Year 3 with Jane and Tony Pt. 03

Jane laughed and said, "So, it sounds as though we are having fun and that Lily is the best thing to happen to us in a while! Well, we have more adventures ahead of us."

When we reached Dresden, we caught a cab to our hotel which was pretty modern, compared to what we had been staying in. After Judy checked us in, the concierge introduced himself as Jürgen. "I was called by Jiri in Prague and was told to take the utmost care of you. I am at your service for whatever you need." We shook hands as I introduced myself, Jane, Judy and Lily. After introduction, Jürgen hailed a valet to transport our bags as he guided us to our room. The room was very spacious and less cluttered than some of the other hotels we had been in.

When Jürgen had left, we explored the room while Jane zeroed in on the balcony. She turned to me and said, "You know what this means! Tonight, I think we introduce Lily to balcony love! Until then, let's go explore Dresden a bit."

Jane and I had been in Dresden before on our last trip to Europe. We got a map of the downtown area from Jürgen and began walking around so that Judy and Lily could see it. We went to the Zwinger, an old palace that was now several museums. We toured the ceramic museum which reminded Jane that she wanted to go to nearby Meissen. We saw the giant mural, that stretched for an entire block and was made of ceramic tile, that depicted the kings of Saxony. We went to a museum and saw pictures of the utter destruction that was rained down on Dresden during World War II. Most of the rebuilding had occurred since reunification. We had lunch at a Hungarian restaurant and really enjoyed the food. We had coffee and pastry at a pastry shop at around 4pm and then walked some more.

Finally, around 6pm we had had enough and wandered back to our room. We weren't hungry for dinner yet so I checked my email and saw I had emails from Bob Malkus, Emily, Barb and Jenny. Bob said he settled on a buyer of the Lake Como property for €85 million. Apparently, the buyer was a big-time movie producer in Hollywood. He then said, I hope you weren't serious about the 15% deal. I told him thanks for selling the place and that we were absolutely serious about the 15% and that it was just for him, separate from their firm's normal fee!

Emily's email was about the same stuff so I told her the same thing. Barb's email was bright and cheerful like herself. She had pictures of everybody and the projects. The subterranean walkway had been completed and she was the first one to walk through it naked to our house from hers! She said Jake got an idea to build a second story onto the garage, just in case we had a need to expand again.

Jenny's email was mostly about how much she missed us, but how much she, also, liked to be with her sister and family again. She said that Elsie had been accepted to Chicago but the funds weren't there to pay for it, so Elsie was going to go to Kansas University instead. I called Jenny immediately on my cell phone! When Jenny answered, I said, "Jenny, it's very nice to hear your voice. I miss you very much as do Jane and Judy."

"It's nice to hear your voice, too. I just sent you an email 5 minutes ago, did you not get it?"

I chuckled and said, "I did get it, that's why I'm calling. Tell Elsie to accept entry into Chicago. There will be no problem with money. Jane and I will pay for her tuition and she can stay at Barb's with you and the others. Okay?"

"I don't think my parent's will like to take charity"

"Jenny, tell them it's not charity, but an investment. An investment in Elsie's future and an investment in your happiness. When we get back from our trip, I will call you again and set up plane tickets for you, Elsie and your parents to fly to Chicago about two weeks before classes start, okay? Your parents will understand once I get to talk to them. Is Elsie there with you?"

"Yes, she's right here."

"May I speak with her?"

"Hello, this is Elsie."

"Hi Elsie, I don't know what you gathered from my conversation with Jenny, but I want you to know that Jane and I will pay for your tuition, housing and food for as long as you attend school at Chicago. We love your sister very much and by extension, we love you as well. Jane and I think that education is the best investment possible to improve our world. Make sure your parents understand that our offer is non-negotiable, okay?"

"Thank you very much, Tony. I was very sad that Jenny and I couldn't go to school together, but now I'm elated! I know now why my sister loves you so much. Jenny and I will talk sense into our parents!"

"Good, if you run into problems let me know. Now, as soon as we hang up, call Chicago and tell them that you accept admittance. Give Jenny a hug and kiss for us! We will see you again soon. Bye!"

