Illusions Complete Series (Illusions Series Volumes 1-3)

by Annie Jocoby

  We had started out, five years ago, small. Ryan and I got all the necessary permits to open up an animal shelter that took in dogs and cats. Neither of us had much experience in this sort of thing. I mean, I did pit bull rescues when Ryan and I had met, and continued to do this, periodically, for years. But that was my extent of knowing about how to run an animal shelter. Ryan had no experience at all in that sort of thing. So, there was a steep learning curve, I was finding. But it helped that we had the money to hire the best talent there was. We were able to find an executive director with 30 years experience. Our fund-raisers were second to none. Our veterinarians were also top-notch. Most importantly, we were able to find people who had on- the-ground experience running a shelter.

  And our dogs and cats were in the lap of luxury. No cement pens and small cages for them. With help from a socialization expert, we were able to group animals in large rooms that were outfitted with toys, blankets and cushions. These dogs had each other, and that was important. Dogs are pack animals, and we acknowledged that. We also were able to give each of these dogs love and exercise – we did it, we found volunteers to do this, and were also able to hire quite a few full-time employees who were dedicated to giving the dogs the proper care and love that they deserved.

  After about a year of running the shelter full-time, we decided to branch out into a sanctuary that would take in all kinds of different animals. We bought several acres of land, and we took in everything from llamas and goats to horses and cows. We also took in wild animals. Whenever there was a case of horses that were neglected and starving, we were one of the first people who were contacted. If there was an injured deer, she was brought to us. If there was a pit bull ring that was busted, the dogs were brought to us. We were busy making sure that as many animals as possible were rehabilitated and either returned to the wild or given a loving home. Some just became full-time residents, for whatever reason – perhaps they were too old for most people, or perhaps they were in need of socialization.

  And, as promised by Ryan, all those years ago, Polly the horse came to live at our sanctuary full-time. She was just as beautiful as ever, and she seemed to remember me. Ryan bought himself a horse as well, and Dalilah got her own pony. Horseback riding became something that we enjoyed doing as a family, and we tried to go out on trails at least once a week.

  Life was wonderful. We were running the sanctuary full-time, and Ryan decided that there was a need to branch out. After all, there were animals all over the world that were neglected and abused, and they needed our help. We had the money to make a difference. Not many people could say that. So, Ryan developed an international foundation that was dedicated to helping animals around the world. Part of the foundation was devoted to lobbying efforts on behalf of factory farm animals. This part of the foundation was dedicated to trying to influence legislation that affected animals. Part of the foundation was dedicated to research that would alleviate the pressures that farmers had, so that there would be a possibility that food could be raised in a much more ethical manner, while still affording a profit to the farmers who raised the food. Part of the foundation was simply supplying grant funding to organizations that were geared towards helping animals. And part of the foundation was focused upon pushing for international treaties that would require that animals have more protections in other countries. And another part of the foundation was strictly PR. That part of the foundation was focused upon getting the word out about the plight of research animals, factory farm livestock and the like.

  Of course, our lives were not completely focused around animals. It was just a passion that we were able to develop, because we had a never-ending spigot of money that would help us really make a difference in the world.

  And, of course, we had to walk the walk, so we became vegans and gave up any kind of animal products around the home. That was challenging at first, but I found a great vegan chef who was able to teach us how to get proper nutrition and make everything taste great. I learned from her enough that I became a pretty good vegan cook myself, so myself, Ryan and Dalilah always had delicious and nutritious food on the table.

  But our passions were not just for our animals – all of our animals – but also for each other. I was right five years ago – Ryan and I had gone through fire. Through some of the worst things that could possibly happen to anybody. And it didn’t break us, although I often thought, while I was in the thick of it, that it would. Actually, looking back, I realized that all of our trials strengthened us. We knew that we could get through the worst things that life could throw at us, come what may. Because of this, little problems that cropped up were just that – little problems. We had our everyday quarrels and disagreements, then would realize that if everything that happened to us didn’t break us, nothing would.

  And it also helped us, because it made us realize that life was so very fleeting. Ryan almost died, and so did I. If the bullet had landed a millimeter to the left or the right, then he probably wouldn’t be here. And, if he was here, he would be permanently in a wheelchair. But he was alive and he was perfectly healthy, so he was eternally grateful, and so was I. But, because we were faced with the ephemeral nature of life, we knew that we had to savor every single moment with each other, because we knew, probably more than most people, that every moment with each other could be our last.

  So, we savored every moment with each other. Our passion for each other never dimmed even one iota. We had been together for over seven years at this point, and we loved each other more today than we did yesterday, and would love each other even more tomorrow. It was kind of crazy that we were able to find one another and stay together despite the odds, but we were both so glad that we did.

