It's been a week since Josh met with the "Maya Committee." He's been trying to come up with a way to get in touch with her again. He's called and texted her several times, but every time he called, her phone immediately went to voice mail; and every time he texted, he got no response. He knew she was avoiding talking to him. After texting and calling a few more times, he finally got a reply from her, a text. But it wasn't what he wanted to hear from her. Her text read:
"Look Josh, because you're an old friend, I'm going to be polite. Stop calling and texting me. It's getting annoying."
He was somewhat encouraged that she had replied to him, so he tried texting her one more time, and wished he hadn't. Her reply text read:
"All right Josh that's it, fuck off; no, I really mean it fuck off. You're not in my life anymore and neither is Riley or the rest of you. I've got a new life now and new friends and I don't want you around me anymore. So if I haven't made it clear enough, FUCK OFF!"
When he tried to call her again, his number had been blocked. He soon found out that Maya had blocked everyone else's numbers as well. This left him in deep despair. He felt like he'd let Maya down and himself down; not to mention Riley and the rest of the "Committee" and anyone else that knew her. But he told himself he couldn't give up. He needed to find a way to get her the help he knew she needed, even if she didn't know she needed help. And he wouldn't stop until Maya was safe and well again. When he told the others this, they all appreciated his determination, but not to get his hopes up. All the experts they talked with had told them that addicts, including Maya, had to admit to themselves they had a problem first and then they could get help. And as soon as Maya did that, they had a rehab center ready to take her in to begin the healing process.
Josh thanked them for their advice, but he had to try. He had to find a way locate her; either where she lived or where she worked. She had told him she worked at a bar in South Bronx. But where is South Bronx? There were probably over a hundred bars there counting those in restaurants. It would take him months, maybe years to visit every one. And by that time, it might be too late. But he had to try.
He started spending one weeknight plus Friday night and Saturday nights searching for her. He'd visit one or two bars a night searching, hoping he'd find her working in one. When he didn't find her in a bar, he'd ask someone who worked there if they knew Maya. He'd use her name and describe her; even show them a picture. Some he asked were polite and said they didn't know her. Others were suspicious and asked why he was looking for her. He'd always tell them the truth: she was an old friend who was in trouble and he needed to find her to get her help. Most didn't believe him and would tell him nothing. Others would say they hadn't seen her, but he wondered if they were lying to him.
At one point, he went to the local police station to ask for help. He was told that unless she had committed a crime or was an actual missing person, they couldn't help him. He finally told them that Maya was probably an alcoholic and that's why he needed to find her, they told him that being an alcoholic wasn't a crime although they understood why he wanted to find her. They offered to give him some information on rehab facilities, but Josh told them that he and some of her family already had one lined up, they just needed to get her in it. The sergeant he talked with gave him a sympathetic smile and told him he understood. But he went on to say Maya had to realize she had a problem first, before she could get help. When Josh told him that her friends and family had told him the same thing, the understanding sergeant told him that his experience had taught him the same thing. Josh thanked the sergeant and left. But he was still determined to find Maya and try to talk her into coming with him.
After a couple more weeks of searching, he decided he'd being going about this all wrong. He'd started with the nicer bars located in nice restaurants. Thinking back on his encounter with Maya at O'Malley's, Maya seemed to indicate it was a small bar. And considering the way Maya was acting then, she probably couldn't hold down a job at a nice place. Mabey he should search in smaller, more "seedy" bars. It turned his stomach to think that Maya could be working in an unsightly bar; a bar that could be dangerous as well. But he pushed those feeling aside and used them as motivation to keep looking. A few weeks of this yielding nothing. It almost seemed like Maya had dropped off the face of the earth. Josh became more and more frustrated. He couldn't shake the feeling that they may be losing Maya. One evening while trying to come up with a new plan, a light went off in his head. A light that gave him a slight glimmer of hope.
It was around 7:00 on a Tuesday evening at O'Malley's Pub. Brody, the regular evening bartender and, as it turned out, part owner, was working. He was talking to one of his regular customers when he heard the door to the pub open indicating someone was either leaving or coming in. He looked up to see which and a smile broadened his face. It was another regular, one of his favorites. "Hey Josh," he greeted the tall young man as he sat at one of the bar stools. "What brings you here on a weeknight?"
