Jim cleared his throat and nervously answered. “We were at capacity with a waiting list of kids who had nowhere else to go. The kids who come here, have lost both of their parents, or just didn’t fit with the foster care system. The New England area doesn’t have enough foster homes, and we were happy to open up the center to help relieve that burden and give kids a fighting chance at a good childhood.”
“So, you’re privately funded?” Rebecca asked.
“We get a little bit of help from the government, but most of our funds come from people like Joel Marketis. “
“I’m assuming you can always use more help around here? Donations? Supplies?”
“Always. We’ve just about to begin our latest renovation, and we’ll be back at full capacity before New Year’s.”
“There you have it, folks. A football player with a heart of gold who got caught up in a web of greed created by the owner of an online dating platform. I’ve personally seen the Westgate Children’s Center and I can tell you, the money Joel Marketis donated only touched the surface. As we head into the holiday season, if you’re wondering how you can give back to the community, consider contacting the center here and talking with Jim or his wife or any of the other workers here. The station’s hotline number will be at the bottom of your screen before this newscast is over.
“Reporting for Channel 19 News, this has been Rebecca St. James. Have a great rest of your evening.”
It went far better than Veronica could have ever hoped, and she could only wait and see what Joel would have to say after he saw it. At five o’clock, the news story made the first five minutes, and Veronica and Jim watched with the other employees, overwhelmed when Rebecca called a few minutes after her segment aired to tell them that their hotline was blowing up with people calling in to donate and be part of the solution.
“I can’t believe this,” Veronica told Jim.
“People generally have good hearts. I think maybe you forgot that.”
Veronica nodded. She had forgotten that. She’d let her mother’s constant crusade for women who were being oppressed by powerful men, and her own relationship experience, bias her interpretation of situations and people around her. She’d started putting all wealthy and influential people into the same category — a selfish, self-centered, narcissistic category where they only acted in their own best interest. She’d been wrong. She knew that now and fixing things with Joel was only the tip of the iceberg. From now on, she’d make sure to consider both sides of the coin before making any decisions that directly affected other people’s lives. She’d gone to law school to seek justice and fight for the downtrodden and oppressed. She owed it to herself and those she helped to do so honestly and with full transparency — on all sides of the issue.
*****
Joel had spent the night in his old childhood bedroom. His mother had known something was bothering him, but he’d not wanted to burden her with things, and since she never read the newspaper, he felt comfortable leaving to head back to the city without cluing her in. It was after five o’clock when he got back into Boston and he headed for the stadium. They had another game coming up Sunday and he couldn’t stand the thought that he was going to sit the bench for another week. Especially when he’d done nothing wrong.
He headed down into the locker room and was relieved to find Coach still in his office. He knocked on the door and entered, anxious to find out if the owner had changed his mind, or if Coach had been able to obtain any information that might make the owner reverse his decision to bench him.
“Coach.”
“Joel!”
He spun around, shocked to see Veronica standing in the corner where the coffee pot was located, an empty cup in her hands. He was both elated and hurt to see her there. He closed off his expression and looked between her and his coach. “What’s going on here?”
Veronica’s expression fell a bit, and she asked, “You didn’t see the evening news?”
Joel shook his head. “I was driving. I went home, needing to clear my head.”
“Your girl here came to see me just after the evening news aired,” Coach told him.
“Okay. Why?”
Coach smiled and then picked up a remote and turned the television back on. “One of the benefits of having a DVR system on television. Watch and enjoy. By the way, you’re starting Sunday, so get it together before then.”
Coach picked up his jacket and left his office. Joel watched him leave and then looked at Veronica and the television. “I don’t understand what’s going on here.”
Veronica walked over and picked up the remote, turning the recorded news broadcast on. “Watch, and then we can talk.”
Joel nodded and watched in disbelief as video footage of the children’s center appeared. He listened as his part in the dating app was cleared up, and then the children’s center was highlighted. When the hotline number flashed across the screen for people to call and donate, he lost control of his emotions and tears flowed down his cheeks.
“You did all of this?” he asked Veronica in a voice clogged with tears.
Veronica was crying as well and walked closer to him. “Joel, I’m so sorry. I caused so much havoc in both of our lives because I was so certain that I was right. I wasn’t. I was so very wrong, and I needed to do something to make things right. Hopefully, you can forgive me and we and still be friends…”
Joel reached out and pulled her into his arms, cutting off her words by kissing her soundly. When he finally stopped, they were both out of breath. “Thank you. Knowing you thought me so untrustworthy hurt so badly.”
