March 28th 2022

Chapter 87
Our Summer of Discovery

Lucas had been gone for all of ten minutes when she got the call. Knowing him, he'd probably called or written to Juliet, letting her know that he would be on his way as soon as he got out of breakfast with Marianne at the diner, inadvertently lining himself up to activate 'the dog surprise.' Juliet called Maya, asked if she would be able to bring Honey Bee out for the day, to surprise Lucas, yes, but also to reunite her with her brothers and sisters as their campers had brought the quartet along. Oh, she absolutely would do that. Eliza and Emma were off hanging out with their visiting parents and younger siblings – as they should – so the triplets had to be packed up into the minivan and brought along for the ride with their mother and the unsuspecting dog. Sure, she'd had it in mind to have as relaxing of a day as she could, all the while tending to a trio of ten-month-old girls with several dogs underfoot, but how could she say no to a bit of mischief?

So, off they'd gone, Maya, Lucy, Kacey, Remy, and Honey Bee together. They'd had a pretty easy ride to start with, the girls enjoying themselves as they went, listening to the music, looking out the windows… Of course, once Honey Bee spotted something outside that got her barking loudly, over and over, it turned into a bit of a cascade, first starting Lucy crying before getting the others in on it. It didn't happen nearly as much as when they'd been newborns, but under the right circumstances, which were usually nighttime and car rides…

As a rule, they would try and get everyone calmed down without having to pull over and, thankfully, she was able to get them all – girls and dog alike – back on track within a minute, so they were in the clear. They reached the ranch, where Juliet came and retrieved Honey Bee. Maya would have loved to go and see the dogs, but it would have meant getting the girls out, too, and before they knew it, they'd be there for the whole day. It was better that she just drop off the dog and get on her way. They'd be here all summer, so she'd have plenty of other opportunities to marvel at how they'd grown.

She didn't know just how good her timing was until she spotted Lucas' car headed toward the ranch on her way back. She saw it early enough that she was able to play it cool when they crossed each other, but she'd definitely spotted Marianne's little face out of the corner of her eye, and she had a feeling like her daughter had seen her.

"I think your big sister's on to us," she informed the baby girls, earning herself giggles, and coos, and a raspberry. "You're telling me," Maya smirked.

As they drove on, she started to wonder. Here she was, here they all were, her and the triplets. They'd left the house. Would they just go back now that their task was done? It sort of felt like the waste of opportunity, didn't it? So, what could they do? They were having dinner with the visiting Hart-Lanes that evening, and some of the Arroyos as well, so she didn't want to be out too long or do anything that would take her even further out of her 'relaxing day.'

It was in considering this and thinking of Lucas, as he'd be off to greet the arriving campers, that she thought of something. The theater… Both the Stage Ready and Backstage Ready camps were in progress by now, and as was customary, even now, years after she'd stopped being actively involved with the program she'd created, she couldn't just keep away. She had to check in once in a while, and she did. She hadn't checked in with the summer camps yet though, not this year… Oh, but this was similar to her going to the ranch earlier, wasn't it? Once she got the girls out of their seats, in their stroller, and through that door…

"Hey, let's see what Nana and Grandpa are up to this morning," she spoke, half to the girls and half to herself.

Soon, Remy, Kacey, and Lucy were left in the care of their grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, and uncle, who were more than happy to have them for a while as Maya headed back out and made her way to the Silvan Hughes Theater. She wouldn't stay too long, just wanted to see how everyone was doing.

It was early in the camp session, but already they were looking ahead to the end of the summer, where they would present a show that they had all worked to assemble, from the performers to the crew behind the scenes. They were figuring out a bit of what they wanted to do, and what it would require from both sides, as Maya discovered when she walked in through the big doors and came to stand behind the very back row to listen in. Once this meeting of the complimentary camps broke up, everyone moved off to return to what they'd been doing before. The Stage kids split off where they needed to be – which turned out to be a dancing lesson – while the Backstage kids moved along, some headed to look at the more technical aspects, others toward costumes, hair, makeup, accessories, to props and set pieces…

With the seats emptying out, some familiar faces could be isolated, like Lea, who was back working here now that she'd returned from her trip with Ella and Taylor. It would be her final summer, not even a whole one, as she'd be moving to Houston for college, but it didn't stop her from being as involved as she could. Then they had Ava Nash… She was the last of them to get up, and she seemed to lag behind the group on its way toward hair and makeup. Maya frowned to herself and chose to follow. Lea spotted her as she passed by, and she waved. Maya waved back before signalling toward the retreating Ava. What's that about? Lea shrugged, had no idea, though she had picked up on it, too.

