Chapter 9: Girl Meets Maribeth

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or settings of Girl Meets World. I do, however, own the character of Remigius "Remy" Bellamy. I seek no profit from this act of fiction, merely recognition from the community of readers. Thanks to all who have followed and favorited this. I'm doing my best to keep putting out this story for you all. This chapter has, by far, been one of the most difficult things for me to write for a lot of personal reason that I won't get into up here so that you can develop your own connections to chapter 10.

"Forty seven years ago, in a town just outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a smiling baby girl was born to Jolene and Jerald Moreau. At eight pounds and twenty inches she was the definition of a bundle of joy for the happy parents. When the doctor asked for her name, her parents said Mary Beth Moreau, but a simply slip of the hand changed her name to Maribeth, and accepting it as a happy accident, Jolene and Jerald took the smiling little girl home.

She grew up happy and healthy, though her parents were strictly religious folks, sending the little girl to catholic school at a young age. As the years went by and times got tough, Maribeth grew into a strong, independent young woman. At the age of fourteen, she questioned the tale of creation. "If God made Adam and Eve, and Adam and Eve had Cain and Abel...but incest is wrong...where the hell did all the other people come from?!" She always told people she asked the mother superior. That's how she got kicked out of catholic school, or so she says. Home life also became increasingly difficult, and after constant disagreements and struggles, she left to live on her own. "I won't be your burden anymore." She said as she carried what she owned a small suitcase and walked out of the door and out of her parents lives for three long years.

Living on your own as a teenager is anything but a simple life, but Maribeth made her way. She moved in with a great aunt she loved her dearly, and to pay her way she worked at a diner. It was there that she learned a lot about the world around her. She knew the concept of common courtesy, but it didn't dawn on her until then just how uncommon it actually was. People were rude, brash, and hurtful, for no reason other than they could. Instead of letting it turn her into a young cynic, she decided she wouldn't be that way. Everywhere she went, she would carry a smile and help others, even when she had nothing of her own to give but time. "We're all part of the same, human race. If we don't help those who need it, then we'll never get anywhere." She'd always say. It was that mentality that got her through the most difficult time in her life up until that point...discovering her heart defect.

She went for a check-up one day after work when shortness of breath and a pounding in her skull became a constant thing. After various tests, the doctors discovered she had a previously undiagnosed defect in her heart. It wasn't something they had a way of fixing permanently, but they had medications to help with the side effects. Accepting her fate, she shrugged and took what she could get. She was alive, which was more than other people could say.

One day, in trying to be a normal teenager and enjoy what simple pleasantries life had to offer, she met the love of her life at a bowling alley. Gregory Joseph Bellamy was ten years her senior, but with having lived as an adult since the age of fourteen, Maribeth didn't much care about that. He made her smile, and laugh, and he shared many of her same loves like music and comedy. Though their relationship had its ups and downs, some due to Maribeth's heart condition, some due to Gregory's job as an electrician causing various injuries, and others simply being the average fight any couple would have, they eventually found themselves saying their vows under a big willow tree in the back of Maribeth's aunt's house. She had made amends with her parents, who were smiling and in attendance. Her father even gave Gregory his blessing.

As time moves, so do people, and the newlywed Bellamys found themselves leaving their sleepy little town on the outskirts of big, bad, Baton Rouge to move to Shreveport. Gregory's job dragged him that way, but it was an opportunity for growth for both of them. Maribeth opened their new home up as a makeshift daycare for a while, giving other young parents a place to have their kids play and learn while they worked to support them. Opening up her home that way, teaching the little ones things like their basic alphabet, colors, numbers, and doing craft projects always brightened up her day. Gregory couldn't help but notice it too on the days he wasn't climbing ladders to deal with fried wires or worse...snakes in electrical boxes.

The years crept on and eventually Maribeth wasn't just a second mother to her daycare kids but a glowing, expecting mother all her own. At the age of thirty, Maribeth and Gregory welcomed a little boy into the world. Remigius "Remy" Bartholomew Bellamy, named after Saint Remigius of the Franks, was a happy baby boy who looked up to his parents like heroes. His father always tried to teach him to be the best he could be and do his absolute best when he tried to do things. As the boy grew up, his talents for music blossomed before their eyes, and they always encouraged him to pursue whatever it was that made his heart sing.

