Epilogue
TEN YEARS LATER
REN
It’s official. I may be getting too old for this shit.
And by ‘this shit’, I mean constantly having to travel to various locations to discuss things that should have been a memo.
Don't get me wrong, I fully understand why these particular meetings are not memos. The need to avoid a paper trail, preventing any type of situation where someone might be listening on video calls, it’s all necessary.
So every time I get invited to one of these I piss and moan about it the entire time, but then, once I've left the meeting, I'm reminded of why it was necessary.
When I first started my exhibition hockey club, I never imagined how quickly it would snowball. Soon after our first game, and the announcement on the amount of money that was collected for charity, the letters started pouring in.
Thousands of letters explaining desperate situations people live in.
And the letters weren't just from the people living it. They came from friends and loved ones, teachers and coworkers. Countless stories of people desperate for even the smallest amount of assistance in a world that felt created to see them suffer.
And then, amongst these thousands of letters, there were hundreds that told a much darker story. Countless men, women, and children living in a constant state of fear, living each day worried they wouldn’t make it to the next one.
It was after addressing one particular letter that I realized I was in over my head.
Fortunately, I had the foresight to speak to Declan about it beforehand, and it was also just dumb luck that I had taken him seriously when he advised that someone should be tracking my location.
Of course, I chose him because who else would I want watching my back if things went to shit.
Sure enough, things went to shit pretty quickly, and that was the moment where Declan got to return the favor on that time I saved his life.
After that incident, Cassidy put her foot down and said we couldn't risk doing personal follow-ups, especially when it was obvious the situation was dangerous.
While I absolutely agreed I couldn't continue to risk my own life, there was no way I could just bin those letters and pretend they didn't exist.
And that's when Declan called Darius.
I'll admit the information I had on Darius was limited. And every time Declan referred to him and his friends as the ‘fuck around crew’, I thought it had more to do with Declan's previous rock and roll lifestyle than anything else.
I now know how I was wrong.
At first, I balked at the entire thing. The idea that there was some reformed group of vigilantes dead set on saving those who couldn’t save themselves seeming not only impossible, but completely insane.
And that's when Declan took me to New York. It was there that Lilith showed me the grand scope of their operation. I got to meet Jessica's husband, Matt, and a whole slew of other characters I'd only ever known by name.
From there, Matt and Tony took me to Montana. I got to see the sprawling facility that they lovingly refer to as ‘The End’.
To my shock and amazement, the place was bustling with activity. And even though they don't typically allow visitors, Darius gave me a full tour before sitting me down and going over a proposal on how he could help me.
Before I left, I even got to see Amber, so when I returned home to brief Cassidy on all of our options, I also got to give her that update. She was relieved to hear that Amber was doing well, and she was intrigued to hear everything I had seen on my fact-finding journey.
It took her some time to digest all the information.
I didn't want to rush her into making any decisions, but then one evening I found her in the bedroom sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of letters, the pain on her face was visceral.
I knew as soon as her eyes met mine, I knew without her saying a word, the project was a go.
And that is when A Light in the Dark Foundation was born.
No sooner had I given the green light to Declan and Darius than we were off running. It was a relief for me to be able to focus on the day-to-day operations, working with the players who wanted to take part and the various teams that wanted to be included.
My initial nervousness that the players wouldn't want to be involved in anything that wasn't a payday for them was quickly extinguished. It turns out that the vast majority of players were only too happy to give back to the game that had provided them with so much.
And the letters kept pouring in.
I foolishly figured at some point we would at least be able to catch up with the demand, and some of those darker stories would abate, but I was wrong. If anything, we just received more and more every day.
Even now, a decade later, there's no sign of it slowing down. Which brings me to now, once again, staring at a text message from Declan requesting my presence in LA.
Cassidy and I had discussed relocating to Los Angeles, and then we discussed perhaps having a secondary residence. The fact of the matter is, Portland is our home and there'd be no point in having a secondary residence because Declan would expect us to stay with him anyway.
