A few days after Josh ran into Maya at O'Malley's Pub, he called Riley to see if they could get together and talk. He told her he wanted to "catch up." Riley was delighted to hear from her favorite uncle and eagerly agree to their get together. She offered to cook diner for him one night. That way, they would have more time to talk, just the two of them. Josh was happy with that idea, so they set up an evening for their dinner together.
On the evening of the dinner, when Riley opened the door to let her Uncle Josh in, she was pleasantly surprised. He had brought her two gifts: a box of designer chocolates from her favorite candy shop and two large, three-wicked candles.
"Oh, Uncle Josh," Riley exclaimed excitedly, "you shouldn't have. These gifts are wonderful." She hugged his neck and gave him a loving kiss on the cheek to show her appreciation for his thoughtfulness.
"I wanted to Riley," he began. "It was so nice of you to cook dinner for us. I love your cooking. I think you're a better cook that your mother or mine. But don't tell them I said that."
Riley laughed out loud at that as she put the candles and candy away. "Don't worry, I won't. But I did learn from two very good cooks."
"That you did," Josh said with a smile.
"Sit Uncle Josh, "Riley says. "Dinner won't be ready for a few more minutes, so we can relax before we eat. Would you like something to drink? Beer? Wine?"
"Do you have a bottled water?" He asks. "I haven't been in much of a drinking mood lately."
"Sure," Riley says. She thought it peculiar that he didn't want beer or wine. He usually has one during casual get-togethers, especially with family. But she shrugs her shoulders and gets his water and decides to drink water with him.
"How's work been Uncle Josh?" Riley asks after they sit down to dinner.
"It's been great. I love my work, even though it can get hectic at times. But it makes the day go by quicker. And so far, my bosses like the work I'm doing. There may in fact, be a promotion coming my way. A junior partner position is coming available soon and I just might be in line for it."
"That's wonderful Uncle Josh," Riley begins. "I know grandma and grandpa are proud of you. And so are mom and dad; and me too," she adds with her customary big smile.
"What about you Riley? How are you enjoying teaching?" Josh asks.
"I love it Uncle Josh. I'm so glad I decided to go into teaching. And teaching grammar school kids is the best. They're so bright-eyed and eager to learn. I want to be a good teacher like dad and inspire them to keep on learning."
Josh smiles. Riley's just a grown-up version of who she's always been: optimistic, full of hope, and eager to help others. "Everyone's proud of you too Riley. My mom & dad and your mom & dad especially; Cory especially. You know, I've been with him at different functions and he can't help but brag about you. That's fine, but in typical Cory fashion, he gets excited and embellishes a little. He tells everyone that you're carrying on in the family business." Riley laughs at that. "Topanga quickly points out to him that he's the only teacher in his family before you and that she's a lawyer, but he just ignores her and goes on. It's hilarious, but also adorable. He and your mom, and Auggie too, couldn't be prouder of you Riley. Same goes for me." Riley blushes slightly and thanks Josh for his complement. She looks up to Josh almost as much as she does her mom and dad. For the rest of their dinner, they talk about a variety of things: the weather, new places to eat, new paces to go and see, what they want for their future and many others.
As they're enjoying desert and coffee after dinner, Riley, who's always been observant, begins to notice Josh seems to be skirting around something. Like there's something else he wants to talk about but for some reason can't or won't. So, she decides to move the conversation along. "Okay Uncle Josh, I can tell you're holding something back." He raises an eyebrow at that. "We're close Uncle Josh, more like brother and sister, and I can read you almost as well as I can read Auggie; so spill." She gives him an encouraging smile after that.
Josh decides that he might as well jump right into it: "A few days ago, I ran into Maya at O'Malley's Pub."
As soon as he says that, Riley's smile disappears. "Oh," she says softly. She was expecting her uncle to want to talk about a girl problem or something else light like that. But now she knew the rest of their conversation was going to be serious, very serious.
"So you saw how she is now?" Riley asks cautiously; not knowing the extent of his knowledge about her best friend.
"Yeah, I guess," he replied. "She was almost falling-down drunk, she twisted everything I said into something bad, she screamed and yelled at me as if I were her worst enemy, and she cursed me and went home with a guy I would never have dreamed she's even associate with much less live with. It was depressing."
"I know," Riley replied softly and with a sad look on her face.
"You've seen her like that too?" Josh asks.
