Chapter 27

Tuesday is Halloween. Traditionally, few kids come by our place because the houses are so far apart. Dahlia points out that with everything we do, we have always had far more people show up than expected. We now have hundreds of employees. Almost half of those are teens, and most of them have younger brothers and sisters. Add to that, since many of the teens also have a parent working with us, we have a lot of families loyal to us. You have to expect a large turnout.

Our beach park at the Langford Lake property isn’t completely built, but it is too cold to swim anyway. There are permanent charcoal barbecues mounted under a roof, and there is plenty of space. We figured that the worst part of Halloween is when you try to get all the kids fed then dressed in time to go out trick or treating. We set it up so the parents could just send their kids to us with their costumes for a BBQ, and when they are done eating, we will put them in their costumes. So, how does a boy and his four girlfriends get a gaggle of children into their costumes? That is easy. We don’t.

As soon as school is over, the five of us head straight for Langford lake. Even before we get there, a bunch of the girls that we helped free are there. We figured that it would be a good first step for them to be in a social gathering without it being something like a dance where they would have to worry about boys.

While we were at school, the bike and boat manufacturing employees built a bunch of stations. At each station is another child’s party game, like bobbing for apples. My girls were each given assignments to make this happen. Moira was in charge of organizing the volunteers and recruiting them. Carol is in charge of the games. Kim was in charge of getting the stations built, and Dahlia is in charge of getting the kids dressed, and I got the BBQ.

My girls are all excited as we arrive. They jump out of the SUV and hug our volunteers. As soon as they calm down somewhat, Moira starts handing out assignments as to who goes to which station. While that is happening, Carol goes from station to station, making sure each girl knows how to run the games, and Dahlia goes around, making sure that there are sufficient treats at each game. Kim is checking the stations to make sure everything has been built the way she wanted.

As soon as I have finished checking the stations for treats, I start the barbecues. I have to get all these girls fed before the kids start showing up. As soon as the girls are finished whatever they are doing, they head into the portable change rooms we have set up for our cycle team. One by one, the girls reemerge in costume.

Moira excitedly steps up to me and asks, “When are you going to get changed?”

“When you girls are fed. And, don’t for one second think I am going to wear the costume you got me. I will wear it to the school dance, but it is a bit too provocative to wear for a bunch of kids. I have Gun running out to get me a Dracula costume.”

We weren’t supposed to open up until 4:30, but a few parents drop their kids off early. Many of the parents stick around to help out.

Just like everything we have tried to date, more people come to show their support than we anticipate, and we end up sending people to Zellers to clear them of all their candy as well as Thrifty’s to clear them of their BBQ supplies.

As the little ones and their parents start clearing out, I notice a bunch of cars pull into the parking lot. I recognize one as Murphy’s family car. Out steps Kevin as his Dad drops him and a group of teen boys off. I am exhausted. I want to get off my feet for a snack when Kevin approaches, saying, “Surprise.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate everybody wanting to celebrate Halloween with us, but I’m cooked out. I need to sit down and get something to eat.”

“I would have thought you would be full after standing in front of a BBQ for how long, snacking.”

“Ok, I was snacking, but I am a teenager. I need food. I still need to get off my feet.”

“Haha, don’t worry. We already ate. We just came to hang out. Then we will tear it all down and clean the place up.”

As the hour went on, more and more cars show up. I wouldn’t exactly call it a party. The teens try out the juvenile games and have fun, but it is mostly just a rather large group of friends hanging out. I think it is what the girls need after everything they have been through over the past few years. I don’t know who planned the hijacking of the kid’s party, but it was a good idea, and I am glad they did it.

The teens that arrive have already eaten, and I am tired, so I make myself a small plate and head into the office. Ironically, it is not one of my girlfriends that has noticed me leaving the festivities. It is Ashanti, one of my first friends to be drugged and raped. I just get comfortable at my desk, about to eat when Ashanti comes through the door. She is a 15-year-old black girl, who I warned not to try and help Jen. She didn’t heed my warning, and they forced Jen to help trap her. That was only weeks after Jen was entrapped herself.

Ashanti lightly knocks on my door and opens it as I say, “Come in.”

“Why aren’t you out there with everybody? You are the reason we are all here.”

“I am glad everybody is having fun, but I’m not used to crowds. I know that I have been here for almost a year and have been surrounded by people almost the entire time, but for me, it’s still exhausting. Before I moved here, I was the lonely boy that nobody liked.”

I can’t tell her that I was mostly alone for 70 years. It takes more than one short year to change how a person reacts to a crowd. I remember when I moved to Victoria in my first life. I had just joined the navy and had left a load of shit behind. I used to joke that since I joined the military, nobody has shot at me, stabbed me or tried to kill me. It still took me five years before I could be in a crowd without extreme anxiety. It was almost ten years before I could sit in a restaurant without my back to a wall. After I left the military, those anxieties came back.

