The Outsider

by K'Anne Meinel

  “Goodbye, love. Talk to you tomorrow,” Joy said as she kissed her and got in the limo.

  “Goodbye. Text me when you get up.”

  Joy let Robyn shut the door as she nodded. Once the door was closed, the driver pulled out, heading for the freeway and downtown. Joy had never been so relieved to see her apartment in Milwaukee. Several die-hard reporters were lingering around out front and it angered her, but they were on a public sidewalk and there was nothing she could do. She gave the code to the driver so he could pull directly into the parking garage and stop at the elevator. She slipped him a hundred dollar bill as a tip and taking her purse, went upstairs to her apartment.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  The next day, Robyn picked Joy up in her old Nissan. Julia was with her since Russell and his wife had done more than their share of watching her while the other two had been gone, but Joy did not mind. She chatted eagerly with the elder woman about what The Village might have to offer and what she would like to see.

  “I never wanted to go into one of those homes. They are disgusting,” Julia stated unnecessarily. “Those nurses all seem angry at their jobs and I’ve seen the neglect on some of the patients. I remember my grandmother’s nursing home. The patients sat in the hall, some of them just moaning,” she shuddered as she remembered. “I never wanted that for myself.”

  Joy agreed with her and assured her The Village would be nothing like that.

  “And I can bring my own things?”

  They repeated the conversation they had the previous night, enjoying the retelling even though Julia might soon forget. They were careful not to use the phrase, ‘Remember,’ and continued as though this was the first time they were telling her. Exchanging a look, the engaged women enjoyed their mother as they shopped for a dependable car.

  Robyn and Julia decided on another Nissan since theirs had been so dependable for so many years. Trading in the old one brought a mixture of relief and nostalgia. They didn’t get much, but as Joy wrote a check for the difference, Robyn began to have buyer’s remorse.

  “You shouldn’t have to pay for…” she began unnecessarily.

  “I want to, and I’m going to make a few phone calls today to make it so you do not have to ask and you do not have to tell me when you want to spend money. And I’ll have them get a start on that pre-nup so we can make this official. Do you have a preference in wedding dates?” she asked to distract her.

  The mention of wedding dates set Julia off and she talked almost nonstop about it from then on. An amused Robyn knew what Joy had done. An unrepentant Joy just grinned as they were given the keys and paperwork to Robyn’s new car.

  As Robyn drove them carefully off the lot, Joy gave up the front seat to Julia who really seemed to need to discuss the wedding. She sat in the back seat making phone calls. She got a temporary insurance card for her ‘family’ explaining to her agent that she and her fiancée had just bought a new car and giving him the necessary information. Next, she phoned her attorney to get him rolling on the pre-nup. “Robyn is going to need a lawyer of her own to go over the paperwork,” she advised them.

  “Have you seen the news today?” he casually mentioned as he made a note about the pre-nup.

  “No, we’ve been out. What’s going on?”

  “Your engagement is all over the media, along with the news about the new project The Village and the lawsuit from your brothers and sisters,” he reluctantly told his client.

  “Shit,” she uttered, loud enough that Robyn looked at her in the rearview mirror over her mother’s chattering. Joy shook her head at the brunette to try and downplay it.

  “What can we do?” she asked carefully, knowing Robyn was probably listening now, or trying to.

  “Well, we’ve already prepared a complaint against your family to get this lawsuit dismissed. I would suggest you do a press conference as soon as you can about The Village. Meanwhile, I will get on the pre-nup, and if you are ready, I will give you the name a lawyer I can’t stand, but she’s good, she’s really good, and will serve your fiancée well,” he confided.

  Joy found that amusing. He did not like the other lawyer, but he was willing to recommend her. She jotted down the name and number and then called to make an appointment on Robyn’s behalf for later that very afternoon.

  Next, she called her lead contractor, Ray Jamieson, and asked him to see about having the staff prepare a computer-generated diagram of what they had discussed for The Village. “I know it’s short notice, but if we get on this, we can use the media attention to our benefit,” she explained. “Also, whoever finishes the video that we will release to the media, find out if we can use some of the CNN report video or link to it.”

  “I’ll get them on it. Meanwhile, we have this going on at Site Two…” he began to explain now that he had her undivided attention. She listened with half an ear and made a few suggestions of things she would like to see, reprioritizing his schedule to trickle down to the other contractors. “Also, G-ma has been here looking for you. She wants some information,” he related.

  “If she comes by again, tell her I will be in the office tomorrow at Site One, and if she needs me, I will come by,” she promised as they finished up their phone call. She was relieved to hang up.

  “What’s going on?” Robyn called from the front seat to interrupt her mother.

  “Just work,” she dismissed, realized what she was doing, and then said, “I made an appointment for you with Brenda Bartholomew this afternoon.”

  “Who is Brenda Bartholomew?” was the next question.

  “She’s your attorney, if you want. She should be able to help you with the pre-nup, so we can figure out when to set the wedding date.” She said it loudly and with a grin that only Robyn could see, as it set Julia off again. The look in the rearview mirror was priceless, promising mayhem and amusement all in the same look.

