Chapter 3

It started out fine. Then exactly 6 minutes 23 seconds later she shouted out.

"An orphanage, food bank, half-way house, summer camp, job training, school aid (food, clothes and expenses), and Health Care. All low cost or free for those that need it."

I was stunned. My mouth was open. When I turned to Jody she said "What, it's a start, I'll come up with other things later, but first I need to plan these out."

I just shook my head.

"Can we start out with a couple of million on these, boss?"

Now there was no doubt in my mind. She was an alien and this was all a dream or some kind of test; I was dead, and she was to torment me from now on.

While the tiny terror was busy re-inventing our town, her Mom and I started to discuss what requirements were for daycare. I had thought that we would be hard pressed to find enough people to even justify one. Imagine my surprise when she told me that just in our office complex alone we would need a center for 120 kids; and if projections were an accurate way to view things, then 20 - 30 more sites would be able to support one too. It seemed that the cost of independent or in-home child care was very expensive, not to mention that there was a huge need for affordable child care before and after school. Some single parents were not able to find child care for nights and weekends at any price.

Julie looked at me funny when I told her that there was no way we were opening up so many sites. I had just wanted one for our area.

"I know that, silly. We are going to create the model, then license, inspect and monitor what other people do. I found out there are some schools that do that very thing and are very successful. There is no reason for us to just do our town either. My projection, or should I say, Jody's research, shows we could use our model for 2,500 to 3,000 places."

Stunned did not begin to convey how I felt after she hit me with that number.

"Jody things that if we just make a few changes, the orphanage, camp, halfway house and food banks can all follow similar models. In 4 or 5 years the programs should be stand alone organizations, each covering an area the size of a State."

She said there are existing models for job banks and Health Care which we could just add to things the foundation offers without trying to reinvent them ourselves. So our jobs just became so much easier.

Easier, I thought. Never in my wildest imagination did I think things would go even this far on the daycare, let alone all those things. I found it hard to believe.

What was even more of a shock was when Jody presented me with her plans to implement the 'models' in Tarry Town, then form small community groups and sponsors to roll them out. The whole first year plans for the models would only cost $17.35 Million, a drop in the bucket, she thought. Man, what planet was she from, I wondered. In an act of desperation I asked how she planned to do all this and go to school?

Oops, she never thought of that. Ahh, yes, the wisdom of us old folks. Her comeback that we should hire more people got her a dirty look from me, but a shrug of 'Why not!' from her mom. Like who was paying the bill for all this. I made another huge mistake that day, I told here to go ahead if she could keep the cost down. I told her she had $5 million a year to work with. That's all, no more, nada.

Never ever tell a nine year old genius she could go ahead and do something. The next week saw a stack of papers and contracts to review and inspect properties and begin renovation work. Her original figures were to buy or build new sites. By renting or leasing for 5 years with multiple renewal options she could get things started within the budget, hire a lead manager, six project and construction managers, and still go to school working 8 or 10 hours a week as an oversight guru. This was one smart but dangerous kid. I pitied the boy or man she set her sights on, he would never stand a chance with her.

Even our town mayor, building commissioners, local police and fire departments were tending to take her suggestions to heart. No one was prepared to argue with any plan little Jody would come up with. The damn foundation and drug company 'legal beagles' would step in and quash any complaint. It seemed 'Resistance was futile'. I loved it. I loved her, too. If I would ever have a daughter she would be it. I recalled my comment about 'adopting' her.

That summer we all kept busy. In August I told Jody and Julie we were taking a vacation. For some unknown reason all I got from them was a weak, "OK". No argument, no whining or excuse why not. It was scary. It looked like we were going to go as a family. I had anticipated we each would go to a different place. Jody handed me a brochure. It was from 'EPCOT'.

"Let's go here!" The meeting was adjourned. I really began to wonder how I all of a sudden had gotten a family. There never was anything 'romantic' between Julie and me. Sure, we all spent a lot of time together, especially Jody and me, but that is what partners do, isn't it? Since we met on that fateful day we never dated or saw anyone else, though. We spent almost all our time together. We lived separate lives in separate houses, so I thought that made it clear there was nothing special between us. I should have asked the folks we worked with.

No one ever questioned anything Jody said. If a contract needed signing and she said it would be signed, she had it signed. It was a closely knit town after all, and I had never questioned anything she had asked for nor refused to back up any agreements she had reached. That age difference thing finally came into play when we had our first board meeting held to review our first out of town franchise.

The men in suits did not take very kindly to a near ten year old girl trying to conduct a presentation involving several million dollars. They just were not used to it. They demanded to meet with the person in charge. There were several ways something like this could be handled. We knew it was going to happen sooner or later. We also knew that some people would never be willing to have anyone but the CEO deal with them.

Jody could not be a board member until she was 18, nor could she be an officer of the Foundation. I said she was a smart little girl. Nine going on twenty-nine. She did not call me nor her Mom, she did not cry, stomp her feet or throw a tantrum. She merely excused herself for a moment, made a call or two, then a line of lawyers from the Foundation, two CPA's, and the Mayor walked into the meeting followed by a little girl dressed in a business suit and dark rimmed glasses. It looked like "The Godfather: Part Three"