She tentatively walks over to hug me and says, “It is hard for the rest of us to remember that. You are always the one to lead a crowd in the right direction. I remember your first day in school in Victoria. I know now that you must have been nervous, but to us, you were the boy that saved the kids up north. Then you started helping Dahlia, Carol, Blair, Kevin, and the list goes on. Between the three schools, you probably have two or three hundred girls that love you but are too scared to do anything about it. And that only counts the ones you just rescued.”

“If people want to thank somebody, they should thank Debora and Jennifer. Deb risked her life to help me figure out what was going on. And, Jen is in the hospital because she handed me the last piece of the puzzle I needed to put it all together. Then there are the police that arrested everybody. All I did was ask some questions and tried to show the girls at school how to prevent getting sucked in.”

“To tell the truth, I don’t know what to think about Jen. On one hand, I understand that it wasn’t her fault. On the other hand, she is the one that set a trap for me. If it weren’t for her, I never would have been raped.”

“Forgiveness is not for the one that did wrong. Forgiveness is for you to take back the power they stole from you and start putting the hurt in the past where it belongs. Forgive Jen. It will help you. Besides, she almost died in a very gruesome way to save you from any more pain. You owe it to yourself, and you owe it to her.”

“But, I can’t forget what happened.”

“Then don’t. I didn’t say for you to be her friend. It will likely be a long time before that happens.”

“Are you sure?”

“I have never been raped, but I was gang beaten for almost seven years. If you don’t forgive and let it go, it will eat at you, and you will never learn to have a happy life again.”

“I’ll try.”

“That is all I ask. You also have to remember that you dragged Debora to Jen’s that day. She could have many of the same feelings towards you that you have for Jen. Be patient with her.”

“Ok.”

“I can’t imagine that it is too comfortable for you to be alone with a boy right now. You should rejoin the others.”

“But.”

“I understand that you want to thank me, but I also know how this terrifies you. Baby steps. Next time you can stay a little longer. Ok?”

“Ok, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, go have fun.”

She has no idea that it was just a little while ago that I would have felt the same way she just did, trying to have a conversation. If you wonder why I do the things that I do, this is a big part of it. Nobody should have to feel the way Ashanti does.

Since the first attempt on my life, Carol has been the most attentive of my girlfriends. I am just finishing up on my supper when she steps in the office, complaining, “Why did you disappear?”

“You should know by now that I don’t like crowds. I will go and make my rounds in a minute.”

“Ok, but I’m not leaving here until you do. I know you well enough to know that if I don’t push, you will just hide. The people out there came here as much to see you as they did to have fun. They deserve your attention.”

“You’re right. I have also been thinking. Why stop at helping the girls that were traumatized. I have two other projects I want to get off the ground.”

“What is it this time?”

I know it sounds like she is being derogatory, but she isn’t. She is interested, but she is my tomboy and isn’t the most articulate of my girlfriends.

“I think we need to set up a meeting with Dahlia and Debora. Couture tried to destroy the Canadian logging industry and deliver it to American companies. I say we take it back and improve it at the same time. We are already working on building industry and helping individuals. It is time to fix the environment.”

“That sounds like a plan. We can scoop those two up after you do your rounds. I remember how much Deb used to go on about the environment. This will be good for her. What is the other thing?”

“I haven’t told many people this, but I used to live in a place where it was common for men to be raped. When a woman is abused, there are many different support groups that she can turn to. Yes, many people will let her down, but she quickly learns who her friends and family are. Sadly, some people will turn on her, but a woman typically always has people she can turn to.

“When a man is raped, it is a completely different story. Little boys may recover, but close to 100% of all men that are raped kill themselves. They have no support. If a case somehow makes it to court, the judge will laugh at it and dismiss it. There is nowhere for a man to turn to for help. After having their lives destroyed, society kicks them when they are down, leaving them no choice but to kill themselves. It is time we change that.”

“I never thought about it. Who knew that men get raped?”

“It happens a lot more often than you think. It is just as easy to use a date rape drug on a man as it is a woman.”

“How come you never hear about it?”

“I have heard about it plenty. You haven’t heard about it because what girl would date a guy that claims to have been raped? Admitting it is admitting that he isn’t a man at all. When a woman tells a man that there was abuse in her past, it is difficult for her to admit, but any man who cares for the woman would be supportive. If he isn’t, she knows he isn’t the one, and she can move on. It is completely different.”

“Where would you have a support group like that?”

“Fort Grand, Grande Prairie, Prince George and Edmonton.”

“I see you thought a lot about it.”

“There is no need to think about it. To me, it is obvious. I have also read a few studies about it in the future. To be honest, I have no clue how successful a place like that would be. NO guy wants to admit they need that kind of help.”

“Enough of this dreary talk. We have people waiting on us.”

I do as asked and make my rounds. It is 9 pm when I am back in my office with Debora, Carol, Moira and Dahlia. Debora is a bit nervous, so Moira sits next to her, holding Deb.