Brighter Days (Kris Bryant)

Faith to Fall Back On

Valor

The last two weeks of my life have been the most exhausting ones to date. Being back home gave me the sense of normalcy I needed to push myself back into my routine. From the moment my coffee kissed my tired lips out on my tiny balcony this morning, I knew standing here in the cool air that I had to find a way to make the rest of this day special. After all, if everything played out the way I needed it to my life was going to take a step in the right direction.

Today was my final interview with Theo Epstein. He was the President of Operations for the Chicago Cubs. Opportunities like this don't grace me with their presence too often, especially the ones that pursue me and not the other way around. Several weeks ago I received a random phone call from a member of Theo's board asking if I would like to sit down with all of them to review my portfolio. I've been working for a local Chicago newspaper as their chief photographer so I was deeply involved with the community. How they got a hold of me I'm still not sure, but I knew I couldn't pass this up.

I almost made it out the door before my dog Melon reminded me that he needed to be walked.

"I'm so sorry bubba!" I gasped as I opened the door and he lumbered his way out.

Melon was given to me by my brother Everett right before I left to live here in Chicago. Everett knew that if he couldn't move out to Chicago with me that Melon's presence would have to suffice.

I made sure to get to Theo's office early, that way I wasn't stressing to making it on time. Ten o'clock rolled around and all I could focus on was the incessant taps of the ballpoint pen Theo's assistant was making on his desk.

"He's usually late if that makes you feel any better," he smirked.

"Just a tad bit anxious, no big deal," I joked.

Several more minutes passed by before Theo himself barged through the set of glass doors into the lobby.

"I'm so sorry about that. He told you I was gonna be late right?" he questioned.

"Mhm," I nodded with a giggle.

"Alright, let's get this interview going. And by interview I mean I'm gonna flatter you in every way possible and sweet talk you until you're forced to join my staff," he winked.

He opened the door to his office and ushered me in before making his way in behind me. He let me take a moment to admire all of the memorabilia he had hanging up in his office while he unpacked his briefcase.

"I hope your ride here wasn't too hectic," he huffed before sitting down at his desk. "Please take a seat Ms. James," he extended his hand to a seat of my own.

"It wasn't too bad," I shrugged.

"Good. Let's get right to it, shall we? I've gone through your portfolio front to back, up and down, and all the way through. Let me exhibit some candor here and just bring to light that you take some of the most amazing photos I've ever seen. I mean really, you capture an entire story in everything you do," he explained.

"Ah, thank you that means so much," I smiled sheepishly.

"It's something I think you should be incredibly proud of. I've shown this to just about everyone I know and they all agree," he nodded.

"That's all I'm trying to do here honestly. Telling those stories is my sole purpose when I capture photos," I told him.

I could feel the subtle trembling of anxiousness making it's way into my bones as I watched Theo pull a thick packet of paper from his top drawer.

"We've taken the liberty of drawing up a contract for you. You would receive complete creative authority in terms of shooting photos, and I have a whole media team at your disposal. I just want you to get to know all my players and what makes them so special so that the people of Chicago know who they really are. We also have a monthly newsletter I would like you to be in charge of that consists of work that's being done in the community as well as charity events going on, and just other events in general that our team is hosting..."

He paused to make sure that I was registering what he was saying.

"I know it's a lot to take in but I promise that you will have all the the resources you need to be successful. In terms of scheduling you'll be traveling with the team unless instructed to do otherwise," he smiled assuringly. "All I need is for you to say yes."

I thought about it for a long moment and I came to a realization that I had a question I was too scared to ask.

"What's wrong? What don't you like, I can change it!" he exclaimed.

"No it all sounds magical, but the thing is I have a dog. And I know it sounds so silly, but we've never been apart so I'm just trying to figure out how I could make it all work," I rambled.

"Well that's easy!" He threw his hands up into the air. "Is it friendly?"

"He's a big baby," I beamed with pride.

"Would you be opposed to letting him stay with my family? He'd get the best care and when you're home I won't have a problem with letting you stay together," he suggested.

I was taken aback by his offer just because I didn't really imagine him being this selfless when I was going through scenarios in my head.

"You would do that for me?" I asked in disbelief.

"Of course Valor. I'm not playing around here. I really need you here and I want you to be comfortable. I'm not asking you to marry me, I'm just asking you to marry my team," he laughed.

"Then yes," I answered. "I would be honored Theo. "

"Excellent!" he clapped.

He gave me a long while to go over the contract with him so that we could clear any doubts or misconceptions before I finally signed it.

"Alright, now it's time for the fun stuff. Would you like to take a tour of the facility?" he asked.

"Is that even a question?" I asked back.

The tour was very thorough and took a good couple of hours. Theo made sure to give me all the time I needed to get myself acquainted with everyone on staff. Considering all that's happened these last two weeks and just about the last year of my life up until this point, I finally felt like I was coming up for air. As I made my way down every hallway and corridor and as I was greeted by warm smiles everywhere I looked, I was overcome with a special kind of joy. One that made me feel welcomed, like I belonged here. I just hoped that meeting the actual team would be just as pleasant.

A note from me to you:
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I haven't done any writing online in a while, so any comments on what you like or don't like would be appreciated! I know it seems kind of short but I personally think it's a good running start to this story. So what exactly happened to Valor that had her feeling the way that she did after the last two weeks? Let's wait and see!