"Ava…" Maya called out as quietly as possible. She wanted to get her attention and draw her back before she caught up with the others, so not to end up pulling her away from her fellow campers. Ava stopped and turned around. She was surprised to see her, naturally, but also… It was right there, in the back of her eyes, whatever this thing was that was on her mind, making her halfway here but more so halfway absent. It showed that their relationship had evolved a lot since those first conversations they'd had back when she was a freshman, just starting out.

"Hi," she spoke, looking back the way she'd been going for a moment before approaching her. "I'm supposed to help with a workshop," she explained.

"I understand," Maya nodded. She needed to go back, didn't want to be late too long. But she knew this conversation was going to happen, so she was here. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess," Ava shrugged. She stood there quietly for a few seconds, considering… Finally, the sort of guarded hunch in her shoulders released. "My father left rehab."

"Okay…" Maya slowly replied, unable to say whether this was good or not.

"He wasn't supposed to, he just left. Uncle Owen tried to find him, but he's not back home, not with anyone else, he's just gone, and we haven't heard from him."

"Oh… Ava, I'm s…" Maya tried to say, but the girl shrugged, pulled her long hair over her shoulder, a reflex her teacher had identified as her means of rebalancing herself, regaining some control over herself, her emotions.

"Whatever. He made his choice, and… now I know. Wish I'd known earlier, then I wouldn't have tried so hard to help him." She was upset, as she had the right to be. It was so beyond her comfort level to let anyone see it, but Maya was one of those very few she had started to let in, and it showed. She was lashing out at her father because she needed to. On the inside, she still loved him; it couldn't have hurt that much otherwise.

"How are things with your uncle? You two are still good?" Maya asked, trying to slowly move them down a more positive alley, hopefully.

"Yeah, he's great," Ava replied at once. This was a truth that she knew, one she'd never had to doubt for a second. "When I asked him to take me to my dad's to get the rest of my things, he came and helped me out. We've been fixing up my room at his… at our house," she corrected herself. That was her home now, for good and proper, as far as she and her uncle were concerned.

"Good summer project," Maya smiled, and Ava responded with a shrug that was only mildly nonchalant.

"And he met someone, this new woman at work. They've only been going out less than a month, but I think she's nice. She's good for him, so… hope it works out for them." Maya hoped so, too, for Owen but for Ava, too. "I should go back…" she pointed over her shoulder.

"Okay," Maya nodded. "But hey, listen, if you ever want to talk…"

"I know," Ava nodded honestly. She turned and started for the hair and makeup room, but just as Maya was about to do the same, heading back the way she'd come, Ava turned toward her teacher once again, and before she could realize it was coming, she hugged her.

Maya was startled for a moment, but not so long as to remain immobile. She returned the unexpected gesture, matching the energy as she received it. What it was all for specifically, she couldn't say, but the message was clear. It said thank you, for a lot of things. As suddenly as it had started, it ended, and Ava pulled away and moved to rejoin her fellow Backstage campers without a word or a look. Maya watched her walk off, at a loss for words herself. Her heart was drumming with that feeling she got, witnessing the growth in her students, sensing the shifts in them… She was really glad she'd come here today.

She would spend some more time out with the Stage kids before getting a look at what the Backstage kids were all up to that day. There were some out on the stage she had known since the days when she'd still worked here, and they had all grown so much, in age as well as skill, but they still remembered her well, and they were thrilled to see her, to get to show her what they were doing. A couple of them had younger siblings along with them, and she even remembered those as babies or toddlers, who'd been there with their parents… It never ceased to amaze her, how fast it was all going.

"I could still come here in the summer, couldn't I?" Lea asked, with so much drama in her sigh that Maya had to chuckle and pull her in a side hug as they stood together at one end of the stage.

"Hey, I haven't worked here in years and here I am," she pointed out, and her 'cousin in law' beamed. She could work with that. "Not even going to mention how you've now gone and ended your captaincy back with Born Curious," she went on, and the drama renewed, so the side hug evolved. "You won't be far, and I know you'll be there whenever they have a match, to cheer them on."

"With banners and everything," Lea agreed. This fall, it would be Rosemary's turn to be the captain, as startling as it was to consider. She'd been an unexpected freshman a moment ago, and now she was about to be a senior… "Wonder who'll be the new recruit this year."

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners