"Maya," Riley says with a serious face, "I want to apologize."
"Apologize for what Riley?" Maya asks, completely baffled by her best friend's confession. It's been a week since Maya ran into Josh and Mati at a park. And since that time, she's been covered up with tasks she needed to do, from meetings concerning her upcoming fund-raising art show, to meetings with members of the art press, to even being honored by the mayor for her achievements as a native New Yorker. Maya knew that the ceremony was more about politics and a photo op for the mayor than her; she hasn't lived in the city for the past ten years and few had heard of her the last time she lived here; but that was okay with her. She was able to get in a good plug for her upcoming art show. She had put a lot into the first four days of that week so she could get most of what she wanted to accomplish behind her in order to spend more time with her mom, dad, and brothers; and more time with Riley, Farkle, and their daughters, as well as Cory and Topanga. Farkle had even mentioned using the company jet to fly the three of them down to Austin, Texas, to spend some time with Lucas and his wife and Zay & Isadora. For the past three days, Maya had spent most of her time with her mom and dad and her two brothers, Chet and Allen. All four were beyond excited to see Maya, but her brothers were the most excited. They were only six and four when she moved to Europe and even though she had kept up with them through emails, texts, social media, and video chat, to be able to sit close to them and hug them was priceless to Maya. She did as much as she could with them and her parents, and would spend as much time with them as she could while she was in New York, because when she left again, she didn't know when she'd see them again, maybe even another ten years. So the time she had with them with was precious to her.
And the same went for Riley and Farkle. They had invited Maya over for dinner one night and after their daughters had gone to bed, the three had some time they could spend alone. That's when Riley had decided to apologize to Maya. "Uncle Josh called me a couple of days ago," Riley began, "and told me he and Mati had run into you at a park. He also said he told you about Ann." She paused briefly to collect her thoughts before continuing. "Maya, I had completely forgotten you didn't know about her. I was so excited about you coming home and staying for a while that I just completely let it slip my mind. And I should have told you long before now. Even if Josh did insist that no one tell you right after it happened, I should have told you anyway. I knew you would have wanted to be with him. But none of us was thinking straight then; we were all in shock. But that's still not an excuse, I should have at least told you sometime after the funeral. I hope you can forgive me."
Maya can see that Riley is in tears after telling her this. She knew it took courage for Riley to tell her before she herself brought it up. She knew that in Riley's mind, it was her responsibility to tell her best friend first even if she believed Maya would be mad at her. "It's okay honey, I understand," Maya tells her as she hugs Riley tight. "Really," Riley asks in surprise. "I was upset when Josh first told me," Maya went on, "but after we talked, I understood. I thought about what I might have been like if something like that had happened to me, like losing mom or dad, and honestly, I don't know. I probably would have freaked out completely and gotten mad at the world, including you. So, I think anything anyone would have done or not done during that horrible time, would be forgivable."
"I told you she'd understand," Farkle gently said to Riley, as he sat next to her.
"Thank you Maya," Riley says as she wipes the tears from her eyes. "I was afraid I had let you down. I was afraid you'd be so upset with me.
"Never," Maya said with conviction. "You're the best friend anyone could ever have and I'm lucky to have you in my life. I was lucky when we first met, and I'm still lucky today."
"So, what do you have going on between now and the art show?" Riley asked, wanting to change the subject.
"More meetings, more planning, more photo-ops, I suppose," Maya answered. "But I'm going to arrange it so I can spend as much time possible with everyone. Mom, dad, my brothers, you, Farkle, and your kids. Cory, Topanga, Augie, everyone. Oh, and I want to go down to Philadelphia at some point and visit with grandma and grandpa Matthews."
"Or," Farkle began, "I could arrange for them to visit you here."
"They definitely want to be here for your art show," Riley added. "But we're going to get them here before that so you can spend more time with them. They'll both love that."
"That's awfully nice of you to do that Farkle. I'll love seeing them again," Maya says. "From the day I met them as a little girl, when I visited with you and your family, Riley, they've been so kind to me. They treated me like one of their own. It was never lost on me how everyone looked up to them. Dad told me many stories about them after he adopted me. How they always took him in and treated him like a son when his own parents were gone, which was a lot. Everyone knows what a positive influence your dad had on him. But he told me that grandpa and grandma Matthews has just as much."
"Well," Riley begins, "this year we're spending Thanksgiving with them. And you'll be invited along with your parents and brothers. And I believe Christmas will be at mom & dad's, so, of course you all will be invited to that as well. I hope you'll be here for those family events.
