The Shadow of Our Past

Shelter

1 Year Later

A bright yet soft natural light flows through the windows of the coffee shop to illuminate the strings of my guitar. The small shop is bustling with friends and family, a sight that makes my cheeks sore from smiling. The owner offered to host the impromptu celebration of Jason's release and Mike's sentence. Kira and Abby bustle around behind the counter, while Jess and Ethan help to get everyone their orders. Alice, Amy and Eva all sit in a booth across from Jason and Luke, who chat and squabble back and forth, occasionally bursting out in uncontained laughter. Kira's mom and dad trade pleasant conversation with my own mother, sharing smiles and showing off pictures on their phones. I grimace, wondering just what embarrassing stories my mom is sharing.

I begin to strum a slow song, not feeling up to singing but still wanting the background noise. I watch the three girls and my brother all shake with laughter, wide smiles lighting up their expressions. Just being able to see them relaxed and happy is worth all the fighting, both physically and in court. With Mike finally contained, our lives and ambitions are able to run wild. It's not only having Mike locked away that's allowing us to flourish, however. It's the simple yet so hard action of forgiving him that got us here. We've all taken the time to forgive. Not in the hopes to forget, but to move on. The trauma still trails behind us, but it doesn't overtake us anymore. My brothers and I will never be what we could have been without our dad's abuse and the girls will never be who they were before their assault. All of these wonderful people never deserved to be hurt. The closure I've come to, however, is that yes, terrible things happen to amazing people, but they persevere. And when they do, the world changes.

My song begins to come to a close just as Kira comes out from behind the counter. I carefully place my guitar back in its case, snapping the latches shut and standing up from my chair.

"Abby told me to go relax," Kira muses, looking behind her to Abby who waves her away.

"As you should," I chuckle. Kira offers me a coffee and a kiss to my cheek that I return with a smile and kiss to her forehead. Someone groans playfully from the booth.

"Get your asses over here, lovebirds. You've got an apartment to do that at now," Jess scolds and Kira shakes her head while rolling her eyes. They've dragged up a table near the booth to join the others conversation. Kira and I both pull up chairs and set our coffees down.

"We were just filling Jason in on the girls found in Basrah," Luke explains with a sad but hopeful smile. The atmosphere of the group is dampened slightly as we all chip in to describe how Mike's sentence led to the discovery of missing girls from Florida in Basrah, Iraq. Within the week that the discovery of the chain of sex trafficking Mike had influence over hit headlines, six women were found and made it back home to Florida.

"It's a miracle that they made it back home alive. I know one of them from highschool. She's such a wonderful person," Kira says solemnly and I offer her a hand that she takes gratefully. She leans on my shoulder and sighs. Amy turns the conversation towards a lighter topic, Luke and Jason both taking interest and starting on their own tangents. I chuckle lightly at them, feeling light with relief that we've made it to this point.

After being released, Jason thankfully got a job at one of the remaining record stores downtown. Until he saves up enough to buy a place of his own, he's living in a small apartment with a few close friends. His aspiration now is to go into law school when he gets on his feet and the idea makes me hopeful. After being arrested under false pretense, Jason is the best one of all of us to continue ensuring the justice of others.

"So, a ring huh?" Jason's suggestive remark pulls my mind from my thoughts with nervous bolts. When I realize he isn't talking to me, however, I relax. Luke flushes red and Jason looks smug. Everyone's attention is on Luke as we wait for him to explain.