Sadly, even the greatest love in the universe cannot stop the inevitability of death...and at age forty eight Gregory was diagnosed with stage four bone cancer in his spine. Given the option to attempt chemotherapy, Gregory opted not to. He said that if he was going to die anyhow, he might as well spend his last days not puking his guts up or losing his hair. In his final year, he loved his wife and son as deep as he could, and he left young Remy a letter of all the things he hoped he would need to know as he grew up.

At age forty nine, when Remy was only nine years old, Gregory finally gave in to his cancer and passed on, leaving Maribeth heartbroken and Remy with a difficult position of needing to mature quickly to be the man of the family. He had to protect his momma, because if there was one thing the boy hated more than anything was seeing her sad. Years later, she would tell the boy that if it wasn't for him, she would have followed right after Gregory. She always called him her petite bénédiction, or tiny miracle.

Life was rough in the last year of Gregory's life and in the year that followed. Maribeth and Remy relied on the kindness of strangers at times. If it weren't for a local news station, they wouldn't have had Christmas. But Maribeth was a believer in paying things forward, and she did just that when they were finally back on their feet. She raised her boy to 'do good'. It took some time, but eventually he learned what it meant, and he used his talents to do just that. He played charities all the time...but life is a series of ups and downs, and for the highest of highs there were the lowest of lows and all the things in between. Seven years after Gregory passed, Maribeth's heart finally couldn't keep fighting the way it had for all these years.

The first time Remy had to ride in an ambulance with his mother was something he'd never forget. They had been getting dinner ready, and she just...collapsed. He was fast enough to catch her before she hit the floor like a sack of bricks, and he immediately called 911. Moments later, he was praying for the first time in his life. I'm not ready...not yet, please...don't take her too…that was all he muttered as he clasped his hands tight and held his eyes shut. From that night on, he would be able to count the times he spent at home on both hands. Hospitals became his playgrounds, and his music would drown out the mechanical monotony for not only his mother but the other patients.

Finally, after over a year in the largest hospital in Shreveport, Maribeth and Remy would be leaving...but not for the humble home. No, she was still not well enough for that...but the lights of New York City held a beacon of hope. A hospital with a special wing for heart studies took an interest and had an open room. They had a clinical trial that Maribeth qualified for, and with nothing to lose and a chance to be better for her son, they packed all they could and took the next flight out."

With a soft, though audible, clearing of his throat, Remy continued speaking to the room. It was small...but it held everyone that mattered. The entire Matthews family, even Eric, sat in the center of the pews. Lucas sat next to Riley, consoling the young girl as she held back tears. Katy, Shawn, and Maya sat in the front. Farkle, Stuart, Jennifer, Isadora, and Zay sat toward the back, all with heads hung low. Doctor Singh stood in the back, wiping tears from his eyes with a solid black pocket square. Jimmy Horace and his parents sat on the opposite side of Farkle's group, Jimmy frowning and clinging to his mother's arm.

"And that flight brought us here...to all of you. Speaking in third person just feels...odd. So I'll stop and speak simply. In these last seven months, my mother has smiled more than I could remember her doing so in years. Though many would say it was the change of scenery or the hope that she tried to keep high or my music...I know the truth. It was all of you. You see, people change people. You all changed my momma...and me...but I think if we all look in our hearts, we'll realize, she changed us too."

Love of mine...someday you will die

But I'll be close behind

I'll follow you into the dark

No blinding light

Or tunnels to gates of white

Just our hands clasped so tight

Waiting for the hint of a spark

"I sat alone in her room, the night she passed. Doctor Singh had called the school and arranged for me to be picked up. I even missed my last period class, because he didn't know how long she had. Things took an unprecedented turn for the worst. It couldn't be explained, as she hadn't been getting better but her tests didn't show signs of getting worse either. I don't know if we'll ever know what happened...but I don't blame you. I know you worry about that, and I don't, Doctor. You did everything you could. You gave my mother hope, you treated her as best you could...you made her laugh, you helped me give her one last amazing Christmas. I don't blame you. And you gave me my final moments with her."

If heaven and hell decide

That they both are satisfied

Illuminate the "no"s on their Vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you

When your soul embarks

Then I will follow you into the dark

"I played Lucinda for her all night, hoping she could hear me. She didn't respond...but I believe she could. I told her how much she was loved. I told her how much she changed people's lives, no matter how long they knew her. I talked about her past, remembering the stories she told me like how she got kicked out of Catholic school, or how she met my papa...because I knew I wanted to remember them to tell all of you."

Catholic school

As vicious as Roman rule

I got my knuckles bruised

By a lady in black

I held my tongue

As she told me

"Son, fear is the heart of love."

