From Rags to Riches

From Rags to Riches

It was going to be a brutal winter in the northeast United States in the small town of Augusta, Maine, in 2022 and into 2023 and that meant one thing for homeless 25-year-old Kody Robinson and that was finding the warmest jackets and clothes. But this year will be a year to remember and it all started a week before Christmas when he was sitting outside the church where they had a small fire burning rubbing his hands together to try to keep warm when it grew darker and the clouds opened up and heavy rain soon wiped out the nice warm fire that he was enjoying. His golden blonde hair and goatee soon drenched while making a mad dash to the awning of the church he sighs out and grabbed the backpack he carries and pulled out the warm jacket that someone gave him earlier that day “There has to be a better way to live” he commented as he put the coat over him and placed the hoodie over his head when a limousine pulled up that he saw earlier that day following him around. He watched the door open with an umbrella poking out and the most beautiful girl walked out of the limo with the umbrella over her head “Excuse me, are you Kody Robinson?” He was apprehensive to approach her since some shady things happen on the streets but she smiled reassuring him “It’s ok, my name is Danielle Taylor, I am a lawyer who represents your Uncle Jeff Robinson” he shook his head in disbelief knowing he had no family “See, now I know you are lying, I have no other family” he started to walk away before she said “Your Dad and Uncle Jeff had a falling out when they were adults and Jeff kept it a secret for years” he turned around knowing his dad would get touchy when he asked about any of his side of the family. All he knew was his mom’s side of the family and they all passed away when he was a teenager. He stopped walking and looked at her “Tell me more? Dad was always a bit defensive when it came to his side of the family” she smiled and let him inside the limo and took him to her office where she had a warm fire going and that is all he wanted. “Kody, you may not know this but your uncle was a wealthy man and Maine’s only multi-billionaire, it’s with great sadness that I say that your uncle has passed away.” Did she just drag him here to tell me that I officially have no more family? He wonders to himself as he hung his head “What else can I lose?” She sat beside him and touched his shoulder “I am truly sorry, Kody. But I do have your uncle’s testimonial here on DVD. I have no idea what it has on it since he gave me strict orders not to let anyone see it until you saw it. Shall I proceed?” he wiped a tear that strayed away from him and she started the DVD. He watched as his uncle began to speak “Hello, Kody, I am your Uncle Jeff. If you are watching this I have passed away, I’m sorry you never got to meet me but your dad did not want me to meet you because of the falling out we had. I did not agree with some of your Dad’s choices but not meeting you was one thing I tried to make happen all of your life. So when I got sick with cancer I thought of the best thing I could do for my nephew and the one thing that I want to do for you. I know you were just 17 years old when your parents died and you have scratched and clawed for everything you have I want you to stop scratching and clawing so with that said I hereby leave you everything that belongs to me. My money, 5 houses that are around the world in Manila, Rome, Jamaica, Bahamas, and here in Augusta. I know you must have so many questions for me and I wish I could tell you all about me but just do me one favor and take good care of everything that belonged to me” the video ended and Danielle said “Isn’t that great? Your uncle left you everything” he sighs feeling weird about everything and not sure how to feel about that “It’s exciting but I do wish my uncle was here. You have no idea how I struggled over not having a family and I doubt billions of dollars will change that”

