By mid-August, my suspicions about your questionable relationship with Jason Sidman (CEO of Sanctuary) had grown. And yet, I still wanted to give you that benefit of the doubt.

On 8/16, I sent you this text:

What’s Jason Sidman’s number, please?

He’s either going to help or not

I don’t have time to waste

It’ll be a quick call, which, l hope, goes something like this:

Jkb:

“Hi Jason. Chuck gave me your number. You and l met 5 years ago when you toured me around the grow facility. How have you been?”

JS:

“Good, good. Right, l remember you. Chuck tells me you want me to buy the Bank of America building on Great Road and then lease it to you for a dollar a year for ten years so you can give 100% of the profits from the shop to people living in poverty in Littleton.”

Jkb:

“That’s correct. Or some other building. I’m flexible. I just figured that the old Bank of America building would be good. The reason I’m asking you is because Littleton has been good to you, and this would be a great way to show how much you appreciate being here.

“And now that you are off the hook for those semi-annual payments you’d been making (I’m presuming he made his payments on time and in full. For he surely had the money), you’ve freed up some cash.

“Plus, this will be newsworthy and maybe picked up by Netflix. Who doesn’t want to be part of a really cool story. So, in or out?”

You didn’t respond but I knew—from what I could see on my (text) end—that you had, very soon thereafter, opened (and presumably read) my text.

Looking back now, I wonder if you showed my text to Jason (Side note: I hear you call him “Jay”) along with something like this:

Hey Jay

Get a load of that ^^^

When you’re back from Puerto Rico, LMK and we can meet up at TitS

CJD

Of course, if you shared my text with “Jay,” there’d be a record of it—unless you either 1. deleted the record or 2. carry a special Jay-only “burner phone.”

Of course, maybe you hadn’t thought that there was any need to cover your tracks back in mid-August, though I wonder if you feel any differently these many months later.

I wonder if you’re reaching—right now as you read my words—for your cell to delete the record now. Or maybe you want to look up a “burner phone” retailer near you, near our shared hometown of Littleton.

A week went by before I tried again:

Me: 

^^^?

You, Chuck:

What do you want from me?

Me: 

I want you to want to abolish poverty 

I’m trying to do something good for the impoverished in town

I got the clear impression from you that you wanted to see a change as well

If l have the wrong impression, I’d appreciate your being forthright about that and telling me that poverty isn’t of interest to you

You:

Your impression is accurate, but I was asking specifically about Jason.

Me:

I want you to get me into a room with Jason so I can encourage his generosity.

You:

I will try when he’s back in town.

Me:

When’s that?

Coincidentally, that text exchange happened on the very same day I was told that you received compensation (in the form of money) for being on “a board” for Sanctuary.

Because this allegation came from a trustworthy person as did the anecdote about your “afternoon on the water” with Jay/Jason Sidman, I knew you weren’t who you said you were, who I hoped you might be, in the story of abolishing poverty in Littleton.

Chuck, do you think you owe the people of Littleton an explanation?

I’m happy to publish it on the same platforms where they are reading these posts. Also, I think “in writing” is best—that way, for sure, you would have no reason to worry about any miscommunication because I’d be publishing your words, which you took thoughtful time to compose.

Offer’s open.

TTYS,

Jkb