"One of your on-tap beers and those salty pretzels," Josh answered with a smile.
"Coming right up," Brody answered as he went to get Josh what he ordered. As he got Josh's order, he couldn't help but smile. He had gotten to know Josh pretty well. He'd met some of Josh's family when he brought them there for dinner once. He could see they were a close family. Brody came from a close family as well, so he could identify. Josh was popular with everyone who worked at the pub as well as the other regulars. He was well mannered, never complained or caused trouble, and always tipped the wait staff well.
Brody made small talk with Josh for a little while. He asked about Josh's brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. Josh told him everyone was fine and doing well. They both laughed as they recalled a time when Josh came in to unwind one Friday afternoon after work and had Riley with him. Brody had been so impressed with the bubbly, optimistic young woman that he asked her to come and work for him. He told her that with her personality and obvious people skills, she'd be a natural and could earl a lot of money in tips. This so surprised Riley that she didn't know what to say and turned a bright shade of red with embarrassment. Josh started laughing and Brody started apologizing. When Riley finally found her voice, she thanked Brody for his offer. And that she was flattered, but she loved her present job as a grammar school teacher and didn't want to give it up. And doing both probably wouldn't set well with her students' parents or the school board. When Josh pointed out that she would probably have some leverage since her uncle Jonathan was the superintendent of the New York Board of Education, Riley told him, in no certain terms, that she would she ever put her "Uncle Jon" in a position like that. Riley was about to tell Josh he was crazy to even to suggest such a thing when she noticed he was doing all he could to hold back a laugh. "Oh you," Riley said in disgust while throwing her napkin at him. Josh told her he was sorry for teasing her and gave her a hug. "That's not fair Uncle Josh," Riley said as she hugged him back, "you know I can never be mad at you for long."
As Josh started on his second beer, Brody turned serious and asked about Maya. With a somber look, Josh told him that Maya had cut off all contact with her family and friends and he didn't know where she was or how she was doing. "I'm sorry to hear that Josh," Brody told him, "cutting ties with family and friends isn't a good sign."
"I've been looking for her," Josh confided, "hoping to convince her to come with me and get help, but I have no idea where she lives or works. She mentioned she worked in a bar in South Bronx, but not which one. And as you know, that's like trying to find a needle in a haystack."
Brody nodded his agreement and understanding. "That's one reason I came by tonight," Josh said, "to talk to you about her, about where she might be. During those other times when she was in here, before I saw her, did she ever mention where she worked or lived."
Brody hesitated for a moment. He wasn't expecting Josh to ask him that and it took him by surprise. He took him time and thought hard about Josh's question. He could tell how serious Josh was and how worried he was about his friend. After racking his brain, he finally did remember something. "I think she did mention where she was working once. I had gone over to their table and asked them to keep the noise down because they were disturbing the other customers. They grumbled a lot, but did tone it down. As I began to walk away, Maya spoke up and said she worked at a bar and you're supposed to have a good time and be loud. When I told her: 'not in my pub you don't,' she told me I needed to come to where she worked to see how a bar was supposed to be run."
"What was the name?!" Josh asked excitedly. He felt like he was on the verge of a bid break in his search.
"Let me see," Brody said as he thought harder. "it was something like; Henson, Harris, Hayden…Heath! That's it; it was Heath's Tavern. That was it. I'm sure of it."
"Did she happen to mention what the address was or the street it was on?" Josh asked with anticipation.
"No, she didn't," Brody said. And Josh's shoulders drooped slightly. "But that should help Josh. Just do an internet search for the place. I'm sure you'll be able to fine it.
Josh perked up at Brody's suggestion. "You're right," he says. "Thanks Brody, I owe you one." With that Josh paid his tab and headed for the door.
"Good luck," Brody tells him as he's leaving.
"Thanks," Josh returns, "I'm probably going to need it."
The next evening Josh does a search for Heath's Tavern, and sure enough he finds it and it's in South Bronx. "Well, nothing to do now but check it out," he tells himself. He grabs his keys and heads out. He decides to drive to the bar and finds a place to park only about two blocks away. As he rounds a corner on foot onto the street where Heath's Tavern is supposed to be, he spots the bar about halfway down the block. When he gets there, he looks through a window to see if Maya in there before going in. When he doesn't, he takes a big breath and goes in. Looking around as he heads to the bar on one side of the room, he still doesn't see Maya. "Is my info wrong?" He asks himself. "Or has she stopped working here?" He figures the only way he can find out is by asking.
