* Maya POV*
This isn't how I planned my life turning out.
That's what I'm thinking as I sit out on my apartment balcony, sipping my coffee, taking in the quiet New Orleans morning. In a few hours, the French Quarter below will be filled with people, but I like this time of day because it's peaceful and not so hot outside. Still humid, but that's July in the south.
I moved to New Orleans a month ago with my two kids when I was offered a job teaching art at Tulane University. I soon fell in love with the city. The art, the culture, the music, the food...it's all incredible. It fits me. I didn't expect that. I thought I'd live in New York my whole life, but my gut told me that I needed a change, a fresh start, a new adventure.
My life in New York had been like one big uphill battle. First, my dad left when I was a kid. My mom struggled to take care of me. At least I had friends though, great ones. Being with them made me happy. Unfortunately, I lost some of them along the way. We were young. We made bad choices. At eighteen, I got pregnant with my daughter and got married way before I was ready. I had my son soon after, but my marriage was already falling apart. The kids couldn't save it. So, we got divorced. For the most part, my ex and I have stayed on good terms though.
A few years after the divorce, I decided to go to college. I'd tried the whole housewife thing, but what I really wanted to do was teach art. It wasn't easy. I had to make time to study and do homework while raising my kids and working part-time to get me through. Luckily, my mom and stepdad, Shawn, helped out a lot. I still didn't have time for a love life though. During that eight year period, I only had one serious relationship. It fell apart after about a year because he started drinking and partying, and I didn't want the kids around that.
Sometimes, I think I'm just meant to be single. My daughter is always trying to get me to date again, but I have her and her brother and this new job...that's enough. Besides, there have only been two men in my life who I really thought could be my soulmate. I divorced one of them, and the other I haven't seen in fifteen years. We haven't spoken since the day I broke his heart. And my own.
But all that is in the past now. My focus is on the future.
And that future starts now.
A/N: To anyone who's reading this, thanks for checking out my story! It's just a futuristic idea I came up with while watching GMW reruns the other day. Let me know if you like?