“I’m so sorry. I’ve done what I can to make things right. The newspaper will print another story tomorrow to clear up everything for their readers.” She paused and then added, “I created this mess, and it was my responsibility to clean it up. I also quit my job.”
“Why? I thought you enjoyed working for the senator?”
“I lost my objectivity. I wasn’t able to see both sides of the story, and I made a judgment that was both biased and incorrect. No person in the legal system can allow themselves to wear blinders. Working in the senator’s office the chances of that happening again were just too great. I want to work in a society where I can see and experience both sides of the equation and find ways to bring them together for the common good. I couldn’t do that where I was, so I quit.”
“You are amazing,” Joel told her. “So, what are you going to do now?”
“Make sure the regulations get changed but for the right reasons and that the right people are the ones being punished and prevented from using these types of applications.”
“That sounds like a worthy cause. Want some help?” Joel asked her.
Veronica beamed at him and nodded. “Most definitely.”
Joel kissed her again and then hugged her close. He couldn’t believe how quickly his despair had turned back into joy. The day couldn’t get any better.
“Oh!” Veronica pushed away from him, and she was almost vibrating with what she wanted to tell him. “Rebecca, the news reporter, called Jim and I after the show aired and they had already received hundreds of calls from people wanting to help the center.”
“What? That’s amazing.”
“I know. It just goes to show you that people really are good and want to help their fellow man. I forgot that for a bit, but I won’t make that mistake again.”
Joel smiled and then tapped her on the nose. “If you do, I’ll be the first one to reel you back in.”
“Thanks. I’m going to hold you to that.”
Joel smiled and then sighed. “So, what are you doing for the rest of the night?”
Veronica gave him a smirk and played along with his teasing tone. “I don’t know. Got any suggestions?”
Joel whispered in her ear, his suggestion risqué enough that she was blushing, but nodded, nonetheless. “I take it that’s a ‘yes’?”
“Definitely a ‘yes.’”
“Let’s get
out of here. You can follow me or…”
“Actually, I got a ride over here.”
“You were banking on things going well.”
Veronica nodded and then told him, “Jim offered to come back and get me if things went south. I’m happy to say I won’t have to make that call.”
Joel smiled and then wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her out to his truck. He drove them to his place, smiling and once more feeling as if he was embarking on the beginning of a long journey. One with Veronica right by his side. It was a fantastic feeling that he had no intention of losing any time soon. He was in this for the long haul.
Chapter 21
Several months later…
“And in early voting news, Proposition 5C is passing with a seventy-eight percent majority for the measure. This is a win for both men and women who only want to find someone compatible with themselves without having to play the dating game at the local bar, or risking the online chat rooms that are unmonitored and a known playground for predators and deviants.”
Veronica turned to Joel and grinned when he swung her up into his arms and spun them around in a circle. “We won!”
“You did an amazing job and getting people to support this cause,” Joel told her.
“It wasn’t hard. This was just common sense. Why should someone with a criminal record be allowed to create a fake profile on an online dating app to lure unsuspecting women out and make them vulnerable? That makes no sense to me.”
“Well, if you can get the senate to pass the bill, you’ll have accomplished something that takes most people several years to do.”
Veronica nodded. She and Joel had combined forces to put a stop of the abuse of online dating applications by people who only wanted to victimize others. Currently, there were no regulations that allowed for the applications to require a Social Security number or background check as part of the request for membership. Proposition 5C was suggesting just that, and now the Massachusetts legislature would have no choice either to create a bill or risk having their hands forced by a November election to put such regulations into the state constitution.
“This is amazing. They’re saying that more than 100,000 votes were cast for this change,” Joel told her, still listening to the news coverage. “It’s the most highly supported change to an existing business sector in the history of the state.”
Veronica smiled. “I’m so happy right now.” Her cellphone rang, and she answered it without looking to see who it might be.
“Hello?”
“Congratulations, Veronica.”
“Senator Tompkins! What a surprise. I take it you saw the projected win for Proposition 5C?”
“I did, and that’s why I’m calling. I am the new chair of the Information Technology and Digital Safety Committee and I would like you to come over to the District next week and present your work to the entire committee.”
“Yes. Yes, I would love to do that.” She was stunned at the offer.