The bartender walks over to him as he sits down and asks: "What'll it be?"
"Bottle of beer," Josh answers trying to act as casual as possible.
When the bartender returns with his beer he asks: "Do you want to run a tab, or pay as you go?"
"Pay as I go," Josh answers. "Probably just gonna have the one beer and leave," he tells the bartender as he hands the him some money. As he starts to walk away to get his change Josh says: "Keep it." The bartender nods and walks off. As Josh sips his beer, he looks around the little bar trying to decide if this is a place Maya might work. He soon thinks to himself though: "How would I know now? The old Maya, the Maya before all the heavy drinking, wouldn't even come in here except maybe on a dare and only then for the fun of it. And she would never work here. But the Maya she is now, who knows? Maybe so." The place wasn't as bad as Josh thought it might be. The small crowd that's in the bar now seem content on talking quietly while enjoying their drinks. There are three pool tables in the back with two guys playing on one of them who seem to be having a friendly game. Josh decides that if Maya is working here, she may not be in any danger. And that makes him feel better. But he still wishes she'd come back to her family and old friends, like him.
As he continues to scrutinize the bar, it dawns on him that this is a week night. Weekends for most places, bars and restaurants, tend to be a lot busier on the weekend. And he wonders if there is a different type of customer that comes in here then. "Would it be less safe on weekends?" He asks himself. He shakes his head, trying to put all those thoughts out of his head. All they will do is make him worry and he doesn't need to do that, because it'll just drive him crazy. The bartender walks back toward him and asks him: "Can I get you something else?" Josh decides then to ask him if he knows Maya.
"Does a girl name Maya work here? He asks.
The bartender looks at him with a questioning looks and asks: "Who wants to know?"
Josh had to think fast. He hadn't expected that question. "Some buddies of mine have been in here and said she was fun to be around."
A big smile spread across the bartender's face. "So you've heard of her huh," he begins. "Yeah, she works here. She's off tonight, but she'll be working this weekend. You think you'll come back to meet her?" He asks.
"Yeah, I think so," Josh answers; trying to keep the conversation pleasant.
"You won't be disappointed," he continues. "She's the best employee I've ever had. She really brings the customers in." This brings Josh some hope as it seems Maya is holding down a steady job at least. But the bartender goes on. "It's not because she's a hard worker mind you. She's lazy as hell. She'd much rather drink as work, but she knows how to get the customers, the male customers, to buy her lots of drinks if you know what I mean. And that brings in a lot of cash." He gives Josh a wink and a knowing smile after telling him that.
"What?" Josh asks in shock. He can't believe what the guys implying. It's can't be what he's making it sound like.
The bartender immediately looses his smile. "You're not a cop, are you?" He asks. "Because if you are a cop, you have to tell me." When Josh doesn't say anything, he goes on. "I run a legitimate place here with nothing illegal going on." Josh nods his head but somehow what he was just told doesn't make him feel any better. "But what my customers and Maya do on their own time is their business and not mine." He hesitates a few moments before going on. His grin returns as he continues. "I've seen her leave with guys after work. Sometimes more that one at a time. And I'm guessing those guys got lucky, if you know what I mean. But I bet it wasn't cheap." He chuckles after that but then sees Josh's eyes grow wide. "I mean booze can be expensive," he clarifies. But Josh could see what he was implying and it turned his stomach.
Finally, Josh composes himself enough to speak. "I guess I'll come back this weekend then." He manages a smile hoping the bartender doesn't get suspicious of his true motive.
"Good," he says. "I'm sure she'll entertain you as long as you keep buying her drinks." He winks at Josh one more time as he walks away.
Josh sits at the bar in stunned silence until he finishes his beer and then leaves. As he walks to his car, he tries to put his head around what he's just heard. "Is Maya selling her body for booze or money?!" He asks himself. "Has she sunk that low?" He doesn't want to believe that; he can't believe that; he tells himself. As he gets in his car and starts it up to leave, his eyes fill with tears and he has to wipe them dry in order to drive safely. "I'll find out this weekend," he tells himself. "I'll find her and this time I'll make sure she comes with me to get the help she needs. I have to," he concludes, "this may be the last chance I'll have to save her." With that thought, he wipes his eyes one more time; puts his car in gear; and head back to his apartment.
