The Outsider

by K'Anne Meinel

  Joy shrugged. “I never thought I would find someone,” she repeated. “I thought, if I die, there should be someone on earth with my genetic makeup.”

  “Are they fertilized?” she asked, wondering at this weird conversation they were having.

  The blonde nodded. “Yes, what was the point of freezing them if they weren’t fertilized? I chose a man I trusted and I paid him for his sperm after I checked out his family tree. You know, in case there was madness in the gene pool,” she joked, but seeing how serious Robyn looked, she got back to the story. “He was a good specimen and needed the funds I paid him. He also agreed that any children from the donation would be mine and he would never try to contact them. However, if they wanted, they could look him up when they were adults. They would not, however, inherit anything from him or his family, in perpetuity.”

  “Why?” Robyn was caught up in the story; it was fascinating.

  “He is a member of one of the royal houses and was kind of embarrassed that he found himself in need of funds. Besides, I have enough money for any children I might bring into the world.”

  “What did you intend to do…or when?”

  “I thought, once I turned thirty, if I was still alone, I would find a surrogate and arrange for at least two to be born, maybe more.”

  “How many eggs are there?” she asked, surprised that Joy wanted a family like that, maybe a large one.

  “There are eight viable and fertilized eggs in a cryobank waiting for me to release them to the right person.”

  “You don’t want to carry them yourself?” she wondered.

  “I am not sure I want to be a mother that way. Besides, it looks like it hurts!” she joked and then got serious once again. “I want a family. I have always wanted one since my parents died, but I really did not want to have it alone,” she confessed.

  “You aren’t alone anymore,” Robyn said softly.

  “No, I am not. When we are ready to have a family, would you be willing to carry them?”

  Robyn thought about it for a moment and then asked, “You wouldn’t want me to carry them all at once, or like twins or anything, would you?”

  Joy laughed and shook her head. “Whatever would be comfortable for you. I do not want a litter of puppies or babies,” she assured her.

  “What if I wanted biological children of my own?” she wondered, seeing as they were discussing something so personal.

  “There was more sperm than eggs,” she pointed out.

  “You saved it?” she wrinkled her nose at the thought.

  Joy laughed again. “No, but the bank did, in case my eggs went bad or we needed to fertilize more. If you want, we can use it to fertilize your eggs. That way our children will be biologically related. But we should wait until we are legally married and out from under this cloud,” she waved the paper they had been discussing originally. The conversation had definitely segued from its original content.

  “Is that really going to be a problem…” Robyn returned to worrying.

  “It is a nuisance, that is all,” she answered shortly. “They are jealous, they have always been jealous. It was not my fault how our parents treated me or them, it was a matter of circumstances. My winning the lottery had nothing to do with them. I had not even seen them in years when I saw on the news that they were saying I might be mentally unbalanced. After all, all homeless street people are insane, right?” She shook her head as they both knew that most street people were victims of circumstance. Yes, there were occasionally people with mental problems, but Joy was certainly not one of them. “They are greedy and my lawyers are going to wipe the floor with them. Either that or I will replace them with lawyers who will go after my siblings, make them stop, and never bother me again.”

  The vehemence in her lover’s voice, the way she articulated each and every word so clearly, showed how angry, hurt, and upset she was. Robyn leaned over and started petting Joy. “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.”

  For the first time in a long time, Joy cried about it. “Why did they have to treat me like that? I did not do anything to them. Just my existence seemed to be enough to draw their hatred. I realize now that my parents spoiled me because I was their little baby, I was their last. That was not my fault. Why did they have to hate me so?” she sniffed as the tears kept coming. “I thought I was over this. I thought I no longer cared what they thought or did.”

  “It hurts because they are blood. They are part of your parents. You wanted a relationship, they didn’t, and now because they are spiteful and greedy, they are trying to hurt you more. I know you care about complete strangers who need your help, not these nasty people,” Robyn reasoned with her. “You are loved by me and many others. You are a good person. They don’t want or need you, they only want or need your money. Have you ever thought of giving them some and maybe they would go away?”

  Joy shook her head. “Not one dime. They get not one dime. I would rather give it away to all the homeless in America than see them get one dime for the way they treated me.” The vehemence of her words left no doubt in Robyn’s mind that she was deeply hurt by what they had done. “I did nothing to deserve the treatment I got. They could have taken care of me and did not, so I took care of myself. My good fortune will not be shared with them.”

  “Okay, baby, I understand. It’s us against them and they will not win,” she assured her, showing her support. The anger and hurt bothered her a bit, but she had never been shit on by family like this. She knew her mother and Callie and other friends loved her for who she was, not her money. Oh, God, her mother and the others were going to be shocked that she was now engaged to a millionaire.

  A while later the captain was announcing they should prepare for landing. Water was splashed on tear-riddled faces. Robyn had cried for the pain that was obvious in Joy. They smiled tentative smiles, putting it behind them, becoming strong with each other and knowing the other had her back. As they sat down again in the comfortable cabin chairs, they toasted each other with the last of the champagne, ate the last of the sandwiches that had been provided for them, and waited to land. The steward and stewardess came in and took the plates and glasses back to the galley in preparation for landing. They all buckled in as they came down on the tarmac.