Moments Later

Danielle felt for him with his last comment and she found a way to speak to him through his heartache “I know how you feel, I was very close to your uncle and I feel like a piece of me is gone. I could honestly tell you a lot about him if you want to go get some dinner with me” he wanted to know everything about his uncle. He smiled and said, “Yes I would love to know more about him and see my uncle’s home if that is ok?” her red-painted nails went through her hair before giving him a choice “I can do that for you but how would you like it if I took you to all of his homes and have a nice little getaway perhaps you can choose to live here in Augusta or somewhere else” he was truly exhausted and all he wanted was a comfortable bed instead of a cot and warm food not cold pizza from a box. He could not remember his last warm meal and he for sure does not remember when the last time he slept in a bed, it was at least over 7 years ago “We can do that but first I need a shower and a trimmer.” she nodded “of course, I will take you home and you can do that. I’ll even show you around a bit before we go eat.” they left her office and the driver took them to the mansion. He looked back in amazement and mumbled, “this is how the other half lives?” he watched as three people came out and opened his door when the limo came to a complete stop before he stepped out “Hello, Master Kody, I am, Steven Jackson your butler, can I serve you in any way?” Danielle did not want Kody to get overwhelmed so she stepped in “Thank you, Steven, if you would like to fetch him some warm clothes, a trimmer for his hair and facial hair, and start a nice warm shower for him then that would be great” Kody stepped out and that’s when he saw two girls around his age come up to him “we won’t keep you long but I am Norra, your maid and this is Olivia, your chef. If you need anything please don’t hesitate to call me day or night. If you can’t get me then the night shift maid’s name is Rachel, and we are ready to serve you.” he felt at home here and he smiled at the girls, and said, “Thank you, Norra and Olivia, I am feeling right at home.” after he spoke to them Steven returned to them “right this way sir and I will show you to your room” he followed Steven through the home just mesmerized of the home that he was walking through. All the walls had a silver and black backsplash, tall windows, black tile through the hallways, and tan carpet in the bedrooms that squeezed perfectly around his toes “I can’t believe this is mine now, thank you, uncle, thank you.” he whispered to himself. Steven stopped in his room and expressed “Welcome home, sir. If you need me at any point in the night just came over to this wall and press the button beside my name and it will notify me. The same thing goes with any other worker here.” he nodded and thanked him for helping him. He took the razor to his hair to make it like a buzz cut and trimmed up his goatee and showered before making his way out to find Danielle. Her eyes lit up seeing the new and improved Kody and she said “You clean up nicely, ready to go, or would you rather eat here?” he replied, “Think I would like to go out.”

One Week Later (The tree-lighting ceremony downtown)

This week has been the best week of his life, he can shower daily and not monthly like he use to do when the mission opened up. Augusta was terrible with the homeless community mainly because the mayor did not care about the homeless and only opened the mission house on the 30th day of every month. It was a horrible situation and he feels that something needed to be done about it. Danielle and Kody has gotten close the past week and they were attending this Christmas celebration before they went off to the 4 awesome destinations in Milan, Jamaica, Bahamas, and Rome for what they are calling their ultimate Christmas getaway. They were downtown having a great time when Kody looked at a small corner where he use to sleep at and Danielle saw him gazing out. She knew being downtown had to bring some terrible feelings after 7 years trying to survive the streets of Augusta and she reached her hand down to touch his hand “Hey, snap out of it. You are not on the streets anymore, you don’t have to go back there anymore” he blinked his eyes slowly and took a deep breath “I’m sorry, these streets bring back terrible memories and that woman there is to blame.” He pointed to the mayor who was approaching the microphone and what he says next would be the last straw for Kody”Good evening everyone, I wanted to take a minute to let you know that I will be running for mayor once again and when I am re-elected I finally will be able to rid us of the run down mission house.” Kody’s blood began to boil hearing that and before he knew it he was walking towards the stage and waited until she was off the stage and took over the microphone “Hello everyone, you may not remember me but I am Kody Robinson, one week ago I was one of the many homeless people that crowd these streets and then fate saw fit to give me wealth beyond my mind can comprehend and now Natalie wants to take away everything for the homeless community. Natalie I have a proposition for you and I think you will love it especially if you want to be re-elected.” He said and then walked off the stage. Natalie was impressed with what Kody did and quickly approached him after he stepped off the stage “Kody, I hardly recognized you, I am interested what you have to say. Why not come with me and we can talk details.” He knew that would get her attention but who knows what her mind was thinking. They walked away from everyone with Kody still steamed about what she said and he had to be honest he never liked her and tonight just makes him hate her even more “Why are taking the mission away? You know as well as I do that the streets are getting worse everyday and you will be creating a bigger problem if you do that.” She looked at him and raised an eyebrow before saying “that’s because I have something bigger planned and I want you to head up the brand new mission house that I have in the works. Perhaps you should get your stories straight before assuming things” he laughs “offering me a job? And work for you?” She smiled “Its not as bad as it sounds. You truly inspired me when your story came out and had me start thinking. I wanted this to be a complete surprise to everyone at least let me show me my plan before making your decision” she seemed completely different now and perhaps she was serious about her notion “you have 30 minutes, not a minute more, go” she began her entire spill about how she found a nice place a little outside of downtown that could easily house the homeless community of Augusta that are truly trying to better themselves and not use the facilities just to use it. They would need to put an effort to get a job and not be slackers. After her spill he sighs and said “Let me talk this over with my lawyer and I will get back with you after my world tour of all these homes that were left to me” they had to wait anyway until the lease of the old place was up anyway so they had to hurry up and wait.