"I have," Riley answers him, "and you're right, it's depressing. It was the same with me. She became more irritable and wanted to talk less and less, especially about what was happening to her. When I would ask her what was going on, she'd just get mad and shut me out. She'd usually go to her room, shut the door, and not come out until she went to work the next morning. She started coming home a little drunk and just pass it off as a few drinks with co-workers after work. I believed her at first, but then I'd smell alcohol on her breath in mornings before work. When I asked her about that, she'd just tell me it was none of my business. Then she started being late with rent and utility money. We had agreed to share expenses when we moved in together. Again, she just passed it off as no big deal, but it was. I could tell she was changing. There were nights when she didn't come home at all and I wouldn't hear from her in days. She wouldn't answer when I called or texted her and I started worrying about her safety. When I confronted her about it, she just told me to grow up, she wasn't a little girl anymore and didn't need for me to 'be her mommy,' her words, not mine. It all came to a head one night when we had a big fight." She looks at Josh now with tears in her eyes and continues: "She said awfully things to me Uncle Josh, terrible things, and then moved out. I've only seen her a couple of times since then when she came by to pick up some personal things and clothes. And later when she took all her art supplies with her."
"And you haven't seen her since?" Josh asked.
"No," Riley answered softly. "I finally went by the art studio where she worked to talk to her, but they told me they had to let her go a few weeks ago and they didn't know where she was. I think they wanted to tell me more, but didn't, to spare my feelings. They knew how close we were."
Josh reached out and held Riley's hand, hoping to comfort her. He knew what Riley had just told him hurt her; that something bad happening to Maya was like something bad happing to her. As if someone had deeply cut one of Riley's hands or arms. He could see the pain in her eyes. But she did manage a small smile. Acknowledging his small gesture of comfort. Josh sighed deeply then. He had more he wanted to talk to Riley about and he knew it'd be painful, but he felt it needed to be discussed. "Brody," he began, "the bartender at O'Malley's that I know, believes that Maya might be an alcoholic." Riley's head jerked up suddenly now as her eyes me Josh's. He could see her lower lip begin to quiver as she struggled to compose herself. "What do you think?" He asked timidly.
"That's what I'm afraid of Uncle Josh," she answered, "and so do mom and dad."
"Cory and Topanga know?" Josh asked surprised.
Riley nods her head. "And so does Uncle Shawn and Aunt Katy." When Josh gives her a questioning look, she continues: "We've all known about her condition for some time now. She's had bad fights with all of us, the same as you: yelling, name calling, and cursing. It's broken all out hearts."
"What didn't you tell me Riley?" Josh questions.
"We didn't want to worry anyone else Uncle Josh. There was nothing you could have done. You've already seen that. It was just the five of us, until now. I call it the 'Maya Committee.' And now you're a part of it." Josh smiles slights at that. "That's just like Riley," he thinks to himself. "We want to be ready when Maya needs our help."
"She needs our help now Riley." Josh implores her.
"I know," Riley tells him. "But it isn't that simple. Maya has to want our help. And right now, she doesn't believe she needs any help." When Riley sees that Josh has more questions, she says: "Look Uncle Josh, I know you have more questions. I'm meeting with mom, dad, Uncle Shawn, and Aunt Katy this Friday night to talk about this and to encourage and support each other. We do it fairly regularly. Since you know about Maya now, why don't you meet with us. That way, you can get all your questions answered."
"All right," Josh says, "I'll do that. I want help." Riley gives him an approving smile.
A few days later in the Hunter apartment, which is in the same building as the Matthews apartment, Katy, Shawn, Topanga, and Cory are talking.
"So Riley didn't say who it was she was bringing?" Topanga asks Katy as she finishes putting the snacks together that she and Cory had prepared for their little meeting tonight.
"No she didn't," Katy answered, who was getting drinks ready for their little group. "She just said that we wouldn't mind him being here."
"Him!" Cory exclaims. "Do you think she's bringing a new boyfriend for use it meet?"
"I doubt that," Shawn says, "Riley knows that we're talking about Maya tonight, and she wouldn't tell someone who didn't know Maya. Come to think of it, she wouldn't tell someone who did know Maya. She wants to keep it from their friends for as long as she can so they won't worry. So, I really don't know who this could be or why she's bringing him."
A few minutes later, the Hunter apartment's intercom buzzes. Shawn walks over to it and presses the talk button. "Yeah," he says.
"It's Riley," comes the Reply.
"Come on up," Shawn says as he buzzes her in then turns toward the rest of the group. "Well, I guess we're about to find out," he tells them.
The four older adults look toward the apartment door as Riley walks in with a young man trailing behind her. Of course they all recognize who it is immediately. "Oh, Josh," Katy says. "My brother," Cory greets as he always does, though not as enthusiastically.
The four look at each other confused and not sure what to say next. Riley sees the confused looks and answers their questions by saying: "It's okay. Josh knows about Maya."
"Oh," Cory says, "you told him?
Josh knows they're all wondering why Riley would have told him since she was adamant about not telling any of Maya's friends about her unless absolutely necessary. And Josh would be considered one of those friends. "No," he says, "I ran into Maya at O'Malley's a couple of days ago. Then I went to see Riley about how she was; to see if Riley knew about Maya's condition; and she filled me in on everything then."
