Last month’s installment ended at an impasse. I had gone all the way to western China for a $2-million drill pipe deal, but ended up in fierce negotiations about lead times in unfamiliar territory (and dogged by a brutal cold). I gave them our final availability and they insisted on better. I thanked them for their hospitality and asked to be driven back to my hotel — my last ploy.
I got to my room around 3 a.m. and tried to get some sleep. I had negotiated, worked the phones and shuttled back and forth for what felt like days. My cold only persisted.