February 1st 2022

Chapter 32
Our Call to Memories

She had to admit that she was a bit surprised when she saw the name on the envelope. She hadn't heard from him, not in any direct way, not in so long. She'd run into his parents or his older siblings sometimes and would ask after him, or she'd hear from Lucas' parents when they talked to them, but otherwise...

Dear Mrs. Friar,

I thought about sending you a card, or a present, but... I don't know, it just didn't feel right, didn't feel like... like enough? I don't know what it is except that it almost feels like I'm not supposed to be allowed or something, not after being out of touch all this time, or what happened at the end, with graduation, and college, and Missy.

Looking back on it now, I don't feel any differently about my choice. I always knew it was the right thing to do, for both of us. I had to go, and she deserved someone who'd be able to stay. I think she might have found him now, we talked, me and her, the other day. It was the first time since graduation, and it was actually good. I don't know, maybe we'll manage to be friends again. I hope so. Halloween just isn't the same without a zombie ballerina.

Anyway, she told me about you and how you'd had triplets, and since then I've been trying to decide how to reach out, if I could even do it. I guess what it comes down to is that I feel like I let you down. You were my favorite teacher, and your class was always the best to be in. Maybe it's that you and Mr. Friar were already close to Missy, being her neighbors, and then you both playing on my siblings' teams, and Mr. Friar's parents being across from mine...

I don't know, I'm probably not making much sense, I just... I wanted to say sorry. And congratulations for the babies. They're really fortunate to have you as a mom.

Kai Avelino

Maya let out a sigh. She could feel his concentration in his words, as he'd sought to express what he was feeling, and now she regretted the thought that her delay in responding could have read like her not wanting to talk to him. But she knew what he was trying to get at. He felt that, in among all the other things his choice to break up with Missy Sanderson, change their plans, and go away to college after high school would remain some lingering feelings like... he had disappointed her. He said she had been his favorite teacher and she believed him when he said it, which only made the conclusion that much more evident.

Dear Kai,

I would like to apologize for the delay in writing back to you. After the girls were born, as you can imagine, we were all so over our heads, and my letters remained untouched until today. Please, never hesitate to write, in whatever way you wish. I might not respond right away, but sooner or later I will. Hopefully, I won't be dealing with anything that would cause this much of a delay again.

You are always welcome, Kai. Always. What happened with you and Missy, that hasn't changed how I see you, okay? I can't say if you handled it badly or not, but it probably wouldn't have mattered in the end. It was just going to hurt… because you two really liked each other. Have you ever imagined the alternative though? What if you'd stayed just for her? Would you have been happy not to follow your dream? From everything I've heard from your family, they've been telling me how happy you are out there. If you'd stayed, if you hadn't gone after the school that you wanted, would you have been alright? Would you and Missy have been alright?

The next time you're in Austin for a visit, you should come over for dinner one night so we can catch up. You can meet the girls; they should warm up to you just like Marianne did when you'd be by the house, especially if you sing for them…

Sending hugs,

Mrs. Friar

After folding the letter, sealing it into the envelope and filling out the front, she set it down with the others she'd responded to so far and got up from her desk to stretch her legs. She walked up to the window and looked off down the road toward Sanderson Farm. I had to go, and she deserved someone who'd be able to stay. I think she might have found him now, we talked, me and her, the other day.

Whether or not this would be The One, Missy Sanderson did have a new boyfriend. Technically, they could call him an old boyfriend. If Maya looked to the right, there were the Oswalds, and further along were the Sandersons. And if she looked to the left, there were the McCulloughs, and then there were the Dixons. Years ago, back when Pappy Joe was still the Friar on the lane, Gabe and Diane Dixon had been the talk of their little neighborhood when they'd separated and finally divorced. They had two children, Cindy and Cole, and Diane got custody of them, moved them back to Rhode Island, where she was from, where her family was from. The kids would come out to visit their father a few times a year, and he would go to them, too. In time, Gabe Dixon remarried. He and his second wife, Marsha, had a ten-year-old named Amy and an eight-year-old named Julie.

Well, way back when, little Cole Dixon and Missy Sanderson had been the best of friends, going around like an old married couple, according to their respective families. But then the divorce had happened, Cole had gone away, and even if they got to see each other when Cole and his sister would visit, it just wasn't the same.

