Maya was currently working in her office, looking over as many application letters as she could and setting aside some demo tapes to listen to later. She thought it was nice that she finally got some time to work without having to worry about any of the small talk or the awkward silences with the other employees or the interns. Hell, she could hardly believe it had been just five years since she graduated from Columbia University in 1989. Her old classmates were there to support her every step of the way, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She took a look at the letters for a few minutes before handing it off to one of her subordinates. She wouldn't be able to read through them for at least a while; she had her hands full with work already.

Suddenly, she heard a knock at her door and looked up from her paperwork. "Yes, who is it?"

"It's me, Petunia," said a voice from the other side. "Can I come in?"

Maya gave a cheeky smile. "You didn't say the magic word."

"Can I come in, please?"

"That's better. Yes, you can come in."

Petunia did so and took a seat across from Maya's desk. "Hey, Maya. Mind if I tell you something?"

"Not at all. What is it, Petunia?"

"Mariah Carey is really pretty."

Maya nodded. "True, she's got a certain je ne sais quoi about her. I can definitely understand her appeal."

"Yeah, but she's, like, really pretty. I mean, really pretty. I think she might be an angel in disguise."

"I see..."

"But I also can't take my eyes off of Ralph Macchio whenever he's on screen." Petunia's voice had grown hushed with a sense of wonder. "I really like him when he's playing Daniel LaRusso in 'The Karate Kid.'"

Maya was inclined to agree. She couldn't help but find herself noting how attractive he was whenever she and the rest of the Diamond family would watch rented copies of "The Karate Kid" and its sequels from the video store. That smile, those eyes— they definitely appealed to her feminine side, especially when he trained with Pat Morita's character... what was his name again? Oh right, Mr. Miyagi. Like it mattered anyway. Mr. Miyagi wasn't the main reason to watch the "Karate Kid" movies.

Petunia looked down and played with her hair, twisting her tight dark curls over and over in circles around her fingers. "I wanna be just like Mariah when I grow up, but I also wanna hold her hand."

"I see..." That's when something seemed to dawn on Maya. "Petunia, do you have a crush on them?"

"A crush?" Petunia's cheeks grew flushed. "Uh... I don't know. I feel giggly, though. It's not weird, right? I watch all kinds of shows and stuff; and there's never any stories about girls, especially girls who look like me, who feel this way about Mariah Carey and Ralph Macchio."

"No, it's not weird at all." Maya pushed aside some more letters and papers so she could clear up some desk space. "In fact, lots of people are like that."

"Really? So then what gives? Why doesn't everyone talk about how both boys and girls are pretty?"

"Because not everyone feels that way. You, though..." Maya pointed her index finger directly at her younger sister's face. "You're special. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you're wrong."

"Not even my teachers?"

"No."

"Not even Mom?"

"Well..." Maya trailed off for a second. "I don't know about Mom. I don't think it would be a good idea to challenge her on that front. I mean, you're your own person, but Mom thinks of us more as extensions of herself. That's probably why she gets so mad at you sometimes. But sometimes it makes me so angry that I want to rip her hair out. Okay, I'm getting off-track. Point is, you shouldn't let anyone tell you that you're wrong for loving someone."

"So there's lots of people out there like me?"

"Of course."

"Okay, who? I've never seen anyone like me on TV, and trust me, I watch a lot of TV."

Much as Maya wanted to, she couldn't name anyone specific. She knew that there were people out there like herself and Maya, but it was hard to name just one famous person out there who represented them. "I'm sorry, Petunia. I wish I knew."

"Then… there's no one else?" Petunia's eyes started darting down to the floor. "There really is no one out there like me?"

Maya pointed to herself. "Well... I am."

Petunia looked up at her. "I'm like you?"

"Of course you are. We're sisters. We're bound to have some things in common."

"You think boys and girls are pretty, too?"

Maya nodded. "Yes. I tend to find girls more attractive at times, sure, but it doesn't make me any less bi."

Petunia tilted her head. "Bi? Is that what it's called?"

"It sure is."

"What about Goldie? Is she like us? Are we a secret bi team?"

"Not necessarily. Goldie is into girls, but only girls. She's what many people call a lesbian."

There were practically stars in Petunia's eyes. "Wow... I had no idea. So... what's it like for us to be girls who like girls? What about Goldie?"

"Well... it's certainly satisfying to have feelings for someone who's the same gender as you. Not to mention, it feels like you have deeper connections with other women than with a man. At least, it feels that way to me. I'm sure Goldie has a similar sentiment about it. However, not everyone has the same opportunity to discover who they are and who they love. It comes at different times and sometimes, not at all. It can be a real struggle for some people."

"Do you know how that feels?"

"I… sure do. I was one of those people until a classmate helped me figure out who I was. I'm so glad that I got the chance to find my true self, and I'm glad you got your chance. Society hasn't exactly caught up to us yet, but someday it will."

Petunia wasn't sure what to say. "Um, okay. So what now?"

Maya shrugged. "Don't worry about it right now. Just try to be yourself. It's 1994. You don't have to hide yourself if you don't need to. You deserve to be happy like everyone else."

Petunia looked at her, now beaming with enough confidence to fuel someone through the day. "Okay, thanks, Maya."

"My pleasure." Maya grinned. "I'm glad we had this talk."

"Me too. Okay, I guess I should be heading off to school now."

Maya's face lit up in surprise. "Oh, right! It's almost 8 AM, isn't it? You better get going then!"

"Okay, I will!" Petunia proceeded to get up from her seat and clutch the straps of her backpack tight while she ran out the door. "Bye, Maya! See you after school!"

"You too, Petunia!" Maya called out to her.

Maya could only watch as her eight-year-old sister disappeared from her line of sight and headed out for school. Once she knew for sure that Petunia was gone, she proceeded to resume her paperwork, hoping to get through the rest of the day with hope and confidence.