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So now, he did exactly what he always did. He bowed his head and began to pray—that God would somehow use him to restore the light to Darius’s eyes.
Before it was too late.
BRIAN SETTLED COMFORTABLYinto the cushioned chair. Aisle seat, just what he wanted. That way he could get in and out fast. Window seats didn’t interest him. He wasn’t here for sightseeing. Anyway, in this case, he’d seen it all before. Just boring mountains and rivers and wilderness, all the way between Vancouver and Whistler.
He’d decided on the way here that he was done with rental cars too. The Buick LaCrosse he’d been saddled with during his trip to Squaw Valley and back had only confirmed his impressions. The beat-up old thing had reeked of cigarette smoke and body odor, with Cheetos crunched under the seats. The cheap perfume some genius had sprayed all over the inside—probably in a futile attempt to mask the foul odors—hadn’t helped a bit.
No, this time he was traveling in comfort and safety, making the two-hour trip from Vancouver International Airport to Whistler via the prestigious Pacific Coach Line. He remembered Whistler as being a pretty trendy city crawling with millennials, pro athletes, and tree-huggers. In a place like that, he’d definitely be able to get around via Uber.
Pulling out his iPhone, he quickly made a few swipes and presto—he was connected to the free WiFi in the coach. He leaned back a bit further and touched his lime-green phone app.
His Bluetooth was positioned in his ear, as usual. He scrolled through his voicemails. There was a missed call from Ed.
“Hello Brian, this is Ed. I just wanted to check with you and confirm our appointment to see Miss—uh—Mills perform in Chicago on August first. If your plans have changed, please let me know. I look forward to hopefully working with you. Thanks.”
August first. It was coming fast. And couldn’t Ed have gotten Addisyn’s name right at least? Brian rolled his eyes and swiped to another message—one he’d played so many times over the last several months that he knew it by heart.
“Brian, this is Addisyn. I—uh—am not certain of my career direction at present and may decide not to pursue figure skating as my profession. Should I wish to speak with you in the future, I will call you. In the meantime, please do not attempt to contact me. I’m sorry to have to do this, but your behavior leaves me with no choice.” There was a pause here. “Goodbye.”
Brian ripped his Bluetooth out of his ear in exasperation. That had truly been his moment of idiocy. Good grief, he’d had the girl right there—and he’d lost her, all because he couldn’t keep his temper.
He rolled the back of his head uneasily against the headrest. For the first time it occurred to him that this might not be as simple as just locating Addisyn. What if she flatly refused to come with him?
But as the bus wound its way along the rocky coast of the Pacific, Brian’s confidence grew. By the time he hopped briskly out of the bus at the terminal and saw the familiar Whistler banners on the light posts, he was one hundred percent convinced he would find Addisyn. And she would come with him. And she would skate her heart out, as she always did.
He was sure for one simple reason.
Addisyn might not be in love with him. But she would be always in love with skating. And right now, the two of them were synonymous.
DARIUS HATED RAINYsummer days. Something about how the grey fog soaked the air, blotting out the trees and mountains and shrinking the world to the size of a single dirty puddle. Pacific Northwest humidity was nothing to joke about. He stood on his parents’ doorstep and gazed grimly into the dreary wetness.
Every now and then a car zoomed by, windshield wipers wagging, water spraying in arcs from the tires. Clearly, though, traffic was much lighter than normal.
Well, he wouldn’t be taking anyone up Whistler Mountain today. Inclement weather notwithstanding, the climbing center was always closed on Mondays. That meant it was time to switch roles and don his other cap as an Uber driver. Rainy days usually meant more business for him in that line of work. Today, there should be people downtown wanting a ride home, maybe a drive through the area. And he’d be there.
Washed-up Darius Payne, once Canada’s golden boy. Now a cut-rate Uber driver on a rainy afternoon.
He locked the door of the house, remembering to give the handle an extra tug to make sure it was shut securely. Strange, after all this time, he still thought of it as his parents’ house, not his. As if they might yet return to claim it.
What would have happened if his parents had lived? He would have been retired from the ice rink, maybe going to college. He’d have spent his free time with the people who loved and believed in him the most. And he would never have fallen so far.
Both on that slick short track...and the night before. The night that had changed everything.
Darius grabbed a cheap black umbrella from the corner of the porch. It didn’t open till the third try. He huffed in frustration as he ducked his head and raced to his car. The water vapor was so thick in the air that he felt as if he were drowning. Maybe he was.
He couldn’t force the thoughts from his mind anymore. Ever since the day on Whistler with Addisyn, the darkness that had always lurked just underneath the surface had risen like a suffocating smog, threatening to destroy him. Guilt had beaten a well-worn path in his brain, one that his thoughts could easily find and follow.
He punched his app to clock in and then decided to head downtown. More from force of habit than conscious thought, he glanced at the wallet-sized photo taped to the dashboard, right below the radio display.
A selfie of Addisyn and him, that day on their bikes.
He quickly looked away. The pain was more than his fractured soul could stand right now.
He maneuvered slowly along the wet streets to the downtown district, pulled into a roadside parking space, and turned off the car. The rain was even heavier now. Sordid water gurgled down storm drains, carrying bits of trash and old leaves with it. The gray clouds were so thick that some neon signs were already beginning to light up.
Darius checked his app to make sure he was displayed on the map, then leaned back into the seat to wait. The rain on the roof was comforting white noise. It reminded him of being a kid. With a second-story bedroom, he’d always loved the rhythm of rain on the roof when he was studying or sleeping.
He closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Again he wondered what would have been different if his parents had lived. Probably he would be a decent guy, with a nice, sweet girl by his side. A girl like Addisyn.