"Oh, I will," Maya says. "They already know back in Paris that I'll be here at least through new year's. When I decided to come home for a visit, there was no way I was going to miss the holidays with the Matthews. I mean it's been ten years!"
This gets a big smile from Riley. "Yaaaa!" she shouts softly so as not to wake the girls. "I glad you're doing that Maya. Not to be a downer, but it's going to be hard seeing you leave again when you return to Paris."
"I know honey," Maya says. "But I know that Paris is my destiny now. It's where I belong. And hopefully you and the family will be able to come and visit sometime."
"I think we can do that," Farkle chimes in, "we do have a jet now you know." This gets a laugh from Maya. As wealthy as the Minkuses are, they never flaunted it. But they loved to do things for their friends.
As their visit continues, Riley asks Maya: "How was it, bumping into Josh and Mati the other day? Was it weird?"
"It was, at first anyway," Maya says, "in the sense that it was hard to imagine him as a father. I mean the last time I saw him he was a twenty-four-year-old, go-anywhere, do-anything kind of guy. And then bam, he's a father, and from what I can tell, a darn good one." Riley and Farkle look at each other with understanding smiles. "And Mati," Maya continues with a big grin, "what an amazing and absolutely adorable little girl. Josh has done such a good job with her, considering what's happened to his family."
"He has," Riley says. "She has a lot of Ann in her," Riley continues. "That's made her loss easier for all of us. We can see Ann in her." Then Riley gives her best friend a sad smile and says: "I wish you could have met her Maya. I think you would have liked her. I think the three of us would have been close friends."
"I believe that too, "Maya replies with a smile. "And I was looking forward to meeting her." The three of them share a knowing, but sad smile. Then Maya perks up and says: "but I have the next best thing, Josh wants to tell me all about Ann; how they met, how they fell in love, when they found out she was pregnant, everything."
"That's amazing," Riley says. "We've all tried to get Josh to open up more about how's he's doing without Ann, but he didn't want to talk about their past all that much; and now he wants to talk to you about her?" Riley smiles as a thought comes into her head. She looks at Maya and says: "It actually makes sense now that I think about it. Conversation has always come easy between you and Josh, even as kids. He told me once, that he could talk to you about things he couldn't with anyone else." She takes Maya's hand in hers and continues: "I'm glad you ran into him Maya. You can help him continue to heal, and he needs to. Uncle Josh is happy, but I can see the sadness in his eyes at times. He misses Ann. By talking to you about her, he can finally heal completely, hopefully, and move on. That is, if you're going to be seeing him again some more."
This brings a smile to Maya's face. "I will," she says. "I found out that Mati can draw, very well. She has real talent and I want to encourage her to keep drawing. So I'm going to be tutoring her at least once a week. And while I'm there, after Mati's gone to bed, Josh and I can talk. We both are interested in what we've been doing for the past ten years and that'll include his life with Ann, and Mati."
"That's wonderful Maya," Riley says excitedly. "Josh has told us that he thought Mati had talent because he could compare it to what you did when you were younger. But to hear it come directly from you is really exciting. Mati loves her art class, just like you did," Riley continues, "but also like you, she doesn't apply herself in her other classes like she should. Ann and Josh were working on that when we lost her and I don't know how successful Josh has been since then."
"Well, that's something I'll work on with her also," Maya says. "Like you said, I didn't care much for my other classes at first, but then Ms. Kossal, my middle school art teacher, and especially Mr. Jackson, my high school art teacher, encouraged me to do better in my other classes. Mr. Jackson told me that if I wanted a chance to get into a good art school after high school with the possibility of getting an art scholarship, I needed to have good grades in all my classes, not just art. And that's what I'm going to tell Mati."
"Wow! Maya the art teacher. Who would have thought it," Farkle says.
"Tell me about it," Maya replies with an eye roll and smile. "While I was in Europe, I found myself occasionally encouraging young art lovers to pursue their passion. And some of that encouragement took the shape of tutoring, but it was just short sessions, most of the time in groups and not individually. But with Mati it'll be different because not only does she show real talent, but also because she's Josh's daughter. That makes it much more important to me."
"Maya, she'll love that," Riley tells her. "Ever since I told her about you, she's always hoped she'd meet you. But I don't think she ever thought you'd want to teach her anything."
"Well," Maya replies, "she seemed genuinely excited about it, which makes me happy. She's such a bright and happy little girl and it's was such a tragedy that happened to her and Josh. I just want to do a little something to make them both happy."