With a sigh I pick up my phone typing out a response to Declan.
Ren: Can it wait?
Declan: Maybe a day or three, but not too long.
Ren: Cassidy's birthday is tomorrow. I'd rather not ruin it for her.
Declan: Bring her with you.
Ren: As much as she loves our kids, she should be able to go out for her birthday without them.
Declan: Just leave the kids here.
Ren: Seriously?
Declan: Are you kidding? If Clementina had her way, she'd have me build a big old commune so all the kids could be running around indefinitely.
I chuckle, knowing this to be true. Clementina had been working with Declan for so long as his right-hand housing manager, the fact that she took so easily to having children around was a surprise.
Declan said he always thought that she would be annoyed with that type of unfettered chaos, but he soon learned that she fed off of it.
Declan: I'll see if anyone else is around, set up a big slumber party for them.
Declan: I’ll send my plane. You reserve yourself some penthouse suite somewhere, take your girl out. Show her a good time.
I think it over briefly. Cassidy has seemed rather exhausted lately, even though I did finally talk her into getting some help around the house, she's still inclined to do a lot of things herself.
I make a quick call to her favorite hotel pleased to find they have a vacancy.
Then I go back to my message with Declan.
Ren: Thank you. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow.
Declan: Fantastic. I'll break the happy news to Clementina.
I open my messages to Cassidy, planning on sending her the update and then think better of it. Pocketing my phone, I leave my office heading toward the other side of the house where I'll probably find her.
Sure enough, I find her in her favorite spot in the sunroom, fast asleep in a chair, with our youngest slumbering on her chest.
I stand in the doorway watching her, and then go in search of our nanny, Sabrina. I find her in the playroom and she looks up as I walk in. "She's still asleep?"
I smile and nod. "I didn't want to wake her."
"Neither did I," she responds. "I figured I'd leave them at least until lunch."
"We're going on a trip tomorrow morning," I state, seating myself awkwardly in one of the child-sized chairs at the table. The children, completely engrossed in a giant floor puzzle across the room, don’t even bother to look up.
I smile fondly and then add, "Do you think you'd be able to manage packing some stuff for the kids? "
She nods and responds, "Not a problem. I'm glad you came to me so that Cassidy won’t try and do it herself."
I laugh because that's exactly what she would've done. “Let’s keep it our little secret so she’ll stay out of it.”
Sabrina grins. “Not a problem.”
I nod, feeling impressed with myself for getting this far. I’m a resourceful man, but Cassidy still tends to be about ten steps ahead of me, regardless of how much planning I do.
Feeling rejuvenated, I head to the master suite, determined to get our stuff sorted before she comes looking for me. It’s not like I don’t have a good idea on what products she uses, and clothes she wears, having lived with her for a decade.
I’m almost finished when I hear her in the hallway. “Ren?”
“In here,” I respond, putting the finishing touches on her suitcase before closing it and setting it on the floor beside the bed.
I look up to find her just inside the doorway, staring at me as if I’ve lost my entire mind. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
She gives me an impatient look then retorts, “Are we going somewhere?”
“We are.”
She continues to stare at me, so I go back to checking my own suitcase then close it, setting it on the floor next to hers. “Are you going to give me any information?”
“No.”
“But how will I know what to pack?”
I point to the two suitcases at the end of the bed. “Already done, just need to add toiletries.”
She gives me a suspicious look. “And what about the kids?”
“That is being handled.”
She continues to give me a suspicious look so I smile my most charming grin, to which she narrows her eyes even more. After a short standoff I state, “You’ll see, babe. I got it all handled.”
She sighs and then shrugs as she turns, walks toward the door. “Just tell me where to be when. I’m game.”
No pressure. No pressure at all.
The next day, we land in Los Angeles just before lunch. I knew Declan was going to send a car for us, but to my surprise I find he sent two, a town car and a giant Mercedes stretch limo.
Before I can deplane, the pilot comes out, a grin on his face. “Dec said to send the kids out first.”