Josh takes a big breath and lets it out, trying to calm his nerves, as he walks towards the entrance to Heath's Tavern, the place where Maya works. When he gets there, he peers in the window to see if he can see Maya, he does. And what he sees makes his skin crawl. She's at a table with five guys and she's sitting in one of the guy's laps. She seems to be flirting with all of them. If what that bartender told him the other night is true, she's doing that to get them to buy more drinks. And as if on cue, a server walks up to their table with a tray of six beers. Maya quickly grabs one and takes a drink. The other's follow suit and grab the rest of the beers and take a drink. The guy who's lap she's sitting in starts to get bolder and begins rubbing Maya's thigh. Instead of pushing his hand away, she just laughs and lets him keep doing what he's doing. Finally, one of the guys next to her decides her wants her in his lap and picks her up and set her in his. But instead of picking her up by her waist or under her arms, he reaches for her from behind, under her arms, grabs her by her breasts, and lifts her onto his lap. Instead of getting mad at the guy, she just laughs and actually gives him a quick kiss. Josh can't believe what he's just seen. The Maya he knew would have broken the guy's arm who tried that on her. But this obviously wasn't that Maya. This was this new version of her and he hated it. Now he was more determined than ever to get her back.
He goes in, sits at the bar, and keeps an eye on Maya. He wants to talk to her, but not with those goons that are pawing at her around. He tries to think of a way, but the bartender solves that problem. "Hey, I remember you," he says to Josh. "You were in here the other night and asking for Maya, right?"
"Yeah, that was me." Josh answers, not knowing what else to say.
"I'll get her for you if you want. She seems to be kinda busy now and probably didn't notice you come in."
"That'd be great," Josh tells him, grateful the bartender solved his problem for him.
"He Maya!" He shouts. "Get you ass over hear. You've got another customer."
Maya gives him a disgusted look, but begins to dislodge herself from her little fan club. They protest and start grabbing at her, trying to pull her back, but she gets away from them and heads his way. She hasn't realized who her new customer is yet. As she gets closer to him, she asks: "What can I get you pal?" Then she stops dead in her tracks when she sees who it is. "Oh," is all she can say at first, but then she gets her voice back. "What are you doing here Josh? How did you find me?"
"Well, I was in the neighborhood, came in here for a drink, and by coincidence, you were here," Josh says; giving her a slight smile trying to make things pleasant. But Maya wasn't buying it and he wasn't surprised.
"Bullshit," she spits out disgustedly. "I can't believe you looked me up. I told you I was through with you and all your family."
She's about to walk off when he says: "I just want to talk Maya; talk with an old friend; that's all." He wanted to remind her that they were friends once, close friends. It must have worked, because she didn't walk off.
"Talk huh," she says with a dry smile. "Then buy me a drink. Then we'll talk."
"Maya, I don't want to buy you any more drinks. You look like you've had enough already. "He tells her.
He sees anger begin to grow on her face. But them it subsides a little. "Look Matthews, that's the deal. Buy me a drink and we'll talk; don't and I'm going back over to those guys who will."
Josh, seeing he has no other option if he wants her to talk to him, nods his head, agreeing to her offer.
"Hey Mic," she says to the bartender. "Two beers for me and my new friend here, he's buying."
"Coming right up sweet cheeks," he responds to her. Maya just looks at Josh is silence as they wait for their beer. When Mic brings them, Maya takes hers and takes a long drink from it. Jos only takes a sip of his.
"You buy pretty good beer Matthews," she says as she takes another big gulp, "thanks." Josh is trying to figure out what to say to her next, but he's not sure. He doesn't want to anger her again. He's afraid that might cause her to shut him out again. At least she's willing to talk to him now; for the moment at least. But he still wants her to come with him; to leave this life she's in now. He can't believe she's happier where she is now than when she was with her family and friends, her real friends. He needs to find a way to make her see through the alcohol haze she's in now. But he's not sure how.
"So this is where you work now?" He asks cautiously.
"Yep, right here. A real paradise isn't it?" She replies sarcastically. "But it pays the bills."
"You have a place of your own now?" Josh asks hopefully.