So I never went back.

His voice cracked. It shook. His tears welled...but did not fall. He looked once more at the crowd before him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw slideshow of pictures of his mother going. Some of just her, smiling and playing cards, others of her and his dad on their wedding day, and some of she and he when he was little. The black and white photo he kept on his nightstand streamed past and he had to shut his eyes tight to stop the tears.

"I wanted to share them with you because though you knew her...you needed to really know her. I always told her...I'd say 'Momma, I'm gonna be rich and famous some day. When I am...what do you want?' And do you know what she'd say? She'd look me in the eyes, she grab my chin real tight, and she say "Remy...you sweet boy...the same thing I always want. Love. Just love. At the end of the day, it's not about the car you drive or the house you own or all the bells and whistles you can play with...it's about how much love you have. That's all I ever really want, silly boy.' and she'd kiss me on the cheek."

If heaven and hell decide

That they both are satisfied

Illuminate the "no"s on their Vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you

When your soul embarks

Then I will follow you into the dark

"The only other thing she wanted was to see the world...her heart didn't let her. I remember, one Christmas, I bought her a globe and an Atlas with photos from all over the world. We read it cover to cover, we studied every photo. I found restaurants that had food from the country we'd be reading about and I'd bike out to get it. Her and me...we saw the world. It may not have been the way she wanted, but I made due. She never stopped thanking me...but I always hoped I could she her it in person. She wanted to see France more than anything. Where our ancestors called home."

You and me

Have seen everything to see

From Bangkok to Calgary

And the soles of your shoes

Are all worn down

The time for sleep is now.

It's nothing to cry about…

Because we'll hold each other soon

The blackest of rooms…

"As the night grew darker, and I knew it would be sooner rather than later that she'd be gone, I held her hand. Some part of me hoped to feel some kind stirring...some life come back to the woman who gave me life...a hint of a spark. I loved her, and I wasn't ready...but the other part of me knew that I had to be. It was her time. Time for the pain to start. Her heart was literally broken, and if for a while mine had to metaphorically be to end her suffering, then I would endure...and when I leaned up and whispered "Je vais bien , maman , aller à papa. Je vais continuer à jouer ... et je vais vous suivre quand mon vient . je vais vous suivre dans l'obscurité…' I couldn't hold back anymore. A tear fell on her cheek...and I saw one fall from her eyes...and then I heard the beep...she was gone. I felt her last pulse...I kissed her cheek...and I closed her eyes."

If heaven and hell decide

That they both are satisfied

Illuminate the "no"s on their Vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you

When your soul embarks

Then I will follow you into the dark

As he stopped speaking, the room was silent save for the gentle sobs of Riley, Maya, Cory, and Doctor Singh. Remy cleared his throat once more, and knew what he had left to say.

"My mother never had deep pockets. She didn't drive a fancy sports car. She didn't have a mansion on a hill. She wasn't wealthy...but as I look around and see all of the people in her life that she showed true compassion and genuine friendship, I see that...she was rich. Rich in knowledge, rich in patience, rich compassion...and most of all she was rich in love. Like she said. in the end, it doesn't matter what car you drive, what house you live in, or deep your pockets are. She loved you. I love you. And she will always be with you...in the songs you hear, in the paintings you make, in the experiments you do, in the bases you run, in the children you raise...she'll always be there. Just look up. Thank you all…"

As he stepped back from the podium, he moved toward the casket that sat behind him. His hands reached down to the grip the railing on the side as he watched Cory, Doctor Singh, Shawn, Lucas, Farkle, and Eric begin to move toward him. It also still seemed...surreal. He was getting ready to bury not just his mother, but his best friend. His rock. His...only blood family. As the men lifted the casket and held it, waist high, they shuffled toward the door. Several minutes later, after a short drive, they were lifting it out of the hearse and carrying it up the small hill where her funeral plot had been dug. As they lowered the casket into the ground, the group one by one made their way up and paid their respects.

"I'm...I'm so sorry, Ms. Bellamy. You know, I'll never forget what you said to me the day we met. You said I was the moral compass who always pointed north. 'The world becomes more and more amoral as you get older, but if you stay that way, you can always guide people back to center.' And then you told me Remy said he was lucky to have me in his life. He's not the lucky one...I am. Your son is the second best thing to happen to me since I moved to New York. And if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have the first best thing...thank you, for raising him to be the man he is. I promise, I will always be here for him. I'll look out for him. I'll keep him at center." Lucas said, putting a pristine, white rose onto her casket before he stepped back and walked over to Remy's right side.