  As Robyn drove around getting a real feel for her new car, Joy looked around at the neighborhoods, thinking. As she began to recognize some familiar scenery she had seen on the bus long ago, she realized they were near Bayshore, in Glendale.

  “Hey, why don’t we look for houses in this area?” she called from the back seat.

  “Here?” Robyn looked closely at the multi-million dollar houses overlooking the lake, part of Lake Michigan’s scenic tour.

  “Well, nothing that big, unless you want it,” she answered with a grin, looking at the huge monstrosities from a past generation. “I bet they are drafty in winter,” she commented. They were beautiful homes, just too big for two women and any family they decided to have. “How about something more sensible?”

  Robyn relaxed a little. She had thought Joy wanted one of those mansions, but she could see why she wanted to live in this area. It was high-end, classy, and felt safe. After driving through certain parts of Milwaukee to get to Site Two, this would be a nice area to come home to. At least Site One was in a nicer area.

  They discussed what kind of house they would look for, Julia eagerly contributing as she had never owned a home of her own, having lived in the apartment for so long. She began to tire out, and as they were nearer to Joy’s apartment than to Robyn’s, she suggested they order lunch to be delivered and eat it there. That way, Robyn could go to her appointment afterwards and Julia could take a nap if she wanted. She protested that she didn’t take naps, but they all knew she did. Robyn grinned into the rearview mirror as her future wife so neatly tied things up for them. She drove her new car to the apartment.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  The next few days were madness as the reporters mobbed them, asked impertinent questions, and generally made their lives difficult. They found where Robyn lived and harassed her there too, as well as at work, Joy’s apartment, and the second site.

  “You know, the only people who knew about the engagement were your mother, your brother, and us,” Joy pointed out as they shared a lunch in Robyn’s office, hoping Robyn would connect the dots. She deliberately did not mentio
n Callie’s name. She did not want to accuse her fiancée’s best friend, but the woman had bought a car and she was on a fixed income.

  “You know, Callie is angry that my car is newer than hers,” she mused as they chatted.

  ‘Say it, say it,’ Joy was thinking, hoping she wouldn’t have to. The woman had sold them out.

  “She was there that night when we announced our engagement,” she continued in the same musing tone as she thought it out, a pen in her hand that she was twirling around her fingers.

  ‘That’s it, baby. Figure it out.’ She did not want to be the one to tell her.

  “I wonder if Callie said something to the media?” she finally said and Joy let out a sigh of relief.

  “I was wondering if you would figure out it was her,” she said, and then wondered if she should have kept that to herself.

  “You knew?” she sounded hurt and accusing.

  Joy nodded as she said, “I guessed. When your mom told us she had gotten a car, I wondered how she could afford one. I also saw some of the looks she was giving you as you made your announcements. She’s jealous of you. When you were on the same level with her and her problems, it was fine. When she saw you with any moderate success, she had to somehow even the playing field. I would bet she got money from the press for giving them the story. That’s how she could afford a car and who knows what else.”

  “Do you know that she sold us out?” she asked, aghast as Joy expanded on her initial thought.

  Joy was quick to shake her head. “No, I do not know that, but you said so yourself, she was there the night we announced our engagement. Unless you want to think it’s Russell…” she began, to be fair.

  “No, he wouldn’t do that. He likes what we plan to do for Mom. She needs a place of her own and you were right, I need my own life.” She looked devastated to find out her best friend had betrayed her. “She has sniped a few times at me, taking jabs at you…” she continued as she thought it over. “You don’t think the limo driver…?” she began to grasp at straws.

  “He really did not hear the details we told your mom, Russell, and Callie,” she pointed out and saw Robyn’s shoulders slump as she realized the truth of that.

  Sighing mightily, she resigned herself. “She really is a shit!”

  “Do not be so hard on her, she’s jealous. There is nothing you can do about it,” Joy rubbed Robyn’s shoulders carefully. She did not want the other employees to see her being affectionate at work. By mutual consent, they kept their private life out of the workplace. “I’m sorry, baby.”

  “That really sucks. I’ve trusted her for years! She was my best friend!” she was starting to become really upset, angry, and hurt as she realized the depth of the betrayal…and all over jealousy and money.

  Joy let her rant and work it out. Nothing she said was going to change things. It was up to Robyn, and Joy was glad she had not had to point it out initially. The brunette had reached the conclusion on her own, in her own time. Fortunately, she was a sharp cookie and had figured it out.

  “I can’t let her around Mom, and I have to call Russell and Fay and warn them about her,” she concluded.

  “If you want, I’m sure Brenda Bartholomew can draw up an order of protection to keep her away,” stopping when she saw the horror on her fiancée’s face. “That’s up to you if you want to go that far,” she hastily added.

  Robyn thought about it, realizing that might be necessary. They couldn’t trust their longtime neighbor anymore. They’d been friends forever and now this. She’d sort it out later when she got home. She was so hurt and angry. Now, a few other things she had said over the past months began to click into place. She realized how petty Callie had been, how jealous of Robyn’s seeming good fortune in finding a new job, and eventually a new girlfriend.