Jane walked over and asked what that was all about. I showed her Jenny's email. When she finished, she said that Jenny was looking forward to Elsie being at Chicago. I said I knew that and that's why I called Jenny to tell her that we would cover Elsie's tuition and what not. "I had an idea while I was talking to Jenny and Elsie. We should start a foundation or something and call it the 'Robinson Scholarship Council' or something along those lines. That way we could pay for people like Elsie's education without them having to pay taxes for the money. What do you think?"

"I think we need to talk this over with Judy." Jane called for Judy and told her what we were thinking about.

Judy smiled and said, "I figured you would come around to this eventually. I worked with Bob to get the process started so we could quickly apply for non-profit status and all of that. We were just waiting for a name and dollar amount."

Jane laughed and said, "So, are you saying we're a little slow on the uptake sometimes? We got there in the end!"

Judy shook her head and replied, "You are nothing of the sort! The first things both of you wanted to do with your inheritance was to fund scholarships! I immediately fell in love with both of you when I heard that. You didn't talk about making more money or investing in businesses. No, you talked about scholarships for bright students who couldn't afford college or vocational school! So, what would you like to call this enterprise and how much money do you want to put into it?"

I replied, "I want it named after Jane's parents since it is the money that they made. I think they would be really pleased with giving scholarships. How about, 'The Stan and Bettina Robinson Scholarship Fund'? It sounds like those grants you always see related to PBS shows. We can tie the orphanage program, the Pearl scholarship and so on under one umbrella agency. Ooh, and what if we start scholarships at each of the high schools where our recipients come from in their names. Something like the Jenny and Elsie Nguyen scholarship at Hiawatha high school?"

Judy laughed and said, "Now you are ahead of the curve again! I think all of that is brilliant and will be easy to do. How much do you want to put into it?"

Jane said, "How about $150 million? That should last a while."

"That will last forever. See that money gets invested and the actual money granted comes from the earnings from the investments. The 'SBRSF' should last until infinity with that much money. You will also get a nice tax break 'donating' that money to the fund."

I asked, "Why do we need a tax break? We paid taxes on our inheritance already, didn't we?"

"Yes you did, but your money is constantly making money. Emily and I have invested in low risk bonds for you and the money that is in banks is earning interest all of the time. And, huge sums like you have, earn large amounts on which taxes have to be paid. Now, the investments we have made reflect what we think you would find worth investing in. So, we have stayed away from connections with the military, discrimination, totalitarian countries and that sort of thing. We have focused on women, education, international understanding and medical and agricultural research in honor of Jane's parents."

Jane had her hands over her mouth and her eyes were wide with shock, "I had no idea you two were doing all of that. Maybe you should put out a company newsletter periodically so we know what's going on! Thank you so much for everything you have done and continue to do. I'm in shock!"

Judy chuckled and said, "I figured this is what I was hired to do. You and Tony had enough on your plates with school and coping with your parents' deaths. Emily and I listen to the both of you very carefully to pick up clues as to what we perceive as your thoughts on things. Every morning, we sit down before we do anything and discuss the two of you and what little tidbits we have caught. We write those things on a white board and let them stew for a bit while we check email, markets and what not. We then return to the white board and see if there's anything we think is worth running with. When we get home, I'll show you your portfolio, I think you will be pleased."

"I'm with Jane," I said, "I had no idea. How do you two stay so calm all of the time? I would think you are working your fingers to the bone!"

Again, Judy laughed and said, "Actually, we have so much fun! Neither one of us consider it 'work'. We both have fun trying to find investments that fit our/your criteria. I'm pretty sure I speak for Emily when I say that we would love to manage the SBRSF for you. We've been discussing ways to really make it shine!"

Jane laughed, stood up and threw herself at Judy and hugged and kissed her. After a few minutes, Jane let go of Judy and said, "Let me confer with Tony regarding your management of SBRSF." Jane looked at me I smiled and then she immediately said, "You're both hired!"

This caused Lily to laugh very loudly as she said, "Jane, I love your management style!

By the way, I think what you want to do with your money is fantastic. I really had to scramble to fund my education so far. Luckily, I always got good grades no matter what my 'home' situation was like. Which reminds me, because I'm transferring I'm not sure about my funding."

