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“When will this open?” she asked instead.
“Six months, maybe a year. Not soon enough.”
“You sound very passionate about this.”
“I am.”
I drove to the construction entrance and turned the car onto the dusty dirt road that linked the property to the main road. A crane, some large cinderblocks, a few Bobcats, and some open-bed trucks were the only proof of any activity at the site, but I felt hopeful when I took it all in. Five years earlier, I’d bought the land cheap from a bankrupt developer, and the acreage sat vacant for far too long. Building the food pantry made sense.
“We’ll be able to keep a lot of fresh food here.” I parked the car. “And since we’re close to the airport, we should be able to get produce and meat pretty easily.”
“So, like a grocery store, but it’s all free?”
I nodded, and she studied the site through the windshield. “How will people be able to take part?”
“Just a few simple steps. I don’t want people to have too much to do to get help, so they’ll just have to register and allow us to verify their income. People who are hungry are already dealing with enough. I don’t want to make it more difficult for them.”
“This is amazing.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am. This is a lot more than the usual donation to a charity or fundraiser.”
She was right; it was, and that aspect made me feel good. As much as I enjoyed making money, I enjoyed giving it away even more. People didn’t understand that.But maybe a bold statement like this will help them get it.
“I can show you the plans back at the house if you want to see them,” I added. “It’s something I’ve had a few people working on for a while. I just want to make sure Sparks Innovation does as much good as we can, and we pay forward what we can.”
I turned off the car and got out, motioning for Rebecca to follow me. Over the next few minutes, I took her on a tour of the site, describing the general layout of the property and how my team envisioned it, serving clients and making an impact. When we returned to the car, Rebecca stopped before opening her car door.
“I didn’t realize all this.”
“What? You thought I was one of those assholes who wants to run the world for his own gain?”
“Something like that.”
“I’ve been hungry in the past,” I admitted. “When I was a kid. And...and I’ve known what it’s like to wonder where the next meal is going to come from. I promise, that’s not a feeling you ever forget.”
“I wouldn’t know. I grew up...well, we had things. We weren’t rich, but I was fine. I was never hungry.”
“It’s the kind of ache you never escape. We were...we were down-and-out when I was a kid. We didn’t have a lot, and then the state came in, and...” I waved it away. Too many bad memories, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to share any of it with Rebecca, not when I couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t print it all inside the profile. Besides, I was sure she could guess. “You get it.”
“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “Going through stuff like that as a kid can really stick with you.”
“Yep.” I paused, not ready yet to get into these kinds of details about my personal life or my past. Not yet anyway, though I knew the conversation would likely come over the course of the next few days. “Anyway, this is going to help a lot of people. That’s the main thing I want.”
“Do you mind if I write about it? The food pantry, I mean.”
I grinned. “Why do you think I showed you? It wasn’t to brag. Just to say—I know I’ve made a lot of money over the last few years, and I realize what that means. With money like this comes responsibility.”
“It does. Some people say guys like you shouldn’t exist. That every billionaire is an example of social failure.”
I arched my eyebrow. “I’m aware.”
“Plenty of people will read this and say it’s not enough. They’ll point out that funding it only took a fraction of your net worth.”
“I know, but there’s nothing I can do about them. They’re going to throw spears no matter what, and if they weren’t aimed at me, they’d be aimed at someone else.”
This was a lesson I’d learned a long time ago, back when I made my first million. I’d never had a normal, average life, and I didn’t want one. But I also realized the world I wanted made it impossible for a lot of people to understand me. Shrugging off her comment, I crossed to my car.