  Customs and security would take a while with all the things Joy had brought from Paris. A second car came to take them home and whisk them away from the crowded airport. They disappointed the many reporters anxious for a story as they left after being personally cleared though customs. Their baggage would be handled for them, the entitlement of the very wealthy who had servants to handle things for them. For once, Joy did not mind being wealthy enough to afford such courtesies. As they drove towards Robyn’s home, she looked forward to announcing to Julia that they were planning on getting married. A ceremony would have to suffice in Milwaukee, but they could go to another state where it was legal, and they planned to do so right after her lawyers and Robyn’s hashed out the pre-nup.

  At first, Robyn had worried that a pre-nup meant their marriage was doomed. Joy had explained it was to protect them both, not just Joy’s enormous assets. “You have to know what to expect if something happens to me too,” she explained. “Right now, the way my will is set up, everything goes into a self-sustaining trust that will support my causes like The Town and later The Village. That way, they will have funds to grow and stay alive in perpetuity. I need to change that so, as my wife, you are protected.”

  “Why would I need a pre-nup for me?”

  “So I cannot do anything you wouldn’t want me to do if something happened to you. And so your mother would be taken care of.” She really couldn’t think of more than that at the moment, but she knew the lawyers would.

  “And if we divorce?” she worried. That was what she had always thought pre-nups were for.

  “Let us hope that never happens. I am not naïve enough to think that marriage lasts forever in this awful world, but I am going to promise you to try my damnedest. I wi
ll promise you that. Let’s let the lawyers worry about that though. I do not even want to think of that, okay?”

  Robyn had to be content with that, but she still worried.

  As they sped away and Robyn began to come back down from the whirlwind that had been her life for a while, she looked at Joy and wondered what this beautiful and sophisticated woman saw in her. All her doubts began to return as the reality that was Milwaukee began to crash down again. This was not Paris. This was not private jets or fancy jewelry. And then she looked at her fiancée, at the ring she had put on her finger, and knew she wanted to be brave for her. She wanted to help her fight against her siblings who were being so damned greedy. She’d do whatever Joy wanted to keep her happy.

  “What are you thinking about so fiercely, my love?” Joy leaned over to caress Robyn’s face.

  “Should we tell my mother right away or do you want to wait?”

  “What do you think? Is she ready for this? Will she understand?”

  “I’m sure she will want to share in our happiness,” she said confidently.

  “It will be nice to meet your brother, or is his wife staying at the apartment?”

  “I have no idea,” she admitted as the car began to slow down. “I don’t have my clothes,” she complained. It was all back at the airport with Joy’s stuff, customs and security going over it with a fine-tooth comb.

  “Do you want me to stop at the drugstore and get you a toothbrush?” Joy teased.

  Robyn sniggered. A toothbrush was the least of her worries. She remembered how alarmed she had been that Pierre would see her dirty underwear and started to laugh at herself, feeling better about everything. She quickly explained to Joy what had amused her.

  Joy got out of the limousine first. She was exhausted. The plane had been fine, but between the lovemaking, her shock about the lawsuit, and the length of the flight, she was tired. She put on a good act, but she was waning fast. She handed Robyn out of the limo and walked her up to the door. “Smile for the family, future Mrs. Parker,” she whispered, which made Robyn grin as she let them into the apartment.

  “Hey, you. About time you got back,” Russell greeted them as he got up from the couch where he and Julia were watching a game show.

  “We have so much to tell you, but you can’t tell anyone,” Robyn gushed as she leaned over to give her mother a hug.

  “You must be the Joy Parker everyone is talking about,” Russell held out his hand and shook hers.

  “It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “You’ve made a big impression on everyone,” he teased and then looked at his sister. He had never seen her look so happy. “A big impression.”

  “What do you have to tell me?” Julia asked, lucid at the moment, as she reached for the channel changer to mute the TV.

  “Oh, hi. You’re back,” Callie greeted them as she came in from the kitchen with the smell of popcorn wafting behind her. She had a large bowl in her hands.

  “We are engaged,” Robyn couldn’t wait any longer to show off the sapphire engagement ring as she showed her mother. She didn’t notice the narrow-eyed look of her best friend, but Joy did. She had looked at each person in turn to see their reactions. Since there were only three of them, she saw the look that Callie quickly hid.

  “Engaged? As in to be married?” Julia asked, amazed, as she held the ring under a lamp in the dark living room.

  “Wow, congratulations,” Russell said at the same time and went to give Robyn a hug.

  “Yes, Mom, to be married,” Robyn confirmed. “It’s legal in some states and other countries. We will go there to be married, but we will also have a ceremony here for our family and friends.”

  “Unless you want to fly them where it’s legal,” Joy put in, watching Callie again as she said it. The look was there again. The woman was jealous, furiously jealous over her friend’s good fortune. She hid it quickly, but she was the last to hug her best friend.