The Next Day

Kody could hardly wait until they took off to their first destination of the Bahamas in his own private jet its hard to imagine that a week earlier he was living on the streets and now living in the lap of luxury and falling in love all at the same time. Danielle has made a huge impact on his life from discovering where he was and has made him feel special. His feet slowly went up the steps of the jet and saw Danielle already seated looking as beautiful as ever “Good Morning, Danielle” he uttered before sitting down beside her “Good Morning, Sir. Wouldn’t you like to spread out and not sit by me?” He shook his head “No I got the perfect seat right next to you” she smiled and blushed a bit “oh yeah why is that?” He sighed and leaned back into the leather seat “Because you made me somebody in finding me in front of the church that night, I know it’s your job and it came from my uncle but you made it happen and I couldn’t be more grateful” he rested a hand on her cheek and she thinks about rejecting it but his hand was so warm and she would be lying if she did not feel something towards him. “Finding you was my job but now I just want to be around you, I care for you, Kody” he leaned in and kissed her. After kissing her he pulled away “I care for you too but why do I feel that there is a but coming?” She sighs “but I have spent a lot of time with you and I am not typically this free with being a lawyer and after the trip I will become a lot busier and not be around as much.” He understood but was not crazy about it “and you don’t want to complicate things with a relationship?” She looked at him and touched his cheek “I’m sorry it would not be fair to either of us and I am not ready to settle down as of yet and I feel like you are ready to settle down” he nods his head “I really am, and I don’t blame you but just wish I could have stopped my feelings but will try my best to do that over time. But the reason I wanted I wanted to sit by you is because Natalie gave me an offer that I wanted you to look over and to be sure that the legal side of things are clear because she said she has changed but I can’t be too careful” he pulled out some docs and gave her them “Absolutely don’t need my client getting into trouble especially by Natalie, will comb through these and let you know something by the end of our trip” she took them and began to read some of it as the jet rolled down the runway. He soon watched as her reading led to her falling asleep and had the thought of *Its better to have loved than to not have loved at all* he had zero regrets in falling for her but now he can truly focus on what he truly wants to do with his life whether it be living in Rome, Manila, Bahamas, Jamaica, or Augusta. After they were in the air he stood up and went to the back of the jet and stretched out on the recliner and ended up dozing off himself. After hours in the air the force of the landing woke him up and when he looked out the window he saw pure beauty of the island that encompassed the runway.

Later that Day

After they landed they had a ferry take them over to his home just a few miles away from the landing runway. When he looked across the ocean he saw the most breath taking house right on the beach. Much like the home in Maine he saw numerous people waiting for him to arrive but one girl stood out to him. She looked exactly like a girl he dated in high school and she was labeled as the one who got away. “Shoot, not Melinda” he stood behind Danielle and Danielle commented “You know her?” He nods as they walked “Yep I do and it’s the last person I expected to see. She was the one that got away and I would prefer it stay that way” Danielle helped him out hearing the last comment and said “If she is the one that got away wouldn’t you want her back?” He gazed at her with dimmed eyes “Seriously? I am trying to feel miserable and if I wanted you to be right I would ask you” she laughs “Because I am always right, Hey, Melinda, you remember Kody right? He’s totally in love with you still” his eyes widened stunned by what Danielle just said and he turned bright red and he looked at Danielle offended by the fact that she just shoved the feelings he had for her. Danielle immediately regretted what she just did and hung her head when he walked away from them “I’m sorry Kody but you need to forget about me in a romantic way” it wasn’t the fact that he cared for her, it was the fact that just a few hours after they said it would be best if they didn’t date she tried to push him onto another girl. It’s not going to take just a few hours for him to get over Danielle. She walked quickly to him and grabbed his shoulders “Let me go, please. I am not going to be over you just like that, Danielle.” She sighs out “I know, I messed up. I just thought that the sooner you moved on from me then the better off we will be” he closed his eyes “what if we are making a big mistake in not dating?” He asked her before she touched him “Then we will find a way back to each other. I think it might be best if I booked a flight back home and let you finish up the tour without me. I think it would go a long way if we separated for a bit and I will still look at these docs and come straight to the office once you return” he nods his head “Sounds fine to me” he sat down on the beach as she walked away “Goodbye, Danielle. I’m not going back to Augusta.” It was then he heard Melinda’s voice behind him “Hey Kody, you seem surprised to see me, Danielle didn’t warn you?” He shook his head “Not one bit but she was stunned that I knew you. I didn’t debrief her on my entire life and past relationships before coming here.” She laughed “Same ole, Kody. So what have you been up too lately beside inheriting billions of dollars?” He understood that the news of him being homeless for 7 years might have not spread this far. “Well after high school my mom and dad passed away and since I had no living relatives to my knowledge then I was forced to live on the streets for 7 years because no one would hire a boy outside of high with no prior work experience and the whole no work experience followed me till now. My uncle had no idea where I was and had no idea where to find me but Danielle was so enticed and found me at my lowest point and gave me a second chance in life and I owe everything to her” he was in love with her but she did not want him “Sounds like you care for her” he nods “I do but I can’t force someone to be with me” she couldn’t agree more and said “Yes that is true, how about I give you the grand tour of the home?” He smiled and followed her back to the house.

