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Somewhere in Brooklyn
Finally, after five years I can go back to the new normal.
The time gap will not be easy to bridge, a lot has happened during my absence. I did keep up with the news on a daily basis, both business news and the gossips. So, I know what I'm going to face.
This morning I last checked everything and to my delight, the situation has changed in my favor. I know what to do now, I have done good business with a fellow sufferer. Enrique has a house in Saint Maarten that I rented from him to acclimatize. And what I have learned today makes me have to adjust my plans, show my return a little earlier.
I grab my belongings from the guards and stand outside this dismal facility where I've stayed for the past five years. I breathe in and out deeply. Fresh air, no recycling of what the criminals inside blow out every day.
The taxi I ordered is already waiting.
Before I get in, I look at my reflection in the car window. Yes, I've matured, my face now has the lines that accompany the hard life I've had in the correctional facility. While I'm still filthy rich, I've been treated no differently than one of the many poverty-stricken men in the facility. Same food, same jobs, same clothes. All my designers' clothes have been put away and now returned to me in a bag. Loraine made sure that I received good toiletries every month and extra food on Sundays and holidays, always varied.
My princess has by no means forgotten me. And I think now is the time for me to come to her rescue. She ended up in a total mess, everyone had thought that with the engagement to the loser, Aziel her life had come to rest. And when it turned out that she was also pregnant, the New York was in a Hooray mood, the congratulations to her and Aziel were enormous. Until a few days ago the case got the publicity that Aziel had reported being raped. And then the news today that she had a miscarriage and is inconsolable with Aziel by her side.
Time for me to save her from the ruin that Aziel has set in motion.
He is the one to blame for Loraine's grief, his timing to report the matter to the police was pretty bad. I mean, your wife is pregnant and then you put huge stress on your relationship during the most sensitive period of her pregnancy. Who does that! That Aziel couldn't be dumber, I've told Loraine to stay away from him before. And look what happened when she chose to disobey me.
I have rented a room for a few days near the hospital where she is treated. Luckily my credit card still works, so it wasn't difficult. I give the taxi driver the address, swipe the money for him and get my key at the reception. Nobody recognizes me, I'm more muscular and now have a trimmed beard.
When I throw my bag on the bed, I immediately rush into the bathroom for a warm bath. Standing in the shower I think how I missed this relaxing warm water. I also take the time to wash away the prison smell. Not that there is a strong presence of it there, the soaps and shampoos that I got every month were from top brands. But still, being around fellow inmates who sometimes didn't bathe for days, left a nasty smell.
The clothes I'm wearing now were bought from the earnings I had. In prison I did some repair work in the car assembly department and got minimum wage for it. But it's not what I'm used to, my clothes before were at least five times more expensive than what I'm wearing now. So shop around first to get my identity and self-esteem back and then see if I can find a nurse who can help me smuggle Loraine out of the hospital. I'm willing to pay a decent amount for that.
After a new taxi ride, I am now in a mall where I do some research on the internet in a business center. I find the hospital where Loraine is located, go through the staff who serve the VIP ward. Lucky for me there are only five top-trained nurses. But the head nurse has my attention. I google her name and just what I was thinking. All those years of keeping up with the news now come in handy.
Sister Nicolette's husband has been imprisoned in a high-security correctional center for almost three years. She has four children and I can sense on my smallest toe that she also has money problems. I check the civil registration website and can find out her address there.
Time for a little research. I decide to take the bus this time and then walk to the address in the hope that she is off duty. I also missed this, being among people, although my friends used to be rich people's children in their Lamborghini and have never seen a public bus inside. When I got out close to the home address, I still have to turn a few corners, but I have no problem with that. The fresh air and the immeasurable freedom I now have to do whatever I want, are such a wonderful experience.
And then I'm facing the head nurse's house.
It is clearly her property, but she has not been able to keep up with the maintenance. Needs some repair to the roof and gutters, it seems to be leaking quite a bit. And then the whole house needs some layers of new paint. I estimate that she needs at least twenty thousand dollars for this all. And if she has four children, about ten thousand per child more has to be put into a fund for their further studies at some university. Every mother wants certainty for the future of her children so this will be the strong point to persuade her to do business with me.
So sixty thousand dollars so far. And of course, she still wants to do something for herself, perhaps a shopping spree or a holiday with her children after her husband's stress. I think a hundred thousand dollar bid is enough to get her on board.
While he is standing there, the school bus is just arriving. Four kids jump out, not so excited. “Tell your mother I'll be at your door tomorrow”, the bus driver yells at the children in dismay. And then I think it's time for me to make my first move. I cross the street in front of the school bus, so the driver can't pull up. When I have his attention, I motion him to lower the window. After taking me from head to toe and reviewing my new clothes at their face value, he half opens the window.
“How much does the woman owe you?” I ask him in a whisper so that the other children on the bus cannot hear our conversation. The man looks up in surprise. "Who are you? Are you a relative?”, he asks curiously, clearly ready for new gossip. “What does it matter? Again, what are you to receive from the woman?” He makes a quick calculation. “It's $800 a month subsidized and she's five months behind. That is really too much now”, the man agitates, ready to cause a scene.
I pull out his credit card. The man quickly gets his mobile ATM and I swipe the amount for him. “That is four thousand overdue. So here you have that and now the proof of payment”. The driver's eyes widen. He quickly takes out a receipt book and writes it out in the amount paid. I walk over to the kids who are watching and hand them the receipt. “Don't forget to give it to your mother,” I tell them with a smile...
I Am Love, Mr. Billionaire!
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