Chapter 123
It's The Future We're Building

Ever since the morning sickness had come raging over her, just about knocking her out for a few days especially, Maya had had plenty to worry about. Most of those had been handled by now, but there remained one thing she'd been just a bit more worried over, and that was her field work assignment. It was supposed to start in late February, and all she'd been able to think about was a mix between her flat out being unable to go and potentially jeopardizing her graduation and an image of her having to run out of a classroom because she was about to be sick… or worse, not making it to the bathroom.

But she'd been doing better over the past two weeks, not a hundred percent, as she would tell Lucas, but all in all she was not so far from what she'd experienced the first two times. The nausea was still more of a presence in her days than it had been with Elliott and Noah, but after a while it was possible that she'd just gotten used to moving past it. She would not forget the help she'd received along the way. As far as she was concerned, a lot of the reasons why she was feeling better now went back to the people around her.

Lucas had been and would always be the top man as far as looking after her through this period of her pregnancy, no contest. But then right behind him was Pappy Joe, and she didn't know what she would have done some days without him there. The parents and grandparents were in the next tier, all with their own type of assistance, each one given the appreciation they deserved, the same being said for many of their friends both near and far. Even the boys, in their own way, helped to bring their mother comfort. Their rewards were in so many hugs and kisses as she could give them.

The most unexpected source turned out to be Paul Buckley. His gift of some stew had been received over Maya's complimenting him for how good it smelled, but once he'd learned that it sat so well with her stomach, he'd made it his mission to discover whether it was a fluke. When she'd returned for her regular session on Thursday, he'd presented her with something else out of his favored recipes. It was another win from the first scent, the first bite. Then the Monday after that, on an invitation to double up the lessons, Maya was given yet another shock of discovery. That day, she had her lunch with the two Buckleys at the kitchen table, and Stella's food never had to be reheated. Every time she went there now, she knew, she'd have something good to bring home. Once Maya had told him about Lucas wanting to try the stew the first time, he made sure to include enough for more than one person.

"What do you think? Good look? Does it say, 'future middle school art teacher' or 'I had a really big breakfast?'" Maya turned around to face Lucas after straightening up her dress. He looked up.

"Well…" he blinked. She was just about ten weeks along by now, but already her curve was so defined that it showed if she wore anything moderately form-fitting, which this dress nearly was. "Are you planning on telling the kids at the school about the baby?"

"Might as well, right?" Maya shrugged.

"Then you look great, don't change a thing," Lucas nodded at her. She laughed, sidling up to him. As soon as she was within reach, she knew his hand would go and find that curve and rest over it.

"It'll level out, right? I mean, just because I look like this now, it doesn't mean that by September I'll be…" she gestured to display the image she now had in her head, of herself being so big that she'd tip over.

"I don't think so," Lucas chuckled. "I think you'll look beautiful, and even if you think I'm just saying that because I love you, which I do, it won't make it any less true."

"You are going to be the corniest dad ever and they won't see it coming," Maya shook her head before leaning to kiss him.

"Why won't they see it coming?" he asked, though he immediately had a feeling that he already knew. He got his confirmation in the look she gave him. It was just the kind of look to once upon a time have led to him being a father in the first place. "Yeah, walked right into that one…"

"The dad jokes are going to be amazing, and I can't wait to hear them."

While Maya took off for the day as she usually would, Lucas found himself with an unexpected free morning as both of his classes were cancelled. The professors were married to one another, so their absence at the same time left him to wonder if this was just an extended weekend or if something bad had happened in their family. For their sake, he hoped it was the first option. He would have hoped so either way, but they were both very good professors and just wonderful individuals on the whole.

Seeing as he had no work left hanging that could benefit from this extra time, he felt more than permitted to spend those few precious hours with his grandfather, his sons, and his father and brother-in-law. Shawn arrived later than usual, due to a messy breakfast that needed cleaning up, and he was disappointed to find he'd missed Maya. He'd wanted to give her something for her going on her first field day. When it was pointed out to him that he could probably still catch her before classes started, he took off, leaving Lucas and Pappy Joe to look after the boys. This was very easy at this time of day, as they would go and find the cats and dogs and play around with them. It was always very funny to watch.

They watched the three of them that morning. They saw Whiskey trailing alongside Alex like she'd cast herself in the role of guide cat. Then there was Elliott discovering perhaps without understanding why that, if he moved his arm as though to throw something (even though his hand was empty), Lou would scamper to go and find the non-existing item. And here and there they would see Noah, who interacted with any of the animals as though they were the same. They were all his friends and that was simple.