"You mean that she's an alcoholic now?" Topanga asks, getting right to the point as she walks toward Josh.
Josh's eyes begin to tear up and he winces at her words, but he nods his head.
"Oh honey, come here," Topanga says as she embraces Josh, sensing he needs comforting, which he does. Topanga has been a big sister to him as much as Cory has been a big brother. And he loves both equally.
He also loves Shawn, who comes over to where he and Topanga are embracing and puts a loving arm around Josh. "I wish you hadn't found out about her Josh," Shawn says. "I wish you didn't have to feel the pain we all do." The rest all agree with Shawn.
"It's okay," he responds and he separates from Topanga's embrace. He wipes the tears from his eyes and continues: "I'm glad I know. I'll be one more person she can trust and contact when she needs help. And I want to help. I want to be part of the Maya Committee."
They all grin at the mention of Riley's name for the group. "Then you are," Katy says as she walks up to Josh. She puts her arms around his neck and hugs him tight. When she releases him, she kisses him gently on the cheek and says: "Thank you Josh. Thank you for always caring about my baby girl." She gives him the best grin she can, considering what they are all going through right now.
"Yeah, thanks kid," Shawn says managing a smile of his own. He'd always wondered about Maya and Josh's relationship. He knew they were friends; of that there was no doubt in his mind. And he was fine with that. But at times he wondered if it was more than that, more than a good friendship. He had planned on having a man-to-man conversation with Josh at some point, to tell him the do's and don'ts of dating his daughter if it ever came to that, but it all seemed so trivial now compared to what Maya was going through. He wished that Maya and Josh had been dating. Josh would have his and Katy's full support, because if they had been dating, maybe his precious daughter wouldn't be in the trouble she's in now. Josh was such a good influence on her along with Riley. But they'll never know.
"Let's all sit down at the table and tell Josh what we've been doing," Cory tells everyone. As they head that way, Cory hugs his little brother briefly, trying to further comfort him. "I'm glad you know now Josh. I know how much you care for Maya." Josh manages a slight smile and a nod of his head as they sit down at the table.
"Here's what we've been doing," Cory begins. "We knew that Maya would need help eventually; help to get over her addiction; and that means rehab. So we started researching; looking for rehab centers in the area."
"We wanted it to be somewhere close so we could all be near her," Shawn added.
"From what we've learned," Topanga says, "the support of family and friends can be very important in recovery. And we all plan on being there for Maya."
"But you haven't told any of her other friends" Josh asks, "not even Farkle?"
"No, not even Farkle," Riley answers. "I wanted to at first, but the more I found out about addiction the more I thought: 'why tell them now,' they can't do anything about it, so why worry them? They'll probably be mad at me at first, but I still think it best not to tell them at this point."
"After a lot of researching and visits to different facilities," Katy says, "we came up with one that we think will be best for her. We visited with them several times and asked a lot of questions. They are aware of our situation and will be ready for her when Maya realizes she needs help. Till then, it's just a waiting game. And that's the really hard part." Shawn puts a comforting arm around Katy when her voice breaks slightly while talking to Josh.
"Why wait!?" Josh asks impatiently, "why not take her there now. She needs help now."
"We know she needs help now Josh," Cory tells him, "but she wouldn't go there now. She doesn't know she needs help yet."
"Why give her a choice?" Josh asks. "I'll take her there myself, even if I have to carry her there kicking and screaming. And I wouldn't care if she stayed mad at me forever, as long as she got better."
"We know you would Josh," Shawn says. Katy takes Josh's hand in hers and gives it a loving squeeze while Shawn continues: "You think I hadn't already thought of that? That was my first reaction. That was what I wanted to do…at first. But the experts have all told us that wouldn't work. You see, the rehab center isn't a prison Josh. The patients aren't locked up and she would just run away the first chance she got. And I know what you're going to say next because I said the same thing: 'why not lock her up and force her to go through rehab?' and no, that wouldn't work either. If she was forced to stay, she would just go through the motions of rehab and go back to drinking after she was released. That's what the research has shown. She has to realize she has a problem first and that she needs help. And when she does, we'll be ready to help her."
"So all we can do is wait?" Josh asks sadly.
"I'm afraid so Josh," Cory says with a grim look on his face.
"But what if she never realizes she needs help?" Josh asks. "When I saw her, I could tell her health was deteriorated. What if she never asks for help?" Josh suddenly realized what he was implying and it sent a cold shiver down his spine. Maya could die before realizing she needed help. The thought of Maya laid out on a medical examiner's table or in a casket was more that he thought he'd be able to bear. He felt so helpless. Then, when he looks at the others gathered at the table, he suddenly says: "Oh, I meant she just could get unhealthy before she realizes she needs help. I didn't mean to imply she might…" He trails off then; not wanting to say what was on his mind.