Judy said, "I looked into that and you'll be fine. Some of the UW grants don't follow you but you are the recipient of one of the first SBRFS grants ever made! Congratulations!"

Lily squeaked and jumped on Judy as well, hugging and kissing her! When Lily let Judy up, Judy said "Let me send Bob and email and let him know it's time to launch 'Plan 6'."

Jane said, "Plan 6? How many and what other plans are there?"

Judy smiled and said, "Plan 1 was instituting Emily and my ideas of how things should work. Basically, what I just told you about. Plan 2 was dealing with all of the rebuilding and the tunnel. Plan 3 keeping you two happy while school was going on. Plan 4 is getting the parents of Jenny, Sofia, Cindy and Shelly to visit before school starts. Plan 5 was selling and or keeping the European properties. Plan 7 is getting Astrid and Axel to Sweden and back as often as necessary. Plan 8 will be hiring help for Mary because she can use the help. Plan 9 is a surprise. And, that's it, so far. Oh, wait. There is one more thing that we haven't formally called Plan 10, yet. You should decide what to do with the apartment on the Gold coast and your parent's house in Winnetka. They are both sitting empty right now. You could rent them out or something, but being a 'landlord' is a major-league headache. I know the idea of selling your parent's house is pretty traumatic. Perhaps, you can donate it to some worthy organization connected with your mother's hospital or something."

"Ooh! I like that idea. I was dreading having to sell it because I lived there all my life until I moved in with Tony. I like the idea of something like the 'Ronald McDonald houses' where families can stay for long periods of time when someone is very sick. Why don't you see what you can come up with along those lines. By the way, Judy I can't say it enough, you and Emily have been fabulous. Thank you so much for everything you do. I'd offer you a pay raise, but that won't do!"

We all laughed. We ordered room service and had a great meal. And, despite the call of the balcony, nobody was, really, in the mood. All four of us lay on one bed and talked until we all fell asleep together.

The next morning as we were getting dressed for breakfast, Jane said, "It's too bad we still don't have our rental car. I'd really like to go to Meissen and check out the chinaware and see the town." So, as we walked through the lobby to the breakfast room, I asked Jürgen about the possibility of hiring a driver to take us to Meissen. He asked what time we would like to go so I said 10am. He said consider it done. After breakfast, we brushed our teeth and when we got to the lobby at 10am, Jürgen led us out to our car and introduced us to our driver, Yusuf, a young Turkish man.

It turned out that Yusuf spoke very good English and had lived in the Dresden area his entire life, so he pointed out items of interest to us as we headed towards Meissen. Meissen, like Prague, wasn't damaged during the war. It was a pleasure to walk through the town and look at the old buildings. We then went to Meissen's ceramic store, where Jane wanted to buy an elegant set of dinner ware for special occasions. After looking at a number of different sets, she opted for the 'Meissen Rose'. She ordered dinner sets for 30 people along with tea sets for 30 people plus serving dishes, platters and on and on. She arranged for it all to be shipped to our home. The manager came up to us to thank us for our large order and told us that he would include a surprise with our shipment. We all shook hands and made our way out to Yusuf who was waiting in the car.

We were ready for some lunch, so Yusuf asked us if we had ever had Turkish food. None of us had so he whisked us off to a small, nondescript restaurant on the edge of Meissen. "You'll find the food is very good here." I invited him to join us so the 5 of us went in. The owners were cousins of Yusuf and they greeted each other warmly. We let Yusuf order for us and when the food arrived, we had a veritable feast! The food was delicious and we were all stuffed by the time we were finished. Yusuf drove us on a sightseeing tour around Meissen and then Dresden before dropping us off at our hotel. We asked about his fee and he said it was taken care of by the hotel. We all thanked him for a great day and I gave him a €200 tip for all of his efforts. He thanked me profusely as we said goodbye.

We returned to our room, stripped off our clothes and collapsed on chairs and sofas. Judy had her laptop going, as usual, and said, "I've taken care of our train journey to Berlin tomorrow and have booked another hotel room in a nice hotel. I, also, informed Jürgen so he can inform the secret fraternity of concierges of our arrival. I find these guys to be so cute. Did you ever see the movie, 'Grand Budapest Hotel'? The concierges in that movie all conspired to help each other. Our train leaves at 8:55am, a little earlier than we have been leaving. It's about a 2-hour ride with only one stop before Berlin. I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to call it an early night."