"You know, I am going to miss this," Pappy Joe declared. It came so out of the blue, and Lucas turned to him at once.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come now, Lucas. Your family is growing, and before you know it, you're going to need another room to put those babies of yours. Where do you think they're going to go?" He didn't say nothing, but this in itself gave him away as having considered it all before, too. "Always figured it would have to happen sooner or later, I just didn't realize how much I'd wish it didn't."

He didn't elaborate on this, but he didn't have to. Lucas only had to look at his grandfather to understand. Whether he liked it or not, the man wasn't getting any younger, but here in this house, with him and Maya, with the boys… It was as though someone had returned several years' life on to him. Suddenly, the prospect of his going away was starting to look like he was about to lose all of that, until he started to feel his age and then some. It was the last thing he wanted.

"No, but… you don't have to go… I don't want you to, and neither does Maya, and…" he looked to Elliott and Noah.

"Oh, I know that, I do," Pappy Joe clapped him on the arm. That knowledge meant so very much to him. "But it's for the best. I wouldn't want you to have make compromises when you don't have to. It's an easy solution right there. Take my room."

"It doesn't have to be easy. We don't want you to go, none of us, and I know you don't want to go either." His unspoken words challenged him to lie. He couldn't. "We'll find a way." Slowly, after a few seconds, Pappy Joe let out a breath and nodded. Yes, they would have to find a way.

X

"Hey, tadpole, this right here? This is where your dad and I first met. Right in there, about ten years ago…"

Maya looked up at the building, looked at those steps in front, and she was as giddy as she was nervous. She couldn't have asked for a better place to get to do this. Did she secretly hope she'd get to work here someday? Oh, more than anything. She realized it was far-fetched, just a bit. That would only happen if the current teacher left for some reason or another, and even then it was no guarantee that she would be the one they'd pick, but… she could hope, couldn't she? Once upon a time, she couldn't even do that, so today she could stand here, make her wish and hope on it with all her might.

"Maya!"

She turned in time to see Missy Sanderson come dashing her way. The girl almost had to skid to a stop before she reached her, or else she could have knocked her over. She didn't, so instead she went ahead and hugged her neighbor. Maya hugged her back. This was another asset of her having been placed here for this. She happened to know a few of the kids in either the seventh or eighth grades. Well, specifically she knew three.

She'd be seeing both Ariel and Daphne with the eighth graders, and as for those in seventh, well, she would have this girl right here. Whatever nerves she may have had on either side, she would have those girls in the room with her, and that was kind of perfect. When she'd found out she would be here, with them, she'd joked with Lucas how they'd all come into her life in these past few years, and to find them here… It was like they had been sent to guide her on her way. She also couldn't help but think about Stella, how she would have evened things out, two and two, had she gone to this school, too, but… no… She was happy where she was, and if she wanted to stay, she should stay. And if she ever decided to change that, then that would be the right thing, too.

"You know, I was thinking I could drive you while I'm out here, if you wanted to," Maya told her. Missy smiled and nodded at once. "Okay, good," Maya laughed. "So… you know the lay of the land out here, anything I should know?" she asked in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Didn't you go here?" Missy laughed.

"Well, yeah, but it was a long time ago, all the kids are different, and a lot of the teachers, too, so… come on, tell me stuff."

"Okay," Missy finally grinned and turned to look around for anybody she knew, either by name or by face. She'd have her hand up like she was ready to point only to let her wrist relax for a moment, which Maya took to mean 'those are eighth graders, I don't know them that well.' Then she saw someone and let her hand down like she didn't want it to look like she was pointing. "See that boy over there, with the green backpack and the white shoes?"

"Yeah?" Maya nodded. She wondered for a second if maybe Missy had a crush on him.

"I think on the lists in there they won't have his name right. And Mrs. Cartwright, she never calls him by his name, she calls him by the other name because that's the one that's on the list, and she says she won't 'humor' him, or… she won't humor her…" she explained, with a slightly pained face.

Maya looked back to the boy. In the brief contact she'd had with the art teacher at the school, Mrs. Cartwright hadn't told her anything about any transgender student, but then from what Missy had just told her, she didn't imagine she would have. In the woman's mind, here was a girl who was confused, when the boy was anything but.

"What's his name?" Maya asked.

"Bodhi. Bodhi Thompson."

"Think you could go and bring him over? I'd like to say hi before we go in." Missy took off at a dash at once. She approached the boy and spoke to him, pointed her out. He looked unsure for a moment, but then Missy spoke again, and he followed her.