"That she could die?" Cory says softly to him. Josh slowly nods his head. "It's okay Josh." Cory says when he sees the worry in Josh's eyes that he may have implied something he shouldn't have. "We've all thought the same thing; it's a possibility and we need to face it. We've already been through everything you're thinking and feeling right now. And it sucks; I know; we all know."
"Oh God Cory," Josh exclaims, "I can't…we can't lose her." Josh tries to hold back his tears now and can't. He's never had to deal with anything like this before and he doesn't know how to deal with it.
Katy puts her arms around Josh now and hugs him tight; letting him cry on her shoulder. "It's alright Josh, it's okay to cry," she tells him softly.
After a few minutes, Josh stops crying and composes himself. He pulls away from Katy, gives her an embarrassed smile, and says: "I'm sorry Katy. It should be me comforting you instead of the other way around. Maya's your daughter after all."
Katy manages a slight file. "We've all cried Josh, and like Cory told you: we've been through everything you're going through long before you knew about this. And do you know what we all decided?" Josh shakes his head. "We all decided," Katy continued, "that we were all going to cry and get it out of our systems and then go to work on this problem so we'll be ready when Maya realizes she needs help. And I believe she will. I have to believe that."
"We all have to believe that Uncle Josh," Riley says. Josh wipes his eyes with the tissue that Topanga magically comes up with and nods his head to everyone, acknowledging that he understands.
"Then I'm ready to go to work to," Josh states with determination in his voice and manages a small smile for everyone. "What can I do?"
"I can take you to the rehab center we've chosen," Riley says. "That way you can get to know the people there like we all have and what they'll do when we take Maya there. And they can get to know you, like they have with us, and know that you're a part of our effort now. And then," she continues, "all we can do is hope and pray. We've been doing a lot of that lately." The rest at the table nod their heads in agreement with Riley.
They spend the rest of the evening telling Josh some of the things they've learned about addiction and its treatment and about the last time they each saw Maya. That part of the discussion was painful because all of those encounters were bad, with Maya ending up screaming and cursing them. But all those stories, as bad as they were, just made Josh more determined to help Maya in any way he could. He couldn't imagine a life without Maya in it. And he refused to consider anything else.
The evening finally ended and each one gave Josh a hug and encouraging smile before he left. He had picked Riley up and they had driven to their meeting in his car so now he was taking Riley back to her apartment. As they drove, nothing was said between them. Each was lost in their own thoughts. When they finally stop in front of Maya's building, they sit there in silence for a few minutes. They Riley turns to Josh and asks. "You going to be okay Uncle Josh?"
He in turn gives her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm fine Riley. I'm over my shock now, and my sadness. I've replaced them with determination, like all of you have."
"That's good," Riley responds. "After tonight, I'm glad you know about her. I'm glad you're on the Maya Committee." That gets a smile out of Josh which also gets one out of Riley. That little bit of lightness helped them both. "You know Uncle Josh, if you ever want to talk, you can call or visit any of us. We've been doing that to keep our spirits up, so call anytime. Especially me, you can call or come by anytime; day or night to talk, okay?"
"Thank you Riley; I appreciate that. And the same goes for me; anytime." Riley smiles and nods her head. Josh knows Riley is worried about Maya; as much or more than any of them. That's how close the two are, or used to be. And he figures Riley is happy to have someone closer to her own age to talk to. He knows the four older adults are wonderful to talk to. The wisdom that has come with their life experiences has been and will be a big help to both of them, but still, he knows that the three of them, Riley, Maya, and himself have a special bond and he and Riley can help each other in ways no one else can.
Finally Riley says: "Well, I guess I better go in; school day tomorrow and little minds are eager to learn." She ends with another smile.
"Yeah, work day for me too," Josh responds.
Just before Riley gets out of his car, she puts her arms around his neck and hugs him tight. Tighter and longer than ever before Josh believes. "I love you Uncle Josh," she tells him softly while holding her tight hug on him.
"I love you too Riley," he answers. When she finally releases her hug, Josh can see the worry in Riley's eyes. "We're going to get her back Riley," he tells her in a reassuring voice. "We're going to get her back and we're going to make sure she gets well," he reassures her.
"I know," she responds. "We'll keep hoping and praying. That's all we can do for now I guess." She tells Josh goodbye, gets out of his car, and walks to her building's door. Josh waits until she's safely inside before leaving. On his way to his apartment, Josh thinks: "There has to be something I can do to get Maya into rehab now." After running everything he can think of through his mind, he comes up with an idea: he'll find Maya again somehow. And when he does, he's determined he'll be able to convince her to go into rehab. And then, with all her family and friends' help, she can get well.