The Extraction Plan

Prudence

9:30pm Sunday May 19th 2019, The Sternwood Residence, Upper Montclair New Jersey

Prudence Sternwood stood in her walk in wardrobe a large ninety square foot room. From the Oak wardrobe units hung designer tailor made business suits, majority of them black along with conservative blouses, footwear and accessories. In one section hung her business attire for the week ahead along with jewellery, footwear and various other clothing to accessorize. For Tuesday her daughter Arabelle selected a white two piece trousers business suit, a silver necklace with an emerald gem and matching ear rings. Tuesday morning will be different she will be appearing on national tv for Women in Finance business breakfast live TV show.

Prudence grew up with one older sister Rosamund. Her parents ran a chain of restaurants guesthouses and catering businesses. She received her business acumen from them. Every Sunday night, her mother and father laid out their business attire for the week. Everything was prepared right down to cufflinks and socks. Herself and her sister, would prepare their school and non school clothing for the week ahead. Her mother would inspect everyones even their fathers. She was a stickler for his ties, "a businessman's tie must match the occasion and be properly presented" she would say. Not only would her father have one tie selected per day but a spare tie for each day, as well as a spare tie in his briefcase and several in each of their locations. Even in school Prudence and her sister's bags contained spare ties "A business person must have a tie in close proximity, you never know when you'll need it" he would say to them. While all the other children wore elasticated ties, Prudence and her sister were given proper ties and thought how to tie them themselves.

Her parents were very busy businesspeople, in order to succeed with a demanding business and family everything had to be planned. Even as children if they had to go to one of the restaurants or guest houses while her parents worked, they were told to select two toys each to bring and mum and dad would select one surprise one. Each time Prudence and her sister done this, they earned extra pocket money so buy in wasn't an issue.

They thought her how success in work starts with pride in yourself. Both her parents would never go into a location or business meeting without a crisp clean suit on. If they were working from home, suits remained on all day. Her father would take his time tying a tie, he would say "A businessman's tie is like your resume, a tie is part of what sells you and your business. Every morning her mother would reinspect his tie. Her mother would always tighten and adjust it more. Same with Prudence and her sister as school children if their tie wasn't properly tied they were made start again. Her parents never done casual, the only time she would see them not suited is Christmas day where her father would be without a tie and her mother in an evening dress. Even vacation time, when leisure time was over, the business attire went on for dinner or the evening entertainment.

Prudence learned so much from her parents, she often wondered what she would be without them. She was expected to go into the business with her older sister, whom studied Hotel and Catering Management at the prestigeous Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland. Rosamund managed several five star hotels in Europe before returning and taking an active role in the management of the family business. In Prudence's last year in High School, she beat off competition to be awarded a Banking scholorship with North America International bank, the bank was affiliated at the time with Harvard University and only the best qualified for this scholarship. This allowed her to travel with the bank, get paid for it and study with the esteemed Harvard. They first celebrated this achievement and secondly her mother brought her out to buy a collection of business attire. The words of her mother in the car journey still rang in her ears "Your first impression in the bank Prudence is your initial imprint. Your business suit is not a dull piece of uncomfortable clothing, its an investment. We are privileged we can put on a suit and get well paid for it". She hated casual Friday another trait from her parents. When she first told her father about dress down Friday, he nearly choked "There is no dress down Friday in business, the bank may say there is but there isn't. You are judged on your work Monday to Friday and what you do a Friday is as important as each day that preceded it. You want to prepared for if a client drops in unexpectedly and your presentation must always be ready. Your colleagues may come in wearing faded jeans and slippers on a Friday but not you Prudence, no daughter of mine that's worked hard to reach the level you did will succumb to such shoddiness."

When she started in the bank, there wasn't many women in the industry her mother warned her "you're going to be dealing with men that will view you as a threat and not treat you as an equal, your father and I are here to talk so do talk to us". She places her suit for Tuesday and accessories into a suit bag. She flies out on Monday evening with Arabelle and her Executive Assistant Tanya Black.

She closes the wardrobe containing her clothes and accessories for the week ahead. The closed doors form a giant mirror. Momentarily she stares at herself.

She barely recognised herself. Her sunken brown eyes are almost invisible behind thick circular gold frame rimmed glasses. Prudence flattened her palms and joined her fingers together and gentry rubbed them to the sides of her deep furrowed brow directing some stray fringe hairs back into position on her dyed dark brown shoulder length hair.

She removed her glasses which leaves everything in a blur and gently massages her tired sore eyes and chubby flush cheeks. The glasses are placed back on her hawk shaped nose and once again everything is visible.

At fifty three she could of passed for fifty eight or more. She rubs her double chin with her soft left palm. She is sure it dropped some more. An expanding double chin is least of her worries. Her latest worry is the painful twinges she can barely endure from pressure on her knee joints. Her doctor warns it could be an onslaught of arthritis or gout. She is unsure which is the lesser of all evils.

Prudence is not a tall woman, She is five foot three. For that height she should weigh no more than one hundred and forty one pounds however; she tipped the scales at three hundred pounds.

She is a wealthy businesswoman and banker. She is owner and Chief Executive Officer of PD Sternwood Financial Services and Investments. Her parents gave their Businesses to Prudence and her sister. Rosamund owned fifty percent of that business, her husband Donald owned twenty five percent and Prudence the same.