  “Fly us?” Julia asked. “In one of those private planes you just took?”

  Joy nodded and Robyn began to tell her about Paris, working her way back to Dementia Village and the original reason for their trip. “And you can live there, if you want, Mom. Joy said you can have everything just the way you have here.”

  “Well, that makes sense if the two of you are getting married. You don’t want scatterbrained old me around mucking everything up.”

  Joy wouldn’t hear it. She took Julia’s hand in her own and said quietly, “You know, my parents died when I was really young. I would like to consider you my mother from here on out. I would love to take care of you and provide you with the care you will always need. For now, you can live here until I can build you the facility that will be your new home. It will have every modern amenity you could ever want. Will you let me do that for you?”

  Julia was astounded. She knew she might lose her mind completely someday. She had her good days and her bad days, but no one had ever said anything like that to her before. “You’re a good daughter, Joy and I think you are going to have to call me Mom as soon as you and her,” she teasingly pointed her thumb at her daughter, “get hitched.” She smiled, showing she was joking as she gathered Joy into a hug. She soon reached to include Robyn in a three-way hug.

  Joy looked over Robyn’s shoulder to see that look on Callie’s face once again. She didn’t realize Russell had seen it too.

  “Jeez, can I get in on this? I have a new sister-in-law to be,” he kidded as he hugged first Joy, then his sister, and then his mother. “Sounds like this is going to be a good time for us all.”

  “Well, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about Russell,” Robyn mentioned as she sniffed suspiciously, holding back tears of happiness. She surreptitiously wiped them away and sniffed again. “We need a website for The Town and links to each site, as well as a website for The Village. Think you know of a few programmers who could do some freelance?”

  “Oh hell, that sounds like fun. Do you have pictures...?” he began enthusiastically, warming to the subject.

  “I think you should take them yourself, now that the work is nearly complete,” she told him with a little grin. She’d bought him a new camera in Paris when Joy had insisted on presents, but it was in customs with their other things and she’d have to give it to him tomorrow.

  “I guess I could borrow…” he began, as he thought about everything he would need for a camera shoot to make the website.

  Joy smiled at her future bride, encouraging her. She did not object to anyone that Robyn might want to hire, until she glanced at the best friend. Callie was not happy and Joy did not want to ask why. Something about her gave Joy bad vibes.

  “Well, I’m going to head home,” Callie announced, not too much later.

  “Oh, Callie. I wanted to tell you all about…” Robyn began, protesting.

  “Well, I have my new job and I have to get there early in the morning,” she told her.

  “Oh, yeah, how’s that going?”

  “Fine,” she answered, curtly.

  “Callie bought a car,” Julia bragged proudly about their friend. She didn’t see the angry look that Callie gave her.

  “Yes, Mom, you told us,” Robyn reminded her and then stopped herself. At Dementia Village, they had said not to do that as it bothered those with the illness, agitated them.

  “I did?” she asked, surprised, and Robyn could see she was mentally castigating herself. She determined not to make that mistake again.

  “You did?” Callie asked, her eyes narrowing. “Well, I have to go,” she announced again and before anyone could say ‘yes, no, or goodbye,’ she was out the door.

  “Well, that was kind of odd,” Julia commented.

  “Yes, it was odd,” Robyn agreed and then turned the conversation to what she had seen and done on their trip.

  Joy stayed another half an hour, but it was getting late and she was already exhausted and had to head home. “You are not to go into work tomorrow,” she warned
Robyn. “I will have your things delivered here.”

  “And you aren’t to go into work tomorrow either,” Robyn mock-threatened as she teased the taller woman. “How about we come by your place tomorrow?”

  “We?”

  “Mom and I?” she said meaningfully.

  “Oh yes, that would be great. We can show your mother my apartment. How would that be, Mom?” she turned to Julia with a smile.

  “My, that does sound nice,” she said, returning the smile. “I like that I’m going to have another daughter-in-law,” she said with pride.

  “Maybe we should shop for another car,” Joy said in an undertone as Robyn saw her out to the limo where the driver was patiently waiting for his client.

  “So soon?”

  “Why should we wait?”

  “You don’t have to…” she began, protesting. First the ring, and now a car.

  “I want to,” Joy said as she took her fiancée in her arms and kissed her, holding her one last time before she left. She had gotten used to being able to embrace a lot in the last week and was enjoying it. Although the neighborhood was conservative, it was late enough and dark enough that they did not have to worry about being observed. But they were observed, by friendly-hostile eyes.

  Callie was looking out her living room window at the limousine and saw the two women. Her anger had her reaching for a phone.

  “Hello, may I speak to…” she gave out the name of the contact she had, the one who had paid so well for the story she gave him. She made several of these phone calls, reminding each of them to send her cash or no more leads or tips would be forthcoming. The news of Joy Parker and Robyn Riley’s engagement would be news, especially after the multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by Joy Parker’s siblings. Callie wished she could have gotten the scoop on that story. The money it would have generated would have been welcome.