The three continue to visit for the next few hours until Maya decides she needs to go. Later, as Riley and Farkle are getting ready for bed, Farkle catches his wife in deep thought. "Riley, don't even think it," he warns. "Think what?" She replies with the best innocent face she can muster. "Don't give me that look Riley," he answers. I know you, and you're wondering if there's a way to get Maya and Josh together again. And I'm here to tell you that's a bad idea."
"But why Farkle?" She answers. "Uncle Josh doesn't fool me. I know he's sad and misses Ann. There's a big empty hole in his heart that should be filled. And Maya has never been as happy as she was when her and Josh were together. Is it wrong to want them both to be happy? As happy as they were when they were together?"
"Of course it isn't wrong Riley," Farkle says as he sits down next to Riley and puts a loving arm around her. He knows that Riley is just doing what she's always done, trying to make the people she loves happy. But he also believed that trying to push them together now would be wrong and probably end badly. "Think about this Riley," he continues. "They're both two different people now, than they were ten years ago. Both have been through a lot, and that changes you."
"But they loved each other once Farkle," Riley points out. "I know they didn't say it to each other, at least not in front of any of us, but I know them both and I could tell they loved each other. They probably had since they were kids. Mom and Dad knew it too; so did grandma and grandpa; and I believe Shawn and Katy knew it as well."
"The key word in all that you've just said is 'loved,' past tense," Farkle points out."
"But love never dies honey," Riley says, "not true love. And that's what they had. I know they did, and still do."
Farkle sighs. Sometimes he hates his logical mind. And right now he hates disagreeing with Riley, but he cares for Maya and Josh too and doesn't want them to be hurt again. "Riley," he begins, "I'm sure they love each other in some way. Two people who've known each other as long as they have and been through what they've been through, will always love each other, but the romantic love they had for each other is gone now. They love each other like Maya and I love each other."
"But that love could turn into romantic love like they had before, couldn't it?" Riley asks, almost pleading for him to agree with her.
"It could," Farkle agrees. "But what if they start to get close again, like they were before, and then Maya leaves again to live in Paris? She's positive she'll get the opportunity she's worked so long for. And you remember what happened the last time she left." Riley can only nod her head, knowing where her husband is going with this. "Remember what Josh told you after she left?"
"He said before she left, Maya told him that if he'd ask her to stay, she would," Riley answers. She looks into Farkle's eyes and he says: "go on." She knows what Farkle wants her to say, and it hurts because she'd forgotten what happened after Maya left. "Dad said Josh stayed with them for a week after Maya left. They made sure he was fed, had clean cloths, and talked with him whenever he wanted to while he was there." When she saw that Farkle wouldn't let her stop until she said everything, she went on. "Mom told me he cried a lot for the first two days, but gradually go over her leaving. Josh said that because he cared for her so much, he couldn't stand in the way of her dreams, so he let her go."
"And Maya," Farkle prompts.
"Maya called me every day for a month after she got to London," Riley begins, "and she cried too. That breakup, even though it was mutual and affable, nearly broke them, but they both agreed that it was what they wanted."
"And would you want them to go through that again?" Farkle asked. "And Josh has Mati to think about now. He's a father Riley. That's changed everything."
"No, I wouldn't want them to go through that again," Riley finally says.
"And maybe you also wanted them to get back together because if they did, maybe Maya would stay and not go back to Paris to live," Farkle adds.
Riley looks at him quickly, a little angry at his suggestion that she might want them together for selfish reasons. But then she realizes that what he said was true, at least partly. She lowers her eyes and says: "Is it so wrong for me to want my best friend to stay instead of living 3600 miles away?"
Farkle gives her a kiss on the cheek and says: "No, it's not wrong Riley. I'd love it if she stayed too, everyone would. But it's not her destiny. Her destiny is in Paris." Riley sighs audibly. "Honey," Farkle continues, "there's just too many things involved with this now. It was so much simpler when Maya was eighteen and Josh was twenty-one. School and work were their only responsibilities then. They could go and do whatever they wanted with few worries. If we tried to created that now, I'm afraid it'd be disastrous."
Riley's shoulders slump as she finally relents. "You're right honey," she says. "I was thinking it'd be just like it was then, but it's not. And it's not worth the risk of breaking their hearts again. I guess some things just can't happen the way you want them too."