“Good. Be there Tuesday at ten o’clock, and I’ll try to get you on the docket as early as possible, but it might be a long day.”
“That doesn’t matter. I’ll wait all day if I need to.”
“Flexibility is always good. I will also say I admire the fact that you weren’t willing to just let an erroneous judgment dictate future regulations. You took the initiative and made sure the truth was put out there for everyone to examine and make their own decision. I, and others in Congress, could learn a lot from someone like you. Good for you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“See you next week on Tuesday morning.”
Veronica pulled the phone from her ear and then stared at it for a long moment.
“Hon, what’s wrong? Was that who I think it was?” Joel asked.
She nodded. “That was the senator, and he wants us to present our information to the Information Tech Committee next week.”
“Perfect! That’s absolutely perfect,” Joel told her.
*****
The following Tuesday afternoon…
“As you can see, requiring background checks will eliminate ninety percent of the predators and deviants who have been using these sites as their playground.”
“Thank you, Miss Samuels.” Senator Tompkins nodded at her and smiled, giving her his unspoken nod of approval for her performance.
Veronica nodded and then folded her shaking hands in her lap. Sitting before the panel of influential Congressmen and women had been nerve-wracking, even with Joel sitting right beside her. He reached over and squeezed her hand and she gave him a grateful look.
“I’m glad that’s over,” she whispered in his ear.
“You did great.”
“Since we’ve come to the end of the testimony on this issue, I propose we take a vote,” a female senator from Florida spoke up.
Veronica’s head came up. It was almost unheard of for a vote to be taken this soon after the evidence had been presented.
“I’ll second that,” a senator from Ohio and a member of the other political party announced.
“Did you see that?” Joel whispered.
Veronica nodded, her shock fading as another senator spoke up, “I say, let’s get this vote done, and we can all go home early for a change.” This came from one of the oldest and crankiest members of the committee, shocking everyone.
There were chuckles from the gallery, and Veronica saw several of the younger congress members hide smiles behind their hands. Senator Tompkins brought his gavel down, bringing silence to everyone in the chamber.
“Let the record show that the committee has requested to vote on the measure before them without recess. We’ll go around the room, speak your vote clearly into the microphone. Recorder, are we ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well. We’ll start with the congresswoman from Illinois.”
“Aye.”
“The congressman from Colorado.”
“Aye.
And so, it went around the room until all fifteen members of the committee had given their vote. A unanimous decision was unprecedented, but that was exactly how it went. Thirty minutes later, Senator Tompkins announced the session was in recess.
Veronica and Joel left the chamber room and received congratulations from everyone they saw. Senator Tompkins was speaking to the press, and afterward, he came over and shook her hand.
“Congratulations, Veronica. You have just done what I thought was impossible. You managed to find an issue that bridged political parties and passed on the same day the hearings ended, unanimously.”
“So, what happens now?” Joel asked.
“The measure will go before the entire Senate for a vote early next week. If it passes, which I’m sure it will, then it will go before the House. Once they vote and it passes, it will become law. Probably not for a period of months, but nevertheless, the regulation will become a part of all new online dating applications, and there will be a shorter grace period for the existing apps to either comply or shut down.
“Veronica, you should be very proud of yourself. You did exactly what you set out to do six months ago.”
“Thank you, Senator. I’m pretty happy with how things have turned out.”
“You should be.”
They made their way back to Joel’s apartment several hours later, having taken a slight detour upon leaving the Capitol to walk through the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Veronica was riding a high, and with her newfound confidence and success, she was already looking for other issues that directly negatively affected women. She’d found her niche and had already made a good start at setting up her own law practice right here in Boston. With this feather in her cap, she’d be the go-to attorney for these types of issues.
Joel shucked his shoes by the elevator and then waited while she did the same with her boots. He then swept her up in his arms and carried her over to the couch. “Stay put and let me get a fire going.”
Veronica settled bac
k against the overstuffed cushions, watching him move about the room, lighting the gas fireplace, and dimming the lights. They’d not eaten yet, choosing to go home and order delivery sometime later in the evening.
Joel joined her on the couch, settling on his side so that he had complete access to her entire body. He began unbuttoning the tiny buttons that held her dress together, kissing each new inch of skin revealed. “You smell good.”
“That’s amazing considering how much sweating I did today. That was so unnerving, having all of those eyes staring right at me with blank expressions on their faces.”
The Right Swipe Page 16