"I understand death. The absence of life. The next step in the process of humanity...but I don't understand why it happens to good people well before their time. I remember the first thing you told me, Ms. Bellamy. You said Remy told you he thought I'd rule the world and that he hoped I'd find the meaning of life...then you warned me 'you'll never find that in a test tube or beaker. It's not hidden away in the pages of a textbook. This right here...these people, your friends...they're where you'll learn that.' You were part of those people, whether you knew it then or not...and I think I know now what the meaning of life is. Do good. Love. Pay it forward. Thank you, Ms. Bellamy. I'll...I'll miss you." Farkle said, choking as he said the last words and letting a tear fall onto her casket as he added a rose atop Lucas's, then stepping back to stand beside the cowboy.

"You...you told me to keep being unique. You told me to not let people change me...but your son has changed me, for the better. You changed me, for the better. I promise to stay unique, Ms. Bellamy, but I can't promise to not let people change me. Especially not these people...because you changed all of us...goodbye." Smackle said, dropping a rose and running to Farkle, burying her face on his chest as she began to weep.

"The day we met, you said I was like a sister to Remy. I told you he was like family...and I promised to look out for him. I will keep my promise, Ms. Bellamy. I just wish you were here to see me do it. I wish you could see all the great things he is going to accomplish. I wish you could be here to tell him how proud you are of those accomplishments.." Riley said, holding her rose over the casket, but not being able to bring herself to put it down just yet.

"We'll make sure to tell him for you though, Maribeth. We'll take care of Remy." Topanga said as she walked up behind her daughter and held a rose as well.

"I will keep my promise to you...if he lets me." Cory said, holding his rose beside his wife and daughter's. All three gently placed them down on the coffin, then moved back toward the small group that was gathering near Remy.

"I know we didn't talk much. I honestly don't really know what to say. I'll look out for Remy...I promise." Zay said as he put a rose on her coffin and moved to stand behind Lucas, resting a hand on Remy's shoulder.

The others said their peace, Doctor Singh weeping through his words and apologizing more times than one could count. Little Jimmy put his first broken guitar string on her casket and said "Thank you for givin' us Remy...he's like a big bwuddew I nevew had. I'll miss you Ms. Bellamy...but I'll keep playin' music like you told me to. Pwomise…"

Finally, one person remained besides her loving son...Maya Hart stood a ways from the casket, slowly moving toward it and unfolding a piece of paper.

"I...painted the picture I saw in my heart...just like you told me too. I will always do that. And I will try to mend his heart so that he can continue to play the songs he hears there. I should have been there...I'm so sorry…" She said, laying the painting of the group standing at her bedside from the day they all met Maribeth onto the casket, putting a rose atop it and moving toward the group. She walked up to Remy and grabbed his hand tightly.

"I wasn't there. I should have been there...but I wasn't there. I'm sorry. I should have be-" She was shushed as he placed a finger on her lips and shook his head.

"You were there, Maya. You were right here…" He pointed to his heart. "You all were there in her final moments. You were right where you stood when you met. You were the music from the Christmas Party. You were the warmth of crackling fire logs. You were her comfort in these final months. I didn't know how long my momma had left. Every day was a gamble...and finally my luck ran out." He grabbed a rose and walked toward the casket, ready to say his final goodbye.

The air was colder than ever before, or so it felt. The ground beneath his feet was hard. His heart was beating in his head...but he had to do what he had to do. He looked down at the casket and let a tear roll down his cheek.

"You told me to not be afraid to be open...I won't be. But how do I open up when I feel like I'm hollow inside? I've always been your kid...and now I'm...I'm an orphan. I'll always love you, Momma. I'll never forget you. I'll never stop playing the music you empowered me to play. I'll always be your son...and I hope that the man I become is one you're proud of. I will follow you into the dark...but not today. We have travelled so many roads...but this journey you take alone...though I won't stop singing until the world knows who you were. Bonne nuit , ma douce mère" He said, tears cascading down onto the hard, rosewood casket. He put the rose onto where her head was covered and stepped back, watching as she was slowly lowered into the ground.

As the final dirt was shoveled over the mound where her casket lay buried, a small, white car pulled up and an older gentleman in a two piece suit exited toward the group. "I'm sorry to interrupt such a solemn occasion, but I am simply following Maribeth's last wishes...she wanted me to play her will while you were all gathered still. I'll just...um….well…" He said as he pulled out a small voice recorder and hit the play button.