Farkle kisses his beautiful, inside and outside, wife again and says: "Let's look on the positive side Riley. They've rekindled their old friendship and that seems to have made them both happy. And Mati is excited to have Maya as a friend and mentor. So all-in-all, it's a good thing."
"You're right Farkle," Riley says as her smile returns. "I knew there was a reason I married you."
Two days later, Maya makes her way to Josh's apartment for her first tutorial session with Mati. She's excited. She believes she can make a difference in a talented young artist's art education. She wants too, not only because Mati is talented, but more importantly because she's Josh's daughter. Josh buzzes Maya into his apartment building and leaves his door ajar for her. She knocks when she gets there, even though the door is open, and as soon as she does, an adorable and excited little girl swings the door open and says: "Maya! You're here! I'm so glad you're here! I'm so ready to draw! Let's go!" She grabs Maya's hand and starts to pull her toward her room, but Josh stops her.
"Let's let Maya catch her breath for a minute Mati," he says. "She just got here."
"Oh, okay," his daughter says and let's go of Maya's hand. "Sorry Maya," she says, hoping she hasn't upset her new friend.
Maya can't help but smile at the enthusiastic little girl. "It's okay Mati," she says. "I'm anxious to get started to." Then she looks at Josh and smiles before returning her attention to Mati. Josh smiles back. He and Maya have talked about what she's about to ask Mati. "Have you finished your homework yet Mati?" Maya asks.
Yes, I've done my homework. I wanted it done before you got here so you could see it," she finishes excitedly.
"All your homework?" Maya replies, "Including the homework you have for your other classes?"
"Other classes," Mati says in disbelief. Then she turns to Josh and says: "Dad, did you put Maya up to this?"
Josh throws his hands up in front of him as if surrendering and says: "No I didn't Mati. This was all Maya's idea."
Now she turns back to Maya and says disgustedly: "I thought this was going to be fun." Then she crosses her arms in front of her and pouts.
Josh is about to says something to her about Maya being their guest and she should be more respectful, when Maya gets his attention and indicates she can handle this. "It will be fun Mati," she begins, "and we'll get to your art work, but your other subjects are important too." When she sees that Mati isn't buying what she's saying, she goes on: "Would you like to go to a college art school someday Mati?"
This gets the little girl's attention. She smiles at Maya and says: "Yes I would. I want to go to NYU Art School, just like you."
Maya can't help but smile at her response. "Riley again", she thinks to herself. "NYU has a very good art department, but you'll have to be a good student to get in." She notices Mati is about to say something, but beats her to it: "You'll need to be good in all your subjects, not just art." Mati's shoulders drop when she hears this. It wasn't what she wanted to hear. "You'll especially need to have good grades in high school so colleges will notice you. And when you do have those good grades in all your subjects, you'll have a choice of colleges to attend; some might even be better than NYU." Maya notices that Mati is listening closer to her now. "Some of these colleges, the best ones, may be expensive to go to and your dad may not be able to afford to send you there. My parents weren't able to send me to NYU, but I got a scholarship. Do you know what a scholarship is Mati?" The little girl nods her head. "And the reason I got that scholarship and was able to go to NYU, was because my grades were good. That's pretty much true for anything you'd want to study in college. So now would be a good time to start improving all your grades. Okay?"
"Okay," Mati says sadly. "It's just that I don't know if I can make good enough grades."
Maya smiles and assures her: "You can," she replies, which gets attention. "I was just like you Mati. All through grammar school, middle school, and my freshman year of high school, I just got by in all my subjects but art. I didn't even know I had any art talent in me till I was in middle school. Then your uncle Cory and aunt Topanga sat me down and told me just what I told you, 'Get your grades up if you want to go to college,' so I did. Turns out I was smarter that I thought. And from what Riley has told me about you, you're really smart to. And nothing you've done since I met you causes me to think different." She pauses to let Mati take all she just told her in. "So," she begins, "good grades in all your classes?"
"Okay," Mati relents, "I'll do my best in my other classes; I promise."
"Good," Maya says with a smile. "And how do you start doing that?" She asks.
Mati sighs deep and says: "By doing all my homework."
"Great," Maya says. "Now go do your other homework and I'll be waiting in here for you, and then we'll work on your art."
"Okay," Mati replies and turns to go to her room. But Maya has one more thing to tell her: "And your dad and I will check your homework to make sure you didn't skip anything."
"Uuhhggg!" Mati exclaims as she rolls her eyes before going to her room.