"No, not yet," she replies, "still living with Max. What I make here goes to paying the bills at Max's place."
"Bills at his place?" Josh asks. "What bills at his place."
"Come on Josh," she starts as she rolls her eyes. "I know you have money, but you know what bills are don't you? You know, rent, utilities, food, beer; the usual stuff."
"Yeah I know what bills are," Josh says, "and it sounds like you're paying all of them. What's Max paying?"
"Oh, well, he's between jobs right now," Maya says defensively. "I'm keeping us going while he's trying to find work."
"I see," Josh says a little more sarcastically that he wanted to. "And just how long has he been between jobs?"
"Since I moved in with him," Maya answers sharply. "This is beginning to sound like an inquiry instead of a talk Josh. Where are you going with this?"
"Nowhere," he answers, "just making conversation. But it does seem strange to me, him not finding a job yet." Josh hesitates before going further, then decides to go where he was thinking, knowing Maya may not like it. "Are you sure he's not just using you? I mean, you sleep with him, you're paying all the bills. What's he contributing to the relationship?"
Maya's eyes get big as she says: "You keep bringing up me sleeping with him. Are you jealous Josh? You want me to believe that you're only looking out for me. Are you sure you're not just upset because he's sleeping with me and not you?" Maya's eyes become narrow slits now as she continues to stare at him intently. Then she startles Josh by telling him: "I've always believed you wanted to sleep with me. Even when I was fourteen and you were almost eighteen, or when you were nineteen and I was sixteen, I bet you wanted to fuck me even then. I'm just beginning to realize what a perv you are Matthews. Well, this body wasn't yours to play with then, and it isn't now; and never will be." She takes another sip of her beer then and looks at him with a smug smile.
Josh's jaw drops. He can't believe what she's just accused him of. The real Maya, the Maya he used to know, would never even think that, much less say it. And it angers him. "Oh, you mean like those guys you were just with?" Maya looks at him with questioning eyes. Josh continues: "I saw what was going on over there. They had their hands all over you Maya; complete strangers, and you didn't seem to mind."
"What are you implying Josh?" Maya asks angerly.
"I'm not implying anything Maya," he answers, letting his frustration get the better of him. "But I have eyes. I can see what your doing; how your making money. And Mic told me when I was in here earlier in the week that you leave with guys sometimes and he said it's gonna cost them bigtime to be with you." As soon as those words left his mouth, Josh regretted saying them. "I didn't mean that Maya. I was just frustrated. I'm sorry."
Maya just stared at him wide-eyed. Josh could see the anger growing in her. "Are you saying I'm a whore Matthews? You've accused me of that before, but then said you didn't mean. So which is it? Do you think I'm a whore or not?" Maya's voice was getting louder and beginning to attract the attention of others in the bar.
"Maya, I said I didn't mean that," Josh began. "I just wanted to talk to you."
"Well this conversation is over!" She turns to walk away from him but Josh grabs her by the arm to stop her. But that just makes her angrier. "Take you hands off me you asshole!" She screams at him.
"Maya, please," Josh pleads. "Just come with me. Come back to me and the people who truly care for you. We're better for you that Max, please."
She jerks her arm out of Josh's hand and says: "You arrogant ass. You and all your arrogant-ass family and friends think you know what's best for me. Well, you don't. I'm a grown-ass woman now and not a little girl anymore and you can't tell me what to do. And none of you really care about me." Deep down inside, Maya knew that was a lie. And she knew that everything Josh had said to her was true: her sleeping with Max and her leaving the bar with guys she'd met there. But she had gone too far to turn back now. She wasn't going to back down.
"Does that include Katy and Shawn, Maya? Do you think they don't about for you either?" Josh was hoping that this one last ploy would at least get Maya's attention, but it didn't; at least not in the way he wanted it too.
"You leave mom and dad out of this Matthews," Maya shouts angerly. "This conversation was just about you and me, and it's over. Now leave me the fuck alone!"
"Maya please," Josh pleads one more time. But this final effort is cut off by Mic, the bartender.
"No harassing of my employees dude," Mic tells him as he stands between him and Maya.
"I think this guy needs his ass kicked for bothering Maya? Whittaya think guys?" Josh sees that the guys that were at the table with Maya when he walked in were now standing near him and were not happy. They were all at least as big as him, so he figured he wouldn't be able to fight his way out of this. He was beginning to fear for his safety, buy Maya intervened.
