Epilogue

"Hey Kev - that you?" The voice was the same, and the young man ambling toward them wore Benny's trademark grin, but Carson Benjamin was dressed to the nines in a brand-new powder-blue leisure suit, shiny-blue shirt and skinny white tie.

"He cleans up pretty nicely, doesn't he?" Jaime said, smiling broadly at Steve as she walked with her arm in his. "And so do you, Carson."

"Thanks. But I really do like 'Benny' better. Been my nickname most of my life."

"It suits you," Steve agreed. "And you can call me Steve."

"And I'm Jaime."

"It's great to finally really meet you both. And you're...together, I take it?" Benny asked.

"Very," Steve confirmed with his own smile.

"I'm glad; you make a really nice picture."

One by one, they took their turns with the shovel: Jaime, Steve, Benny, Harley, Bicycle Charlie and Sheila Gravis. Each turned one shovel of dirt, then walked among the strung-up ribbons that marked where each room of the new Eclipse Home and Shelter would be built. There would be 12 semi-permanent and 6 emergency beds for male residents and 32 semi-permanent and 16 emergency beds for women and children. A large room just off the women's section was earmarked for 'Sheila's Daycare' and a room in the middle, which would be filled with comfortable chairs and rows and rows of shelves, would soon be called 'Carson's Corner'. A huge room in the back, with a kitchen to be built just behind it, would proudly bear a sign reading 'Harley's Place'. The soup kitchen would feed not only the clients of Eclipse, but hundreds of the area's hungriest residents, as well - solely on community-donated food and labor. A shed out back would soon be filled with bicycles to be signed out by anyone with the need and would be labeled 'Charlie's Bike Shack'.

Jaime sighed with contentment as she turned around for one more look. "We can't help everyone, but at least we can do something - and I'm so grateful for that."

Benny nodded wisely. "If everyone did something, that's all it would take..."

END