One Week Later (The Big Day)

Kody arrived back in Augusta rejuvenated from the week long getaway and with big news to where he wanted to live and Danielle had big news for him also “Great news, Natalie’s contract is good to go I saw nothing that would be risky for you to do with her.” She was looking so beautiful as always and he just wanted to be with her so badly that it’s hard not to tell her that he wants to forget the negative side of a relationship and say enough is enough with excuses. He smiled at her and said “that is wonderful news, thank you, Danielle. You have made this difficult time a lot easier on me that it should have been but I have my made my decision and I wanted you to be the first to know” it was then he thought of a perfect plan to see if she truly cared for him or not “Yes I need to know what your primary address will be.” He took a deep breath and then said “I chose Rome, the people are so friendly and my staff there is top notch. I mean the staff at each place is good but there are more beautiful girls on staff and in Rome and I could truly see myself falling for an Italian girl.” Instant jealousy rose up within her “Oh is that so? I heard Italians are more stubborn than anyone on earth and major moodiness. Are you sure that’s the place? Because there are certain people who are looking at you now and you would disappoint a lot of people by leaving” it was then he realized something and he said “People like you?” She shook her head trying to convince herself that she wasn’t but the truth was she missed him fiercely and if it wasn’t for her job then she would join him in Italy at a moments notice. “No, my job will keep me here” he shook his head and said “you know Italians need lawyers also just like we need relationships. Danielle I am leaving tomorrow morning and if want to come with me now is the time to tell me” he laid it all on the line and if wants to be with him then he needed a decision right then and there and no more beating around the bush. She closed her eyes and shook her head “I’m sorry Kody but my decision is final. You enjoy Italy and will see you when I see you” she took a deep breath and walked out of the room leaving Kody heart broken. He closed his eyes and realized that perhaps he fell too quickly for Danielle. He sighs and picked up his phone and called Natalie “Hey Nat, I have great news. I will take on this new mission house but I will be doing it from Rome, Italy where I will be living. I will be leaving first thigh tomorrow and If you ever need me to come to town for updates then I will gladly do it once a quarter if you need supplies then call me anytime and I can order them for you. Does that sound ok to you?” she listened carefully and said “that sounds ok to me but before you go would you like to have dinner with me? We can talk more about the plan and give you a great last night in Augusta” he was skeptical about doing that because of what just happened with Danielle but when he saw Danielle come back into the office he said “Yes that would be nice. I will meet you at Chili’s if that is ok with you?” she smiled “yes that sounds awesome, see you in a few.” they hung up and he walked out of the office paying no attention to Danielle and ready to start the next step of his life.

