April 18th 2021

Chapter 108
Our Opening Into Connection

Ever since Lucas had started his residency, they'd all been left to work out some schedule when it came to Marianne's care. Granny Lizzie was more than happy to look after her, but they didn't want to relegate her to the role of nanny either. As it was, she wasn't the only grandparent or parent in Austin who would be happy to look after her. There was Elizabeth, yes, but also Tanner and Angela Clutterbucket, and Melinda Friar, and then Pappy Joe and Patty Robinson up in Houston, too. So, the plan had come about that she would be home with her great grandmother on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but then she'd be with Granny Mel on Mondays, and Grangie and Gramps on Wednesdays, and Pappy and Patty on Fridays, when the pair would drive out early in the morning and take her out and about.

After leaving the Russell house, Maya made her way to her in-laws' house, there to retrieve her baby girl. By now, Thomas Friar was done with his clients for the day, and so Maya came to find her husband's father sitting on the couch and making her daughter giggle out of control by giving voice to a teddy bear. From what Maya heard, the poor thing was in total distress over losing his hat, and Marianne was gobbling it all up.

"Hey," she announced herself, and Thomas sat up at once, casually collected and 'serious' again.

"I completely lost track of the time, is it… Would you look at that," he looked at his watch and was surprised at what he found. As he stood, he picked up the little one from the couch, where he'd had her sitting propped up at his side. She reacted at once to seeing her mother, and Maya reciprocated the reaction by collecting her into her arms.

"Hey, baby girl, hi…" she kissed her cheek and cradled her head as she did so. She still lamented not getting to be with her all day long, but after two weeks, after seeing how Marianne was adjusting very well to the change, it didn't weigh on her the way it had done before. And to get this moment at the end of the day, this reunion… It was something she looked forward to, every time.

"Lucas called and said he couldn't make it tonight," Thomas told her. That was part of the schedule, too. If they were able, they would have dinner at the elder Friar house on Mondays, and the Hunter Hart house on Wednesdays. Elizabeth and Cara would be directed to meet them here and join them if the dinner was a go, which was not the case this time.

"I know," Maya nodded. "Rain check?"

"Anytime," Thomas assured her.

After saying goodbye to Melinda, which was an ordeal in and of itself, Maya secured Marianne in the minivan and they made their way home. There, she found her grandmother in the midst of making dinner and was told that Cara was upstairs reading for class. Mateo was also on his way to join them. This was becoming more of a thing, and it brought back memories of when Cecilia would drop in most nights, to have dinner with Maya and Lucas and Sam.

"Hey…" Lucas came to find her when he arrived. She'd gone up to the nursery to change Marianne's diaper. "Sorry I ran late," he walked up and kissed the side of her head as she was in the midst of dressing the baby back up again, an act infinitely complicated by how she started to move around at the sight of her father.

"Just hang on there, pumpkin, we have to work together on this," Maya could only laugh. "There you go…" she finished and breathed out, and father and daughter were happily returned to one another. "You know, my dad keeps getting this look about him like he thinks it's funny how we can't wait until she starts to walk? I'm starting to get what he's smiling about," she gestured toward Marianne and Lucas laughed.

"I like it. It's more of a challenge," he joked.

"Yeah, baby wrangling," Maya grinned. "We're the champs."

"So, guess who came by the ranch today," Lucas looked back to her as she cleaned up the changing table.

"Am I going to be able to figure it out?"

"Well… If you had to think of someone that's not exactly one of the usual suspects but has significant reasons to want to be out there…" Lucas offered up the clues. Maya thought for a moment, and another.

"Uncle Walt?" she finally declared, and Lucas chuckled. "Any particular reason or just a visit?"

"No, there was a reason alright. He's finally selling the farm," he revealed. The look on Maya's face showed how long the debate had been going. Ever since Walt's wife, Lucas' Aunt Sarah, had passed away, and the cane had become a necessity, his daughter, Millie, had been trying to convince him to move in with her. He'd been trying right back to get her and her family to move in with him, insisting that it would be a much better investment toward the future. But it was not going to happen, it just wasn't what Millie or her husband were about. This had been going on for a few years.

"What's going to happen to the horses?" Maya asked.

"That's why he came," Lucas nodded. "Six of them are going to be moved into Sullivan Stables, then the other two, they're getting on in years, and it would be pointless to bring them out there, so we fixed it with the Sandersons. They'll take them and keep them up on their farm like they did Troop."