  And Dalilah was living up to her potential so far. She took after her father – she was just under six years old, and she already had read several books that were at a college level. She wasn’t quite reading Proust, but she was reading Dickens and even Tolstoy. Even so, some of her favorite books were Harry Potter and Twilight. And her artwork was amazingly sophisticated. She really was a prodigy in that area. Her work had a sophistication well beyond her years. Ryan was able to teach her the art fundamentals and techniques, and she took to them like a Golden Retriever to lake water. She had studied some of the genres, and was able to come with a fusion that was distinctively hers. A little bit cubism, a little bit impressionism, and a lot surrealism. I couldn’t believe my eyes when she created her little masterpieces. A future Van Gogh, I thought.

  And she was just as strong-willed as I thought she would be. There was no telling her what to do. She had a mind of her own, and she had her own thoughts. I found myself wishing that she was just a normal child – learning to read, making friends in school, having sleepovers and generally being a kid. Dalilah didn’t have too much trouble fitting in at school, though. She was in a very exclusive private school that was extremely rigorous, so she was stimulated as much as possible. The teachers had suggested that she skip some grades, but Dalilah refused to even consider it.

  “No, mom. I won’t do it. I have friends in my class, and they won’t talk to me if I skip ahead. Anyhow, I don’t really want to be around older kids. They’re bigger than me and they already have their cliques. So, if you really want me to be a social pariah, go ahead and skip me ahead. But if you want me to be a happy, well-adjusted child, then I suggest that you leave me exactly where I am.”

  I was the lawyer, yet she was the skilled debater.

  I just sighed. “But, Dalilah, aren’t you a little bored? Most of those kids are just learning to read, and you’re already on the classics.”

  Dalilah just shrugged. “Yeah, it’s boring. But my gifted and talented courses are challenging enough. There are other kids in there who are almost at my level. And, if you think about it, school doesn’t really mean that much to me, academically-wise. It’s most important for my social well-being, and, socially, I’m doing very well. So, please, mom, please leave me where I am.”

  So,
Dalilah stayed right where she was – she was six years old and still in the first grade. She was exactly where she wanted to be, and I had a feeling that she would be calling the shots on her life for the rest of our lives.

  And Nick – well, that was another story for another day. He finally fell out of love with me, thank god, and he became our greatest asset and friend. And he finally found somebody to love. Somebody real who loved him for him, and not for his pocketbook. He was happier than I had ever seen him. His man-whore ways were gone. The woman was so not like his usual bimbos, and she gave him a hard time when he first tried to pursue her. But he won out in the end, and won her heart.

  Even Alexis was doing well. She was able to stay on her meds and was stable ever since her stay in the mental hospital more than five years ago. She also was able to finally give up the illegal drugs that had haunted her life. Ryan helped her overcome all of her demons, and gave her money to live on for a few years. But she was doing so much better that she was able to find another law job, albeit at a much smaller salary than before, so she no longer had to rely upon Ryan. She had to learn how to live like a normal person, which meant that her standards were lowered quite a bit. Her new job had a wonderful perk, however – she met somebody there who she promptly fell in love with, and they started living happily together within a few months of meeting.

  That person was a woman, which surprised Alexis as much as it did everybody else.

  Alexis and her girlfriend, Anna, even made plans to be married. Not legally, of course. Missouri was still backwards on the gay marriage thing, although a Supreme Court case that was coming up would probably change that. But, even if gay marriage wasn’t legalized in Missouri, Alexis and Anna would still be having a commitment ceremony.

  So, there was an invitation that came in the mail announcing this ceremony. I was excited to meet Anna, as was Ryan. We were even more excited to find out that Alexis and Anna were in the process of adopting a child from Russia. Alexis had found out what all of us had – that love was the only thing in life that mattered. Once she figured that out, she was able to find peace and no longer had the need to overspend.

  As for Natalie – she and Nate were on their third child. Natalie had long since quit her job at Goldman Sachs to become a full-time mom. We went to visit them at least twice a year, in their new house in Connecticut, and there no longer was the undercurrent of tension. Natalie loved Nate and now merely saw Ryan as a really good friend. We were actually able to laugh about all that happened before with Natalie and the pregnancy issue. I never thought that was possible, but it was.

  All in all, we were happy. Really, really happy. Yes, we were literally billionaires. Just one of our Rembrandt paintings that was inherited from Benjamin would give us enough money to live on for about 1,000 lifetimes. But that didn’t matter. We didn’t live like billionaires. We lived well, but we didn’t sit around and just try to amass more money. We made a difference in the lives of these animals, and we made a difference in the lives of each other and our friends.

  This was our story. Nothing was ever perfect in life, but, all in all, it came damned close.

  THE END

  This is the third book in the Illusions trilogy. Deeper Illusions can be found at goo.gl/qnDGPg. Beautiful Illusions can be found at goo.gl/LUi7Eq.

  Extra Extra!

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  This series will shortly be followed by a brand-new spinoff series, which will be a New Adult series featuring a grown-up Dalilah, followed by another series featuring everybody’s favorite man whore, Nick O’Hara. These are fascinating secondary characters to me who deserve their own stories, don’t ya think?

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