3 Months Later

Things were on the up and up for Kody, long away from Maine and looking at views like this every day if he so chose. Something was missing in his life and he feels that he is ready to start looking for a girl since he was getting settled in Italy. He stood beside the fountain infamous for people tossing a coin in and asking for wishes beyond what their finite minds can comprehend. He didn’t believe all that mumbo jumbo but he just wanted to do it just so he can say that he’s done it before. *Hmm, a wish? What else would I possibly need in my life?* he contemplated in his mind as he held the coin in his hand he heard the waterfall collapsing onto the water below it before thinking *A relationship sure would be nice* he placed the coin at the edge of his thumb and between his pointer finger before flipping it into the fountain. He chuckled to himself before turning around and was instantly by a woman who seemed rushed with her hands full of office papers and bumped right into him. Instantly those papers fell to the ground and he stopped her from falling into the fountain the frazzled woman looked up at him and smiled “mi scusi” which was Italian for excuse me. He smiled and looked at her “Sorry, only speak English” he helped her back onto her feet “Ah American, sorry you looked like an Italian” He smiled and picked up the loose papers and handed them to her “It’s ok, I get that a lot. I won’t hold you up, looks like you are in a hurry” she smiled and said “Would you mind helping me carry all of this to my office?” He smiled and said “I would not mind at all, in case you were wondering I am Kody Robinson” she handed him some papers and they walked across the street “Nice to meet you, Kody, I am Isabella” she looked at him not knowing that this man was now the wealthiest man in Italy but she had to admit that name sure did sound familiar. Unaware to Kody but Isabella was the woman who would be financing his new business their in Italy. Once inside Isabella looked down at one of her papers that had his name highlighted yellow on it and she gasped “OH KODY, your my new client. I was literally about to call you. Wow you saved me a phone call, I just need to know a little more information about what your business will be doing.” He began to think that this had to be fate and yet another beautiful girl that would be working with him. They talked for hours on end about what his business ’Kody’s World’ would be about. His thoughts weighed heavy on his mind thinking about past relationships with people that have worked with him and how they never lasted and he was determined to not make the same mistake again. After filling out her paperwork she concluded with him by saying “I think I have everything that I need and would like to show you a nice little building in a great spot where you can easily get exposure.” After she said that he saw that Danielle was calling once again, it was the third time she has called within an hour and he couldn’t put it off any longer. He excused himself “Ok, what’s up? Three times in the last hour is a bit much” he hopes that this was an emergency since she’s called this many times “We have a situation here in Augusta, I need you here ASAP. I can’t explain it over the phone just please get here as soon as you can.” This was the most important day to finally make it on his own and now his past kept coming back on him “Calm down, Danielle. I will be there on a flight tomorrow” she took a deep breath “thank you, Kody” she quickly hung up and whispered “I need you, Kody. I was such an idiot for letting you go” she said holding a picture of him in her hand.

The Next Day

After his phone call with Danielle, he explained the situation to Isabella and how Danielle and him had a thing before he moved to Italy to basically get as far away from her. She agreed to accompany him to Maine as moral support but she hoped spending more time with him would lead to something else with him. Isabella had trouble finding love and she has been bitten by love when she bumped into Kody. While on the plane ride to Maine Isabella approached him and sat next to him “Can I know something?” He smiled and looked down as her hand came across his hand “Sure what is it?” She sighs and said “What happened with you and Danielle? It appears that your thing with her before you left must have been pretty significant” he was very vague when he told her the first time but he’s grown to trust her fully and knows she will not do anything to risk that trust “I gave her the option to come to Italy with me and to be with me but she refused because her job was so much more important than me. It honestly made me feel homeless all over again not having a place that belonged to me and it’s why I was so vague with you because I don’t want to get hurt again by someone that works with me” he hung his head before she lifted his head and caught his eyes “I don’t want to hurt you and would never do anything. Danielle had something amazing right in front of her and to be honest I’m glad she goofed up because I would have never met you” Kody believed every word she said and saw in her eyes how much she cared for him and did not make any excuses on why they couldn’t be together. “I believe you, Isabella.” He touched her hand and looked back up at her before she kissed him passionately. He truly had a bad feeling about this visit to Maine especially since Danielle was so vague about why he had to come. When he pulled away from her he sighed content “I have a bad feeling about going to Maine but am glad I have someone that cares about me, a month ago when I bumped into you I had just made a wish to have a relationship on that fountain thinking it was just an old wives tale that wishes come true, and I rushed things with Danielle and I don’t want to rush into something again yet” she hung her head “I’m sorry, I am all over you a day after we met, you can take all the time you need to figure out what you want” little did they know what was waiting for them once they landed in Augusta and saw the travesty that was around them. So much flooding had taken place with the Kennebec River overflowing into most of the city the only area not majorly impacted was the airport. He stepped outside and fell to his knees seeing so much water and so much destruction around him “My Home” Isabella covered her mouth at the destruction around her and put her hand on his shoulder “I’m so sorry, truly I am” Rain began to fall on top of them and it was almost poetic when a limo pulled up beside him just like it did 4 months ago to get him off the streets. Danielle stepped out and put an umbrella over him while he sobbed “Kody, please come out of the rain, you’re not on the streets anymore, you’re having PTSD” He stood up shaking from the trauma he was experiencing. Once in the limo, he curled up in a seat by himself and rocked himself to sleep. “He’ll be ok, miss” Danielle assured her while Isabella looked at him worried “I’m Isabella, or Izzy for short. Are you sure he’ll be ok?” she smiled and said “Nice to meet you, Izzy, I’m Danielle and yes he will be ok at least I hope so, he truly scared me seeing that PTSD attack, I have never seen him shake” the driver of the limo took them down the safest routes possible until they finally reached his Augusta home that didn’t suffer much damage due to the flood protection his uncle so wisely installed.