The rest of us agreed with Judy, so we all went to bed early. Jane said to Lily, "We will get you on the next balcony!"

Lily replied, "I'm not too worried. I'm not really an exhibitionist like you. I prefer a more private setting."

"Oh! You should have said something before," Jane replied, "I wouldn't have suggested it."

"That's alright, I just wanted to please you because the idea was making you happy."

Jane smiled and said, "That was sweet, but you don't have to make me happy. I want you to be happy. Sweet dreams, I love you! I love you, too, Tony and Judy!"

I kissed Jane, Judy and Lily and then went to sleep.

We all awoke early due to our early bedtime and we were all feeling great again. We went down for breakfast and then on our way out to get a cab, Jürgen said that Yusuf was outside and would take us to the train station. Jane cried out, "What a pleasant surprise!" That brought a huge smile to Yusuf's face. He got us to the train station in short order and retrieved our bags from the trunk. Jane, Judy and Lily all gave him a big hug, which caused him to blush. I shook his hand and said I hope the women hugging you didn't upset you.

He laughed and said, "Are you kidding? I've never been hugged by 3 more beautiful women in my life! It was an absolute highlight!" I patted him on the shoulder, laughed and thanked him for all of his help.

We found our seats and they were, again, around a table. The journey to Berlin was pretty quick. We caught a cab at the train station and arrived at our hotel. Judy checked us in and then we were greeted by a kindly looking older man. "Herr Robinson?" I held out my hand and he took it and said, "My name is Gustav, welcome to Berlin. Jürgen told me you prefer to be called 'Tony'."

"That's correct. May I introduce my wife Jane and our friends Judy and Lily." I said.

Gustav called for a valet to take our bags and then escorted us to our room. As we walked, Gustav explained that, "We are in what was once the 'eastern sector' of Berlin and the capital of the German Democratic Republic, or the GDR for short. Your room has a lovely view of the 'Brandenburg Gate' and the 'Tiergarten' beyond the gate. The old red city hall is not too far with a fine beer hall and wine hall in the cellars. The public transportation here is very good and needs to be as the city is spread out quite a lot. If there is anything I can do to make your visit more enjoyable, please, do not hesitate to ask." He smiled and then took his leave of us.

It was only noon, so we headed out to see the sights of the 'eastern sector'. We looked at the Brandenburg Gate and then walked down the 'Unter den Linden' to the 'Alexanderplatz. We decided to take the 'U-bahn' back towards the hotel but we managed to get on the wrong train. We thought we should go above ground and see what this part of Berlin was like. We had ended up in a neighborhood that seemed to have many Arab refugees. We walked around a bit until Lily began speaking with a woman with a couple of children. They spoke for about 15 minutes with lots of pointing and laughing and an introduction to children. When they were finished, Lily waved goodbye to the children and the lady and then looked at our surprised faces.

"Did I fail to mention that I speak Arabic?" Lily asked as we went back down to the underground train. We all laughed and then I asked what they talked about. "I asked where we were because we were lost. So, she told me the cross streets and then she asked where we were from if we weren't Germans, so I told her and she asked if we were near Toronto where her sister was. She then introduced me to her children and told me they were from Syria and had run away from bad people and bad soldiers."

We decided to go back to our room after our adventures and have room service for dinner. I sat next to Lily on a couch and said, "I may have a proposition for you." Lily laughed and said that I was already married, which cracked up Jane and Judy. I continued, "Not that kind of proposition. I have a double major in International Studies and Psychology. My advisors have created a graduate program for me in both disciplines for when I graduate. I was told I should think of a research project for my dissertation. My beautiful, already, wife, (Lily cracked up at that) gave me an idea I want to pursue which concerns the trauma that refugees go through. Now, since there is a huge Arabic refugee issue now, I thought that they would be an obvious group to study with the cultural clashes, geographical issues and so on. My proposition is that, if you are interested, in a cultural anthropological sense, perhaps we could team up and help each other with our research. I, also, thought that you might teach me Arabic?"