"Hmm...this thing on? Well, hi everyone. If my wishes are being handled by Mr. Brighton correctly, then all the important people are in one place right now to hear this. My name is Maribeth Bellamy, though you knew that already." A small chuckle could be heard before the recording began speaking again. "If you're listening to this, then sadly my finale has come and gone. It doesn't have to be sad though! I'm finally not tired. I'm finally not hooked up to a bunch machines. And I can help take care of all of you. Being of sound mind and body, I leave this audio recording as my legally binding last will and testament." The recording paused for a second before she could be heard clearing her throat to continue.

"I don't have much in this world, other than my dear son Remy, and some old records, jewelry, and knick knacks. In my passing, my son Remigius Bartholomew Bellamy is the beneficiary of my life insurance. If my passing occurred during my clinical trial, I absolved Dr. Singh of any and all liability and also would like to leave him my small charm bracelet to give to his wife Sindy. I know you always admired it, and you took the best care of a kooky old lady that you could. To Shawn Hunter and Katy Hart, I leave the money obtained from the sale of my home in Shreveport, LA to be used for whatever they need, be it wedding expenses, Maya's college, or simply getting their own home. I leave the funds from the sale of my husband's boat and car as well as my car to Corey and Topanga Matthews for similar reasons. Most importantly, Mr. Brighton should be holding a set of keys right about now. Those are to a brownstone in upper Manhattan that is paid in full. I leave that to you, Remigius...I bought it with the remainder of your papa's life insurance when we learned we would be moving here. I had hoped we would be living there together...but I had my doubts as well. Son, I promised I would take care of you. I had a certain individual also promise to look after you should I pass while you were still not of legal age. Mr. Matthews, I leave that conversation...to you. In closing, I loved all of you who are listening as if you were my own flesh and blood. Remy is a lucky boy to have you all. Take care of one another. Remember, in the end, love is all you will really remember. Goodbye...my dear, sweet friends."

The group, for the most part, stood slack jawed at Maribeth's final gestures. Cory, however, stepped forward and put his hand on Remy's shoulder. "I know you have no blood relatives anymore, Remy...and you're a grown man for the most part...but you are also only just turned seventeen. Your mother and I spoke a long while about this, and she put the brownstone in my name. I would like to bring you into The Matthews family, legally. I know it's sudden, and if you need time to think I underst-" He was cut of as Remy raised his hand.

"If Momma thought it was best...then I'd be honored. On two conditions."

"Name it."

"We move into the brownstone...and I keep my last name."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Remy."

"We'll deal with the paperwork and the moving another time...for now, anywhere but here." Remy said as he started down the hill and toward the car that would take him back to his room at the hospital for the last time. You always did have your own way of doing things, Momma. I'll miss you...my oldest friend.

End Chapter 10 Author Note: Time I cried count, 9. So, now that you've all had your chance to experience Maribeth's wake, funeral, and will reading...recording...thing...I can explain why this was the second hardest thing for me to right in pretty much my entire life.

My mother, Maree Elaina Sytsma, passed away on August 18th, 2014. I sat vigil at her bedside in hospice care for 9 days after her body went into renal failure after she got out surgery for what was supposed to be removing cancer from her stomach. It had spread, basically, everywhere. They didn't know if she had hours, days, or weeks. She may have had months if she pursued chemo and dialysis, but that was not living. She made the decision to do a final round of dialysis and go to hospice care. 9 days later, she passed away. I felt her last pulse. I closed her eyes. Unlike Remy, I was lucky enough to have an older sister who was my rock through it all. Remy's story has very much been a way for me to get my emotions out. (No, that doesn't mean I'm ending this here. Still more to come, but hopefully much happier, with a few emotional chapters still because that is real life.) The similarities and differences in Remy/Maribeth and Derek(me)/Maree are: Remy and I did both lose our fathers at 9 years old, to bone cancer. My father was Garry Joseph, his was Gregory Joseph. Both were electricians. Maribeth got her name because the doctor pushed her first and middle name together. Maree got her name because her doctor accidentally separated the name "Mareelaina." Maree was born in New York, no Baton Rouge. Both work in diners. My mother passed at 57. Maribeth passed at 47. I had to change age simply because of the age difference between Remy and myself (I was 23, turning 24 in exactly 1 month when my mother passed.)

So, for what it's worth, I appreciate you indulging me in all this. Please comment, or inbox me, if you have anything to say.

Oh, and the hardest thing I've ever had to write? My mother's eulogy.