Cole had moved back to Austin when he'd finished high school. No matter how many years he'd been gone, he was Texas through and through. He was living with his father and stepmother, going to school… Him and Missy, it had been building up the past couple years, becoming friends again, great friends, and finally it had grown to a first date, shortly after Halloween. Apparently, Cole Dixon appreciated zombie ballerinas, too. And Maya hadn't seen her former student smile like that in a long while.

X

The team had gone on its way, leaving only Lucas, his old friends, and the kids, outside the Orlando house. It was warmer today than it had been over the past few days, which had been a perfect chance for them to have this face off with the team. Just now, it made it so that, while Lucas, Zay, Dylan, and Asher sat all in a row, they could watch Marianne, Mia, Nicky, Giulia, and Connor play with the ball. There was a second hoop, a lower one they would bring out for the kids, and they would take turns tossing the ball at it. They didn't have it so low that it was a breeze, but enough so that they did sometimes manage to score.

"Why didn't we cheer like that when we were on the team?" Zay motioned to the kids, who were celebrating along with Connor after he'd gotten the ball through the short hoop. It was the first time he'd managed to do it without it looking more like a lucky accident than anything else, and they all knew it, and they were all squealing and shouting and hopping around.

"Definitely would have made things interesting," Asher nodded. He was recording the scene, the better to show Ray, Sophie, and Chiara.

"Yeah, short games though," Dylan chuckled and got a light smack on the arm for it. "Look who's next," he turned to Lucas, as the 'party' dwindled down, and Marianne was given the next turn. She got hold of the ball, and the other kids stood by and watched.

Lucas and Maya both had plenty of photos and videos of their daughter trying her little hands with basketball. Some might say they had way too many for a girl who'd barely turned four, but how could they help it? It wasn't as though they were pushing for her to play the game, it just sort of came naturally. She was surrounded with mementos of her parents' days as players, they had their own hoops and balls back home, they were regulars at the school games… Marianne was free to show no interest like she could follow curiosity and give it a shot. The game had been a staple of her parents' group of friends for a great part of their lives, and now it was looking more and more like the children were absorbing it into their group, too, all to their parents' amusement and delight.

It was stronger than him, watching her out there, her high ponytail swishing along as she moved into position. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he gave her the call. She was able to do it now, she knew what it meant, where it came from. And when she heard her father do it, knowing she was about to take her shot… Oh, she had this in the bag.

As funny and sweet as they found the small celebrations whenever the kids would succeed, they had just as much love for the times when they would fail, where the others would be so encouraging, promising that they would get it the next time… It never ceased to amaze their parents how good they all were together. It might have felt natural, with who their parents were, but that wasn't a guarantee, was it? They could all think of some friends of their parents, and having to hang out with those friends' kids… That was not a guarantee for feelings to be… passed down. Then again, they kind of had to give points to the fact that they all spent a whole lot of time together, once a week at the least.

The game was put on hold when Nicky tripped in the midst of taking a shot and fell. He ripped his pants, scraped his leg, and Dylan moved to take him into the house and fix him up at once, never missed a beat. The rest of the kids didn't feel like playing anymore, not while they were one short. Giulia and Mia went inside, too, so they could see what their little siblings were up to, and Connor trailed after his big sister. Marianne went over to her father, and he put his arms around her waist from where he sat.

"Don't worry, Nicky will be fine," he told her, and she nodded. She understood, she trusted him. "That was a good throw you had before that," he recalled. Now, she was beaming.

"It went in!" she nodded, miming with her hand, and trying to give her best impression of the noise.

"Yeah, it did," he laughed, pulling her closer until he could press a kiss at her cheek. She laughed along with him. "You want to go at it again?"

"No, I have to wait," she shook her head and indicated the door of the house, where the others had disappeared.

"Oh, no, you're right, of course, yes," he nodded, accepting her logic. "Although… Would it count if you played against me?"

"No, Daddy, you can't do that." When he asked her why not, she answered him very matter-of-factly. "We have to play with the small one. You're not small."

"Oh, right, yeah, of course… of course… Well, what about our hoop back home? What's the rule there?" Lucas inquired.

"No, that's okay," Marianne gladly clarified.

So, that settled it. They still had some time to kill until dinner – they'd decided for this one that they would simply order in – and right now it felt like what he needed and what Marianne needed was some one-on-one time at the Friar Hoop, father against daughter in a very friendly competition.

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners