Chapter 9 - The Reclamation of Damen Street
By the spring, the corner of 18th and Damen had become a place of laughter and fresh paint.
The old brick tenement had been completely gutted and rebuilt, its facade cleaned of the green paint to reveal the rich, historic red brick beneath. New double-pane windows reflected the bright spring sky, and a community garden had been installed in the vacant lot next door, its wooden raised beds filled with fresh soil and the green shoots of early tomatoes and roses.
A brass plaque had been mounted near the entrance, with the words:
The Salazar-Vance Community Center. Dedicated to the Builders of Chicago.
I stood in the courtyard, wearing a simple linen shirt and jeans, my hands covered in dark soil as I helped Mrs. Higgins plant a row of red geraniums along the path.
"They look beautiful, Julian," Mrs. Higgins said, wiping her forehead with a clean handkerchief. She was wearing a new blue dress, her face bright and healthy, her eyes clear of the desperate panic she had carried in the snow. "Mary is going to love them when she comes down."
"She’s coming down now," a voice called out from the doorway.
Mary stood on the stone steps, wearing a soft white summer dress, her dark hair grown out to a neat, stylish bob that completely covered the surgical scar on her left temple. She was leaning slightly on a carved wooden cane, but her stride was steady, her face filled with a radiant, healthy light that owed nothing to the medical machinery.
Beside her, Lauren was running down the steps, her pink dress billowing behind her, her brand-new sandals clicking happily against the concrete.
"Daddy!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around my neck as I crouched down to catch her. "Look! Mommy let me help her with the tea!"
"It’s a very good tea, Lauren," Mary smiled, walking slowly down the path to join us, her hand resting on my shoulder as I stood up.
I looked at them—my daughter, my wife, and the old woman who had kept them alive when I was too busy conquering the world.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a call from the New York office, a senior partner wanting to discuss a twenty-million-dollar acquisition in London.
I pulled the phone out, looked at the screen for a brief second, and then pressed the power button until the screen went completely black.
May you like
"Is everything okay at the office, Julian?" Mary asked, her eyes searching mine.
"The office is fine, Mary," I said, sliding the phone back into my pocket and reaching out to wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her close against my side. "The towers can build themselves today. I’ve already found the stone I was looking for."