"It's okay guys," she says. "No need for violence. He was just leaving. Weren't you Josh?"
Josh realizes he's in a no-win situation now, so he nods his head.
Maya breaths a sigh of relief and says: "Okay guys, where were we?" She's hoping to get the guys standing around Josh to leave him alone by heading them back to their table. "Come on," she continues. "Let's go have some more fun. You all can buy me a drink and we'll start our party all over again."
The guy who seems to be the more aggressive of the bunch says: "Okay Maya, if you say so." But he looks at Josh and says: "If I was you pal, I'd stay away from here and away from Maya unless you just want the shit kicked out of you." With that, he puts his arm around Maya and they all head back to their table.
Mic walks up to Josh and says: "You're not welcome in here anymore. Leave and don't come back. Got it?"
Josh nods his head in defeat and begins to leave. But Mic says: "I want to hear you say it. You got it?"
He's expecting to see fear in Josh's eyes, but he doesn't. What he sees is a guy who knows he's in a situation he can't win. "I got it," he says flatly and turns to leave. As he's about to go out the door, he hears Maya squeal. He looks her way and sees that the guy who has her in his lap had just ran his hand up her shirt and grabbed her breast. As she playfully tries to remove his hand, she catches Josh's eye. The smile leaves her face and is replaced by sadness. And Josh can't shake the feeling that he may never see Maya again. He leaves before he starts to cry.
Riley Matthews looks up from her work to check the time. "Not too late," she says to herself. Just a few more papers to grade and the rest of the weekend will be mine. The thought of grading papers brings a smile to her face. She remembers being a teenager and still living at home. Occasionally she'd wake up in the middle of the night and go into the kitchen to get a glass of water and find her dad sitting at the table grading papers. Even though it would be late on a weeknight, he'd still smile at his oldest child, give her a hug, and ask if she was okay. He was never grumpy even though he was working in the middle of the night. Most think that teachers only work from eight to three, especially the students. They never see the prep work done before each class or the follow-up work that follows classwork, which includes grading papers. She never understood back then why her dad was always in a good mood while grading papers late at night. She understood now. The joy of seeing that her efforts in the classroom weren't going to waste by the good grades she gave on her students' papers was undeniably enjoyable. Even those students that didn't get a good grade on a particular test, just gave her an opportunity to concentrate her teaching where it was needed. And enjoying her work made the time go by faster. And she was anxious to finish tonight and enjoy the rest of her weekend. And she was looking forward to that, especially Saturday night. She had a date. A smile appeared across her face at the thought of him. She'd been out with him a few times already and they were developing a close relationship. Then the smile left her face as she thought: "If it keeps going the way it is now, I'll need to introduce him to mom and dad." Her mom, she wasn't worried about. She'll see what a nice guy he is and like him immediately. But her dad wouldn't be as ease. Even though she was twenty-five now and on her own, she was still his little girl and he was still the over-protective father. She loved him for that, but it was still annoying at times. Then her smile returned and she realized her mother would help her out by calming her dad down like she always had.
She got back to work then to finish up. But just as she got back to it, there was a knock on her door. "Who could that be?" She thought. "No one visits me this late unannounced." Then she realized that whoever it was had a key to her apartment or they wouldn't have been able to get in the door of the building. She walked over to her door and peered through the peephole to see who it was and a smile immediately came to her face. She quickly opens the door and asks: "Uncle Josh, what are you doing her? Not that I'm not glad to see you; I always am, but…" She stopped when she saw his face. It wore a sad and worried look. "Come in Uncle Josh, what's wrong?" She asked as she closed the door behind them.
"Can we talk Riley?" He asked in a somber voice.
"Of course," she answers. "Let's sit on the couch. Can I get you anything?"
"No, thanks," he answers as they sit down. Riley waits for him to settle down. She can tell he has something important on his mind. "Riley," he begins, "I found out where Maya is working and went to see her tonight."
This takes her by surprise. "Where?" She asks.
"At a bar in South Bronx," he answers. Now Riley's eyebrows go up in surprise. She knows what that means; probably not a safe place for Maya to be. He continues. "I went by earlier in the week, but she wasn't there. I asked the bartender if she worked there and he told me she did, but wasn't working there that night. Then he told me….well, implied that Maya was…" Josh couldn't go any further. He couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Implied what Uncle Josh?" Riley prompted. "Please tell me."