Moments Later

Once Isabella and Danielle got him inside his home he slowly blinked his eyes “where am I?” he looked around and the first person he saw was Danielle and immediately folded his arms seeing her “Yeah I know I am the last person you want to see right now, but do you remember anything from the last 30 minutes?” he hung his head “Yes and I was hoping it was a dream” who could blame him for being that upset over his city? He looked at Izzy and said “Izzy I’m sorry but I am going to need to stay here a while, the driver can take you to the airport and the pilot can take you back home if you wish to do so.” Since he was her only client at the time she took advantage of getting a break from work and touched his shoulder “Ok, but if you need me I’m just a call away” she kissed his cheek and left the home and he took a deep breath. “She seems nice, Kody” he shook his head “Yes she’s an amazing publicist who’s getting my business off to a great start but she’s lonely and wants me for more than business purposes. I had to let her down easily before coming here telling her I’m not ready for a commitment. But got to admit she doesn’t give up” there was hope for Danielle in that last statement and she admitted “Yes, with this flood coming and you leaving town gives this girl time to think about what is important in life and 4 months ago I thought work was all that mattered but in reality, it’s being close to the people you love and take every moment possible to be with them. You taught me so much without being here more than you did while you were here” Kody had a feeling that she was a different person and of course seeing the scene that was in Augusta was enough to change anyone. “I have noticed that you are different and it’s been so good to see you, Danielle, I have missed you in more ways than one” he hung his head admitting that he still cared for her deeply but he doesn’t know that she regretted not boarding the jet with him 4 months ago. “I have missed you, also. I only have one regret in my life and that one regret was not boarding that jet 4 months ago and held you close the way I held you close to me when we were traveling to the Bahamas” he smiled at her and said “Then why not come back with me when I fix our flooding issue?” She wrapped her arms around him and said “Consider it done, I love you, Kody” he looked in her eyes and said “I love you, too, Danielle” he caressed her cheeks before slowly kissing her “I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, but better late than never right?” She said and he laughed “Yes’ but 4 months ago would have been nice” she laughed and said “I told you I was hard headed, now I see your wheels spinning what do you have in mind for the city?” He rubbed his hands together and chuckled before saying “Well my business in Italy deals with flood prevention because of my uncle’s patent and design here in Augusta can easily evacuate all the water and then place the trenches that are outside this house and the beautiful thing about it is I will pay for everything to be done, I can’t think of a better way to use my uncle’s money that has been sitting in his Roth IRA. I got a call that he had millions of dollars sitting in it that last week and they will depositing it into my account here soon” Danielle smiled at his comment and just knew that she fell n love with an amazing person “You are the most selfless person I have ever met and I knew I made a great choice in falling in love with you” Danielle and Kody watched as the days, turned to months, then the months turned to years. They got married just a year after they met and people thought they rushed into it but twenty years later their marriage was strong and the doubters were silenced and perhaps the best news of all was that his uncle’s wealth and Kody’s gentle heart and commitment went on from generation to generation.

The End