“Can I come in?”
“There’s no reason for you to come in.”
“You want to have this conversation in the hall?”
I sighed. “Fine. Come in.” I was wearing an old pair of thrift-store mens pajamas, and I wasn’t exactly ready to play the hostess.
He took one step inside the apartment, looked around, and stopped short. “What’s all this? You’re moving out?”
“I’m going back to Africa. I can’t....” I shook my head. He didn’t need to know the details. “I’ll do better once I’m back there.”
“Casey, I didn’t mean.... Kathy? What should I even call you?”
“Casey is fine.”
“I didn’t mean to do anything wrong, giving your non-profit that money.”
“I know. But I can’t accept it. And I can’t live here anymore.”
“What? Why?”
“I know you bought my building; I talked to Shannon. So now you own my house. And my work, you pretty much own that. You bought and paid for me.” I had to stop talking because my voice was starting to sound like I was going to cry. Again. I’d been crying for the last three days, off and on.
“That’s not what I wanted.” He was whispering, his face looked strained.
“I know. Your intentions were good, I’m sure. But do you see the effect it has? I owe you. I would always feel like I had to keep you happy so you wouldn’t take it back.”
“But I wouldn’t! I didn’t give the money to YOU, I gave it to the non-profit, to the kids and the families. I liked doing it. It made me feel like a better person.”
“I don’t think you’re a bad person, Mick. It’s just…money changes everything.”
He exhaled sharply and said, “You don’t get how small that amount of money is to me.”
“Ten million dollars?”
“Okay. When I won that big verdict, the first one, I invested all that money. I was already doing well, I’m a young single guy, what did I need with it all? I wanted to keep working, I knew that.”
“I’m not sure what this has to do with anything.”
“Just let me explain, it’s the least I owe you.” He took a long breath. “So there all this money is, sitting there. It grows every day.”
“Look, I get that you’re rich, okay? You’re filthy rich, I get it!
“No, you don’t! No one gets this. Casey, with everything I have invested, the money that is just sitting there--it makes over a million dollars a day.”
I just stood there with my mouth hanging open.
“Yes,” he continued. “Not what I make as a lawyer, Just investments. A million dollars. Every day.”
“Oh.” It was all I could say.
“Yeah. So when I gave ten mil to your non-profit? That was ten days of extra money. Not money I earned. Not money I need to keep the lights on at my firm. Just...money that comes in no matter what I do. I don’t spend it. It just...sits there.”
I still didn’t say anything. What do you say when you hear this kind of stuff?
Mick had been talking very slowly, deliberately, but now he sped up. “Casey when I got the idea to give to Foster Family Services, I was so excited. Finally! I can do something good! I mean my tax guy donates to charities to ease the tax hit, and that’s great, but this! Was something I actually knew about! I want those kids to have what they need. And I want you to be the one to give it to them.”
“Well. I’m about to resign. You can decide if you want to donate to Foster Family Services in my absence. So you see, this really has nothing to do with me any more.”
“Casey, really? You’re just going to turn your back on those kids?”
“That’s not fair!”
“Oh yeah? You don’t seem to get that that ten mil will mean the nonprofit never has to go looking for grants again. You can use two million for present needs, invest the rest, and get a yearly income of six hundred grand! Did you know that?”
I was silent. No, of course I hadn’t even thought of that. I didn’t realize that returning the money would hit the non-profit so hard. I sighed.
“Let me send it back to you,” he said, and without warning he grabbed both of my hands. “I’ll help you invest it. Or get someone to do it for you if you don’t want my help.”
As soon as he touched me, my heart sped up, and I felt a wave of heat rush through my body. I couldn’t think. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll let me help foster kids.”
I nodded, helpless to say no to him.
He suddenly exhaled a huge breath, but then dropped my hands. He looked exhausted, suddenly. “Good,” he said. “That’s...it’s the right thing to do. Do you...?” He shook his head. “Ah, shit. I guess I should go.”
I watched him walk over to the door. Something in my chest grew bigger and bigger and exploded all at once, and I said, “Wait!”
He turned around so fast I couldn’t believe it. “What, Casey?” he said, his voice full of urgency.
“Why did you do it? Why did you lie to me?”