Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64354 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
“The end of what?”
“That’s also a question.”
“What are you up to, Tory?”
“Another question.”
He sighed, but he was grinning and clearly enjoying this. I held the door open for him and said, “Come on in and take a look around.”
There were huge skylights above the foyer and the main banking hall, flooding them with natural light. The building dated from the nineteen-twenties, and a lot of its art deco details remained. So did the original marble floors. “It’s still really pretty,” he said.
“I think so, too. That developer you mentioned tore out the teller windows and demoed the back offices, but fortunately he left the shell of the building intact. There’s also a massive safe in the back that he didn’t try to remove. I’m glad about that, because it’s a fun feature. Maybe we can think of something clever to do with it, now that we own the building.”
His dark eyes went wide. “What?”
“I bought it.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve been giving a lot of thought to our future lately. Actually, not just that, but our legacy. Call it karma, but as a reformed criminal, I really want to give back to society. And you told me that you want to help people—”
He looked confused. “So, you want to go into banking?”
“No. I want this.” I handed him the sketchpad, and he folded back the cover as I explained, “I did some drawings to try to show you what I think this place can become. Of course, you and I will have to figure out all the details, but my idea is to turn half of it into a senior center, and the other half into a rec center for kids. It’ll be called the Cortez Community Center.”
His eyes started to fill with tears as he whispered, “Oh my god.”
“I know how much our local community means to you, and I also know there’s a real need for something like this. You’ve always said many of your senior customers would be isolated if it wasn’t for the diner. This will give them an additional place to come and spend time every day.”
“That’s amazing.”
As Arie turned the pages of the sketchbook, I pointed out some of my ideas. “I was thinking there could be a game room with cards, chess, that sort of thing. There could also be a few comfortable areas to sit and talk to people, and a counter with free coffee and tea. It would be nice to offer free lunches too, but I don’t know if it’d be better to make them here or have them delivered.”
“You’ve been giving this a lot of thought.”
“I have, in addition to looking for a location and researching everything that goes into opening a nonprofit. Funnily enough, this was the first building I toured, and the one that ended up being the best choice in terms of size, price, and location.”
“It’s perfect.”
I indicated the sketchpad and said, “This next part is for the kids in the neighborhood. I was inspired by your story of how you used to bring your son to the diner with you, since you couldn’t afford daycare. A lot of local families are in the same boat, so this would be a place for kids to come and hang out after school, and in the summer. I was thinking we could offer homework help, fun activities like art classes—whatever these families need.”
Arie turned the page, and a little, “Oh,” slipped from him. I’d named this half of the center Kit’s Corner, after the spot he’d set up for his son over two decades ago in the diner’s kitchen. When he saw that, he clutched the pad to his chest and began to cry.
“I wish I’d had someplace like this for Kit when he was little,” he whispered. “He would have loved it.”
I threw my arms around him and said, “I’m sorry, Arie. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t. This is wonderful, and it’s going to mean so much to this community. It’ll change people’s lives.”
I leaned back a bit, so I could see his face. “So, you think all of this is a good idea?”
“It’s fantastic, and so much more than I ever dreamed of! But will we really be able to do all of this? It’s going to be a huge amount of work, and I don’t know how we’ll pull it off.”
“By hiring people to help us. We’ll also recruit volunteers, partner with local businesses, and more. This is going to be a group effort.”
“Can we really afford to hire people, and pay for this building, and everything else?” When I nodded, he said, “I knew you were well-off, but I didn’t realize you were quite this rich.”
“I made some smart investments over the years, and a few of them paid off in a big way. Plus, Dante chipped in with a very generous donation, and that’s going to help a lot.”