As he got closer, Maya got to have a better look of him. He looked to be about thirteen or fourteen, and on the whole his features did have something of the feminine, like he couldn't help it, puberty and all, but his whole demeanor seemed locked on counteracting it. His hair looked like a battleground in progress, suggesting maybe he was trying to get it to look one way but other people weren't having it. His entire wardrobe looked like it had been cobbled together as neutral ground, to make everyone as satisfied as they were going to get.

"Bodhi, this is Maya. She lives up the road from us and she's studying to be a teacher. She's going to be in our art class. Maya, this is Bodhi. We've been in school together since forever," Missy made the introductions.

"Hi, Bodhi, it's nice to meet you," Maya offered her hand. Bodhi looked at her a moment before placing his hand in hers and shaking it.

"Nice to meet you, too," he spoke, with just a dash of uncertainty. If his hair was a battleground, she could only imagine what school was like.

"He's really good at drawing," Missy provided. "You should show her that one you were doing the other day, in English."

"I-I don't have it with me," Bodhi shrugged. He didn't want to come off awkward, but it couldn't be helped.

"That's alright, I'm sure you'll do something good in art class, too."

"I have to go, I have to meet with the counselor before class," Bodhi quietly excused himself and walked off. Halfway up the steps, he very briefly looked back at them but kept going. Maya looked to Missy again.

"Thank you for that," she told her. She wouldn't be here for all that long in the grand scheme of things, but the whole point of this was that she wanted to be a teacher, wanted to be there for kids, the way other teachers had been there for her, and right now, the way she felt compelled to act on the boy's behalf… She knew she was right where she belonged, in more ways than one.

There were two groups of both grades doing art, one each in the morning and the afternoon for a total of four classes, so she would have plenty of time in between classes and she would be spending a lot of it with Sue Cartwright. She tried very hard not to be influenced by what Missy had told her, but she soon realized that it would be impossible. Sure, on the surface, she could appear like a very nice woman, the model teacher. But that one tiny grain given to her, about how she was with Bodhi… It was like someone had taken a nice, fresh sheet of paper and crumpled it up in a ball. No matter what she did, flattened it again and again, the creases would always be there. By the end of the day, she knew that she would not become friends with the woman, that she would be here, and she would be polite, but she would be glad to be separated from her. She'd always been good at reading people, at catching what could seem like discreet, underhanded comments, and this woman sent up her alarms way too many times just on the first day.

It was never quite as clear as when she finally saw her interact with Bodhi. From the moment he came into the room, she had her eyes on him. And when she called him by the other name, when she referred to him expressly as though he were a girl, she could see the effect it had on Bodhi, quietly contained, like he had decided that fighting it would get him nowhere in the end. Meanwhile, Mrs. Cartwright really seemed to insist, to press on the name, to speak about him to the class at large, or worse to Maya herself, as though she looked for any excuse to reinforce what she believed to be true and correct. She has potential, she doesn't apply herself… Maya didn't want to rise to meet her there in any way, especially on the first day, but it was stronger than her.

"I don't know, I heard he was really good," she held the woman's gaze. She definitely lost whatever favor she might have gained as one aspiring to share her profession, but she didn't care. Nothing in that one tiny syllable had felt wrong to her. Instead, she pulled on New York Maya, and together they made it very clear. If she believed she could hold this against her in any way, she'd have no foot to stand on, so they could either agree to disagree and move on, or Maya would speak very honestly about what she'd witnessed. And if she needed backup, well, she had it.

"He drew a picture of my little brother's favorite basketball player, it looked so real," a girl spoke up, with the eagerness of someone who saw exactly what the young teacher-to-be had sought to do and gave her support where it belonged.

"Miss Munroe, your hand," Mrs. Cartwright turned to the girl near the front. Miss Munroe raised her hand.

"I asked Bodhi if he could do it, for Christmas. He flipped out when he opened it, hung it on his wall."

"I didn't call on you," Mrs. Cartwright looked exasperated.

"But I raised my hand," Miss Munroe protested. Maya bit back a smile. She didn't know what it was about her, but she liked this girl already.

"Now that you've said your piece, put it down, and let me continue."

Miss Munroe did as her teacher asked, but at the same time she caught Maya's eye and smiled. Maybe she liked her already, too. Over where he sat, Bodhi looked caught between feeling just a bit lifted but not wanting to show it too openly.

Sue Cartwright did not engage in small talk with Maya for the rest of the day, nor would she do so for as long as she was here in the school. That was fine by her. They would do their thing, and they would do it right, and maybe, just maybe, they would both learn something from the experience.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you next week! - mooners