Page 103 of Pity Parade

TRINA

As much as I want to storm over to Heath’s table and give Tom a piece of my mind, I don’t. Instead, I order lunch. A lot of it. So much the waitress asks if I’m expecting someone else.

I can’t believe Heath knows I downloaded that tracking app on his phone, and he didn’t call me out. That says a lot about how much he cares for me.

Having said that, if he really cared, why didn’t he tell me what he was up to? Ugh! I feel like an emotional teenager. Was he afraid I’d blow it for him? Yet, he did give me the option to walk over to his table and have it out with Tom …

I keep chewing and swallowing my food robotically. In between bites, I peek over the banister to the open dining room below. Heath appears to be talking pleasantly, but if Tom’s body language is anything to go on, he’s not having a great time.

At one forty-five, my phone pings.

Heath

Hey, babe. We’re getting ready to head out. Let us go first and follow along in about five minutes.

Me

Where will you be?

Heath

Just follow the TV cameras. I’ll be up on the podium. I’ll call you up when the time is right.

Me

Why are you calling me up?

Heath

I thought we could mention our lodge and how we plan to staff some of it.

Me

Okay. What about Tom?

Heath

Just follow my lead.

I watch as Heath and Tom push out of their booth and walk to the front of the building. Tom is about three paces behind Heath, and he seems highly annoyed. After five minutes, I put cash down for my food and follow them outside.

The press conference is larger than I expected, given the subject matter. As in, the unhoused do not get a lot of press. But Heath does, which is probably the reason for the stellar turnout.

Heath says something to Tom before walking up to the podium. He shakes hands with an older man and a woman who appears to be in her early twenties. The man motions Heath toward the microphone and that’s when I notice Heath’s business partner, Shelby, is also there. She’s standing next to a man I assume is either her husband or boyfriend, given the way they’re huddling up together.

When Heath taps the microphone, all eyes and cameras are on him. “Thank you all for coming out today,” he says. “We have some very exciting news to share with you about our project.”

Heath turns to his partner and continues, “Shelby and I have decided we aren’t going forth with the building we were going to put up in this location.”

Several reporters start to call out questions like, “Why not, Heath?” and “What are you doing instead?”

Heath gestures for the other man to come up and join him. Then he tells the press, “This is Jeremiah Engle. Jeremiah is planning to build transitional apartments for the unhoused here. He’s going to have counselors and psychiatrists on staff to help people adjust. He’s also going to offer job training before helping residents establish employment.” Heath might as well have told the press that the whole area was polluted with toxic gas. Such is their lack of appreciation.

“You can’t just put a homeless shelter anywhere you want, Heath!”

Another reporter asks, “What will the neighbors think of that?”

Jeremiah raises his hand to get everyone’s attention. He says, “We can’t build anything without the support of the community, but being that the unhoused are part of our community, we expect people will want to help them.”

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