Epilogue
Six Months Later
on Veterans Day
Dream had gone all out. Ignite looked nothing like a sports bar tonight.
A large projector was placed at the front of the central area, spotlights swept across a red carpet, an extravagant balloon arch, a Hollywood-esque backdrop, and one wall was lined with framed cinematic posters.
The posters were of Nahla’s film, Built to Protect—An Ode to our Unsung Heroes.
Nahla stood in the middle of it all, taking it in.
Eight months ago, she was a career-obsessed millennial, hiding in a safe house, because of a print article she had written, and now, her life had done a complete 180.
Just two nights ago, she and Cannon had attended the Langston Writing Award ceremony in New York City. This year, she had been the recipient of the Langston Prize for Investigative Journalism for her Lyle article.
Tonight, she was celebrating the release of her first feature film. When she started writing Cannon’s story, she realized it would be so much more powerful as a visual. Nahla was eager to have his story heard and to expand her storytelling capabilities into film.
The most significant change in her life, though, was definitely Cannon.
She never would have guessed that she would be this in love and sure about a man in less than a year of knowing him, but .
. . she was. Cannon Porter was it for her, and as different as this relationship was from the plan she had for her life, she wouldn’t change it for a thing.
Dream rushed over to Nahla and squealed. “Girl, I’m so excited! Do you love the setup? Because I’m obsessed.”
Nahla laughed and nodded. “It’s amazing, Dream. I can’t believe you did all this for little old me.”
Dream waved Nahla off. “Girl, bye. You’ve been killin’ it. I am beyond proud of all you’ve accomplished, and it’s only right that we celebrate you.”
Dream pulled Nahla in for a hug. As they pulled apart, Nahla noticed her brother, sister, and father enter the building. They spotted her immediately and approached her.
“Hey, sissy! I’m so excited for you,” her sister said, hugging Nahla first.
Her brother kissed her cheek and brought her into his side. “Proud of you, Sis.”
Last was her father. He usually didn’t show much affection but surprised her by enveloping her in his arms. “I’m proud of you, too, sweetheart. Your mother would be too.” He kissed the top of her head before releasing her, and Nahla had to stifle tears.
After she and Cannon returned from Venice, her father reached out to her to have a talk.
Of course, Cannon insisted on accompanying her, and when they got to his home, her siblings were there.
She thought it would be an intervention about the dangers of her job, but the conversation really surprised her.
Her father was the first to speak. He told her that he had read her entire article and was deeply moved by it. He was shocked that so many Black families had been suffering in silence and said that he felt proud to say his daughter was the one responsible for righting all those wrongs.
They had an open and honest dialogue about how she felt like the black sheep of the family. Each of them acknowledged the distance, apologized, and vowed to do better. The four of them had been growing closer ever since.
“Thanks, guys. Thanks so much for coming.” She showed them to the food area, and they helped themselves when Cannon wrapped his arms around her from behind.
“You good?” he asked.
Nahla smiled. “I am.” She then turned around. “Are you ready for this?”
Cannon chuckled, and Nahla knew exactly what that meant. When she presented the documentary idea to him, he was initially resistant. Talking to her was one thing, but being on camera was a whole other beast.
He did it, though, and now, everyone closest to them and other members of the community were about to hear his full story for the first time.
“It’s gonna be great,” Nahla assured him.
“It is. I’m proud of you, baby.”
Just then, the lights dimmed, and Dream said, “Everyone, take your seats, please.”
Once everyone was seated, the movie started. The opening scene was Cannon, standing on the Howards’ reclaimed land, explaining what it meant to protect a community when the people sworn to protect it refused to do so.
Gasps rippled through the room. Then there was silence as the film continued.
Nahla’s heart thudded as scene after scene unfolded. She had gotten more than just Cannon’s story. She had interviewed other veterans with similar stories. She also incorporated the Lyle story to emphasize the issues in the system.
The final act focused on moving forward.
After discussing his discharge and the quiet trauma so many veterans carried, he started to talk about the reasons he built Porter Protects in the first place.
He announced the next chapter of his mission: providing second chances to people like him.
Several of the veterans interviewed were now working for Porter Protects in different capacities, and the film ended with that.
The documentary was thorough, intriguing, and well put together.
Most importantly, Cannon’s impactful story was officially out into the world, and he had trusted her enough to tell it.
When the credits rolled, the room erupted in applause. Before Nahla could react, Mrs. Green—the first of her sources to come forward—rushed toward her and pulled her into a tight hug.
“That was so beautiful, sweetheart. And you kept your promise. Because of you, our grandchildren will grow up on our soil again. I had to make sure I came here today to tell you that—to thank you.”
Nahla broke at her words. She cried into the woman’s shoulder, overwhelmed by the weight of her words.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Green. Thank you so much for being here.”
The rest of the event was a whirlwind. Nahla gave a short speech, thanking everyone for coming, speaking about the article and the documentary, and acknowledging everyone who had played a part—no matter how small—in the process.
Lastly, she presented every veteran in the room with a token of appreciation. It was such a decisive moment, because many of them wouldn’t have been recognized or celebrated otherwise. Pride swelled in her chest, and her eyes stung. The day couldn’t have been more perfect.
Long after the celebration ended, Cannon and Nahla stepped into the cool night air. The parking lot was quiet, as almost everyone had already gone.
Nahla exhaled, finally letting her shoulders fall. Cannon pulled her into his side as they headed to his car.
“You good?” he asked her for the second time that day.
Nahla nodded. “I’m good. Just . . . full. In a good way.”
Once they reached the car, he opened her door and helped her inside. Instead of closing her inside, he stood in the doorway and placed a hand on the hood of the car.
Nahla turned her body toward him. She grabbed his shirt, prompting him to move a little closer.
“I’m proud of you, baby. You did that,” he said.
Nahla chuckled. “We did that.”
She puckered her lips, and he met them with his.
When he pulled away, though, he shook his head.
“Nah, this was you. You had the vision, and you executed it. You pulled something out of me—and everyone else you interviewed—that would have stayed hidden if you weren’t the one asking the questions.
You put somethin’ powerful together, and you gave a whole damn city its future back. This was all you.”
She smiled softly but didn’t argue the point. She knew he wouldn’t change his mind about who the credit belonged to. Instead, she changed the subject.
“My father hugged me tonight. That was new.”
“I’m glad he came in here actin’ like he had some sense. He’s movin’ like he knows how amazing his daughter is.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Cannon had been working on his relationships with her family members.
He was a lot slower to forgive them than Nahla was.
Nahla couldn’t be upset. His resistance to her family stemmed only from how much he loved her.
He couldn’t understand how they could treat her the way they had all her life, so they were slowly earning his respect.
“I love you, La. Let’s go home,” he said, kissing her again.
As Cannon drove away, Nahla looked over at him—his jaw was relaxed, his eyes were soft. One hand was on the wheel while the other reached for hers. His casual demeanor was so different than the man she met initially, and she was glad to be the woman he could unwind with.
Nahla sighed as she shifted her gaze to the window.
Somehow, without even trying, she had found her happy ending in Cannon.
Their story had begun in chaos but had developed into something calming and beautiful.
She didn’t know where her next chapter would take her, but one thing she was sure about was Cannon Porter.
He was home for her, and that wasn’t changing.
The end!