"Oh, that's great," Maya smiled. Her thoughts went to Missy at once, knowing how much she had gotten out of having Trooper out there. It was impossible not to think about how she'd been upset to hear of his passing, too, but it was not the sort of thing that would prevent her from caring for any other horse who might come to inhabit the stable after him. She'd already made it clear that her future was right there on that farm, that her studies would be dedicated toward preparing her beyond what she'd already learned from day one, through her parents and her grandparents. "Guess I'll find out if they told her already the moment that I see her tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, I think they will have told her by now," Lucas laughed, his attention pulled back to Marianne, as she clamped on to his face, one hand at either side. "Yes, Miss Friar, how can I help you?" he asked, captivated by bright blue eyes. "You excited to meet the new horses, too?" There was no telling how long Andromeda and Orion would be with them, if Marianne would ever get to remember them, but he tried not to think about it that way. "How did it go with the drop off?" he looked to Maya again.

"Desi is still very much on her hugging," she breathed out, taken back to that time, outside the Russell house. The girl had not released her for several minutes, had only done it in the end after some gentle encouragement from her big brother, at which point she'd just redirected her hold on to him instead. "A bunch of the kids wrote notes to Khalil, I brought them to him," Maya went on, still touched. That reminded her… "I need to get…" she told herself, walking across the hall and into their room.

Opening the supply box, she pulled out a sketchbook, a new gold marker, and her own marker. She took all this and brought it to sit on her side of the bed as a reminder to prepare it after dinner. Lucas had followed her, and he stood in the door now. She quickly explained the promise she'd made.

"Oh, and I need to make more cookies tonight," she added, remembering this, too. "For Dylan."

"Told you he'd smell them," Lucas directed this tease toward Marianne, who liked her dad's funny faces very much.

"No one told him Family Day was coming… including me, apparently," Maya sighed, which got her husband's attention back. "He was worried about his mother showing up."

"Is she?" Lucas asked.

"Not supposed to, no. Taylor's bringing his father to gym class, and Phoebe is bringing her photographer cousin to art, so… But what if she comes anyway, just to watch?" she asked him and herself, too, as the thought came to her. There was nothing she could do about that, was there? What was she going to do, tell her students that they shouldn't have their mom come to see their presentation? On Family Day? How was she supposed to explain why that was?

"I think it'll be very telling whether she comes or not," Lucas pointed out, when she shared these concerns. "She has to know by now that Dylan is teaching at the school, that he's teaching Phoebe and Taylor." She would, yes, now that he was officially the new gym teacher.

"Would it be though?" Maya asked. "If she doesn't come, she either doesn't care or want to see him, or she doesn't want to create a scene. And if she does come, either she couldn't help herself or she'll just act like she doesn't know him, and then…" Lucas considered this; unfortunately, she had a point. "It's getting closer, and it's going to happen, sooner or later. I know it, he knows it, and Jo Munroe probably does, too."

She would think about it sometimes, couldn't help it. She would imagine the moment Jo Munroe learned that her children's new teacher was a man by the name of Dylan Orlando. Was there even the smallest possibility that this was pure coincidence, that this was some other Dylan Orlando and not her son? Possibly, but what were the odds, really? So then, she would know, and it would change everything, wouldn't it? All this time, she would have had no idea that her secret wasn't so secret as it used to be. She might start to wonder. Would Dylan see Phoebe and Taylor and put two and two together? Surely, he couldn't look at Taylor and not see the resemblance, and he had known Peter Munroe, back in the day, too. It would be so very easy for him to realize the truth. What would he do with it? Maya imagined Jo Munroe had been turning this question over in her head from the moment she heard about the gym teacher.

And now Family Day was coming. So, what would she do about it?

At least once every day or two, Maya would get this thought of reaching out herself. She had the contact information, she could call the woman, talk to her, and tip her hand in no uncertain terms. She could tell her she knew who she was, that she'd been friends with her son for fifteen years, that she cared for him like a brother, and that she also cared very deeply for Phoebe, and for Taylor even as she was still getting to know him. She could inquire over her intentions.

She could… but she wouldn't. Even though the instinct was strong in her, it was brought to face off against the very real idea that this action could actually make things worse for her friend and her students. She was so close to the situation, but she wasn't in it, and right now she didn't see it helping a single thing.

"I know it doesn't sound like much right now, but I think it'll work itself out in the end," Lucas promised.

"I know… I hope…" Maya nodded. She could almost see a point in the future where this was all behind them, but as they were now, it was on the other side of a road of twists and turns which had yet to be revealed to them. And day by day, they were being forced further off of safe grounds.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners