Honjowara -sama says nothing more on the subject. He returns to the bedroom, selects a fresh suit and begins to dress. In just a few moments more, he strides boldly into a nearby room arranged like a boardroom. Eight men and three women, mostly norms, mostly Caucasians, wait around the mahogany table at the center of the room. All eleven rise and applaud as Honjowara -sama enters. The leader of the group, Joseph Durkin, president of the powerful New York Transport Mechanics and Load Handlers' Free Trade Union, greets Honjowara -sama with a bow, then smiles broadly as Honjowara -sama extends a hand to complete the greeting in the western style.