  Callie was stunned to have a very angry Robyn on her doorstep, demanding the spare key to their apartment. Handing it over, she was astounded when Robyn told her never to bother her or her mother again or she’d take legal action. She’d never seen her that worked up and later she blamed Joy for her friend’s new-found independence. It couldn’t possibly be the fact that she had fed the media information about Joy and then later about Robyn, and earned money in the process. It had to be someone else’s fault.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  It took months, and the snow was already coming down, but Site Two was well on its way and all the permits for The Village were falling into place so they could break ground in the spring. Site One was filled to capacity and the news had reported how well and happy the tenants were. Joy was inundated with requests for personal interviews and she would eventually give one, but she was busy at the moment.

  Her siblings’ lawsuit was eventually dropped because first, their lawyers realized that the siblings had no money and none would be forthcoming from Joy, and second, the siblings realized the countersuit might bankrupt them. An agreement where they would leave Joy alone in perpetuity was finally reached. Deep down, the siblings realized they had treated Joy horribly all her life; however, they would never publicly admit it, much less to each other, so it was never talked about. Occasionally, over the years, they would lament the fact that their sister had money as they saw Joy Parker and her wife in the news for their philanthropy, and later their children’s, in the city of Milwaukee.

  Robyn found the perfect house for them along the lakeshore. It was four bedrooms and had once been a guest house for one of the bigger estates. It had a good-sized postage stamp yard for them and the children they eventually had. They had to remodel it since it had been neglected, but that was okay. They couldn’t move in together until Mom was taken care of in The Village.

  They proved that The Town and The Village could be successful in the United States, taking the models from other countries, improving upon it where they could, and offering the blueprints for free to others who would try to improve upon their ideas. Three more projects were underway in San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas, copies of both The Town and The Village, which were funded by The Joy Foundation. They would be completed within three years and each would house hundreds.

  It took three years before Joy Parker would consent to sit down with a reporter to explain her plans and what she had accomplished in Milwaukee. Even then, she would only sit down with a national news organization who had submitted the questions in writing before they filmed so she could come up with intelligent and informed answers.

  THE INTERVIEW

  “I’m sitting here with Joy Parker of The Joy Foundation. You may remember that Joy is the Powerball winner who won three hundred forty-one million seven hundred twenty-six thousand one hundred and seventy-eight dollars and ten cents after taxes and turned it into a philanthropic empire,” she sounded thrilled to spell out the enormous amount.

  “To date, she has four sites in Milwaukee, based on the Medicine Hat, Canada venture to house, employ, and help the homeless. Another three are nearing completion in San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas, and I’ve learned there are plans to expand further in Wisconsin to nearby Madison, Green Bay, Wausau, and Eau Claire, as well as a couple more in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Houston. They call these homeless shelters, The Town.

  “She also has implemented a concept in two locations in Milwaukee that she calls simply, The Village. They are based on a Netherlands village called Dementia Village. It’s for senior citizens who have dementia, Alzheimer’s, and others who do not wish to end up in an old folks’ home with industrialized care. Instead, they can lead normal lives in a village that caters to their special needs as seniors, living out their lives in comfort and dignity in their own homes.” The woman switched from looking in the camera while shots of The Town and The Village were playing on the viewer’s screen, to address Joy directly.

  “Have you always wanted to be a philanthropist? Did your parents raise you to be one?”

  “No,” Joy smiled. “I was just a normal middle-class kid raised by two terrific individuals who were great examples of
loving parents. I had no idea what I wanted to be at that point.”

  “Tell me, Joy. What gave you the idea for The Town?”

  “I was homeless from the age of sixteen until I won the Powerball at nineteen and I wanted to give back to the community, somehow, someway, someday. I set up the Joy Foundation so the money I won would not be squandered. I trusted some people to help the homeless in Milwaukee while I sought an education for myself. After putting myself through school and getting a bit of living under my belt, I came back to find some discrepancies, including a complete asset diversion. The money I thought was going to help the homeless was instead funding two individuals’ lifestyles; they stole from the trust that had been placed in their hands.”

  “How did that make you feel?”

  “I was furious, of course. I knew what it felt like to be homeless, to not know if I could get a meal at one of the shelters, much less a bed for the night, never knowing if the shelter would have enough of either. At that time, I felt like I was never going to get out of the cycle. To be offered hope, to be promised help…I can only imagine how many people hated my foundation, but they were not aware that I simply did not know.”

  “What did you do when you found out?”

  “I had them prosecuted, of course. Meanwhile, I took more of my money and made the difference I had intended to make in the first place.”

  “It’s rumored that you met your wife through those endeavors?”

  Joy smiled at this point, remembering back to how angry Robyn had been about the lack of help from the Joy Foundation. “Yes, I did meet her that way,” she said without elaborating. They did not need to know the details.

  “I heard you donated pallet loads of food to three shelters in Milwaukee in your wife’s name?”

  Joy wondered where she had heard that. That question had not been on the prepared sheet so she could have an answer ready. Still, it made her laugh all these years later. “Yes, I did. She found out who I was, and naturally was angry, and she challenged me to make a difference. So, I did…we did.”