.

All his training and experience up to that point had instilled a philosophy of continued growth. Sustaining growth was what governed all of his intellectual thought. He had never thought of anything contrary. Ceasing to grow? The concept seemed unnatural to him.

You okay, his wife asked when Richard Martin emerged from his home-office. She knew the look only too well. He had worked so hard to reach the position of chief economic-advisor to the President but she always wondered if he enjoyed the role at all. It seemed that his hair was getting more gray by the day. Since the war, the country had struggled to regain its world economic dominance and Richard Martin had been tasked with securing the future.

Their marriage had remained rock-steady throughout but she had watched him grow weary as the months dragged on. Preparation for the session had taken a huge toll and Sherry Martin was glad that it was over. Maybe they could take a quick getaway to rejuvenate.

One second, he said and detoured through the kitchen to grab a beer from the refrigerator.

Have you ever thought of what will happen to our children, Sherr, Richard Martin said as he settled next to her on the couch.

She took a long look at him as he sucked long on the beer in much the same way that a dying man sucks hard in the oxygen mask as he is taken away from an accident scene in an ambulance.

Is anything in particular causing this concern?

Well, what if we, meaning the entire world, could not live as we do now? Not better but actually worse. And, what if such a situation occurred sooner rather than later? How would our children survive?

I’m sure that the world would be just fine, dear, his wife replied. And, so will Jacob and Sophia. Once they finish college and find decent jobs, they’ll be alright.

Sherry Martin had always been able to calm her husband. Since they had met in college, she had been the optimistic one constantly balancing her husband’s bleak outlook on life. Yet, recently she had not provided the solace she once had. This concerned her. Maybe this time her husband’s pessimism was based more on an impending reality than his usual economist’s perspective.

You know, Sherr, if life changed drastically and very quickly, we may not be prepared as a nation. At today’s session, the lesser-developed countries were pushing for a change in the global economy. They said that the first-world countries have exploited the resources of the world and done it at a rate that the entire world cannot sustain. We were given one month to prepare a detailed plan for each country to transition to an oil-free economy. By oil-free, they’re speaking not only as an energy source but as a material resource. They expressed that they were tired of supporting the greed of the more-developed nations and the focus on luxury and wealth. The more that they pressed their concerns, the emptier I got.

Even though he was bound by government regulations to maintain confidentiality, he had always shared his work with his wife. She knew how passionate he was about his work and had shared in many high-level details. Richard Martin found that his wife provided a viewpoint that many of his colleagues did not. They, economists themselves, thought very much the same way that he did. But his wife saw these policy-making sessions from the perspective of the everyday person. A basic, honest viewpoint was exactly what he needed now.

Honey, if the situation is as dire as expressed in the session, she started, do you think that the world’s population would ever agree on how the remaining oil should be used, much less, who should use it? She turned to face him and stretched her legs out over his knees. He put his empty beer bottle on the side table and began to massage her feet. He knew that a foot massage meant that she would give the topic some serious consideration.

She thought for a minute and then mused if you gave me a choice between living a luxurious life for a long or short time and living for a long time, I would choose life. I think that most people would. Now, if you look at the populations of the world, what percentage lives in luxury?

Thinking of the question, he said that luxury was really a relative entity as what is luxurious to some, may not be to others.

Well, if luxury was defined as creation of waste and the use of resources per capita, what would you say then?

Richard Martin thought for a while. He knew the answer but the answer was contrary to present world business. After all, the intention of business was to create wealth. But was individual wealth of the few in the best interest of the many?

Rich, it was ironic that she would call him by his pet name at this point in the conversation, most people want to live. Then if that is the case, if we simplify it, what do we need to live? Do we need the basics – food and shelter – or do we need toys, material pleasures, and man-made pleasures?

Man-made pleasures - maybe this was the key to the way that the lesser-developed countries viewed the first-world countries; America in particular. He could think of a few toys that had sat unused in the garage of their house for many years. They owned six vehicles - two of which were restored classics that were bought as investments and only driven occasionally to keep the engines working. The two quads were used to hit the trails but they had not found the time over the last year. Only the Lexus sedan and the Range Rover were necessities.

Many of their neighbors mirrored the same scenario. When they had moved to the suburbs, they had found the demographic of the community upscale and to their liking. It was a great life and he was not prepared to live any other way; not if he had any choice. And he would make sure that his children, grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren would all