"He implied that Maya was using her body to coax guys into buying her drinks at the bar. That's how she was making money."
"Whaaaat!" Riley exclaimed. "That can't be true. I know Maya has a wild streak in her, but I could never believe she'd do anything like that."
"I thought the same thing Riley," he tells her. "I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it. So I went back there tonight to see her myself. I went there to talk to her again; to try and convince her to go with me and get help. And that's when I saw it Riley. She was letting guys touch her all over her body and then asking them to buy her drinks. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. I once saw Maya, when she was in college, nearly break a guy's hand when he put it on her knee without her permission. But tonight, she was letting them fondle her in any way they wanted and she didn't seem to mind. And that's not the worse part Riley," he went on. "The bartender also said she'd leave with guys she'd met there. And he indicated a date with her would be expensive. He was saying he believed she was selling her body for money Riley. And after what I saw tonight, that may very well be true. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to see Riley." Then he looked into his niece's eyes and saw tears forming in them as his were doing the same and said: "I'm afraid we're losing her Riley. I'm afraid she may already be gone."
"No, Uncle Josh, No!" Riley exclaimed as she hugged Josh and started crying along with him.
"I'm sorry Riley," Josh said. "I didn't mean to lay all of this on you. I wasn't planning to, but once I started, I just couldn't stop. I'm so sorry."
After a few more minutes of sobbing, Riley finally looks at her uncle and says: "It's okay Uncle Josh. I understand. You had to tell someone, and I'm glad it was me." She managed a little smile then. "And let's keep this to ourselves. Let's not tell mom and dad and Uncle Shawn and Aunt Katy."
"I agree," he says. "I don't want to tell them either. There's nothing they can do anyway, and it would break Shawn and Katy's heart. And you mom and dad's too." Riley nods her head in agreement.
After a few minutes of silence, Josh finally says: "What are we going to do Riley. I've run out of ideas."
"There's nothing we Really can do Uncle Josh," Riley says somberly, "except hope and pray she realizes she has a problem."
"But there has to be," Josh tells her.
"I love you Uncle Josh for caring about her so much you're willing to do anything to help her. But the psychologists we've all talked to say we can't do anything until she recognizes she has a problem and asks for help."
"I know," Josh says, "I was at those meetings too you know." Josh smiles a little at Riley letting her know he understands and agrees with her. "But it doesn't mean I have to like it."
"I know," Riley returns, "but we've done everything we can do for now. We got everything lined up to help her when she asks for help. And I refuse to believe we'll never get that chance. I have to believe she can still be saved Uncle Josh; I have to."
Josh sees the pain in Riley's eyes. "Come here niece," he says as he pulls Riley in for another hug. As they're hugging, Josh notices the papers Riley still has to grade. He releases her hug and tells her: "Get back to grading you papers Riley. I didn't mean to interrupt you."
"That's okay, I can finish tomorrow," she says.
"No, finish them now Riley. I know you like to get all your work done on Friday so you can enjoy the weekend. Go ahead and finish. That'll make me feel better."
"Alright," she says. "You want to hang out here while I finish?" She asks." We can talk more afterwards if want."
"I'd like that," he tells her. "I'm tired and not ready to go home yet. I'll just watch a little TV while I wait if it won't bother you."
"It won't bother me a bit," she says with a smile. "And it shouldn't take me too long to finish."
Josh smiles and gives her a nod, and she goes back to the table to finish her work. After about a half-hour, she finishes up and heads back into the living room to be with Josh. When she gets there, she finds him fast asleep on her couch. "Tonight's absolutely wore him out," she says to herself. She retrieves a blanket from her bedroom and gently places on him hoping not to wake him. Then she leans down, places a gentle kiss on his cheek, and thinks: "I always believed you had more feelings for Maya than you let on. And what you've done and tried to do for her over the past several weeks has proven me right. And I've always known Maya had feelings for you too. I've always wanted you two to be together like you should be. Now I want that more than ever, and that's just all the more reason to get Maya back. And when we do, you'll be waiting to make that dream of hers come true." With that thought, Riley heads to her bedroom to pray for her best friend and then get some much-needed sleep.