This gets a chuckle from both Josh and Maya. "She is so adorable," Maya says casually. When she turns to Josh, she catches him just staring at her. "What?" She finally asks.
"Look at you," Josh replies. "The responsible adult. Telling a kid to do her homework before fun time; impressive. The Maya Hunter I remember wouldn't have done that with adults and certainly not children. You seem to have changed." Maya can see Josh is serious and meant that as a compliment, but she also sees his wry smile.
"Well Matthews," she begins, using his last name to address him, like she used to when she was returning his teasing, "I guess I learned something from Riley, Cory, and Topanga." Josh just laughed and shook his head in amusement.
"Come on," he says, "let's sit down and talk some till Mati's ready for her first art lesson from you."
They chat for about an hour, a pattern that will repeat itself many times in the coming weeks as Maya continues helping Mati with her drawing. Finally Mati runs into the living room with sketchpad and pencil in hand. "I'm done with homework," she says excitedly. "Can you help with my drawing now!"
Maya and Josh look at each other, then May says: "Okay, but first let's check your other homework."
"I finished it Maya," she says in frustration," I promise."
"I'm sure that's true Mati," Maya says as she and Josh get up and walk toward her room, "but I want to check it over. In Mati's room, Maya looks over the little girl's homework. "You did good with this Mati. I knew you could.
This gets a smile from Mati. She's eager to please her now friend and art instructor. "I finished it all Maya; just like it was assigned to me; I promise."
Maya gives her a warm smile and says: "I know. You're your father's daughter and I know you wouldn't lie. "Now", Maya begins again, "this is how it'll be every school night weather I'm here or not, or the art lessons stop, okay?"
"Okay," Mati says reluctantly.
"Now," Maya begins with a smile, "let's see what you're working on in art class."
Maya's lessons continue on a regular basis, at least once a week, sometimes more. Usually by the time Maya arrives at their apartment, Mati's finished her other homework and is waiting for Maya with sketchpad in hand. As the weeks go by, Maya continues to be impressed with Mati's talent, and her improvement, which makes her look forward to seeing her newest art apprentice every week. But that's not the only thing she looks forward to. Josh and her have taken to siting in the living room after Mati's gone to bed, and talking, good conversation, like they used to do. She'd forgotten how much she enjoyed that. She'd never met anyone, while she was overseas, that she enjoyed just talking to like Josh. They talked about their careers, places they'd been, future plans, and many other things. Just what ever came to mind. They talked about significant happenings that had taken place in their lives in the last ten years. Josh wanted to know what it was like for her to live in London, then move to Rome a couple of years later, and finally her move to Paris, her dream art city. "Well, I had to learn to speak Italian and then French," Maya joked at first. But then she told Josh how hard it was at times and how she did it mostly on her own, alone. "It was difficult and I had to grow up fast," she told him; which made Josh sad; thinking of her doing all this alone while everyone she knew and loved were thousands of miles away. "But it was worth it in the end," she finished, which brought a smile to Josh's face.
At one point on one of their conversations, Josh asked: "Would you like to hear about Ann?" This actually surprised Maya. Josh hadn't spoken of her since their first meeting in the park. He had told her then that he would like to tell Maya about her, but up to this point, he hadn't. Maya told him: "yes I would," and for the next two hours Josh poured his heart out about his former wife and Mati's mother. Maya told him she wanted to hear about how they met, when they knew they were in love; what their wedding was like; and what they felt when they found out Ann as pregnant.
Josh told Maya everything about Ann, in detail, and Maya gave him her full attention. He spoke about how they'd met at a small get together at a mutual friend's house in Philadelphia. Everyone there was with someone except him and surprisingly Ann. Josh accused his friend of playing matchmaker, but the friend swore that he wasn't. He claimed that this wife had invited Ann and he, of course, had invited him. Josh said he never quite believed them. He knew most of the people there and mingled well. But at one point he noticed that Ann hadn't talked to many people since she'd been there and kind of looked lost. He decided to wander over to her and introduce himself and hopefully make her feel more included in the little social gathering. He found to be her bright and easy to talk to and ended up spending the rest of the evening with her. As the evening was ending, she asked him if he'd like to meet her for coffee sometime and continue their conversation. Josh found himself wanting to spend more time with her and talk and agreed to meet her the next day. When they did, Josh didn't want to lead her on. So he told her he wasn't interested in a relationship at this time. He decided he wouldn't tell her about Maya. But he did enjoy talking to her and she seemed to like talking to him, so they began seeing each other more and more. Josh said that she was persistent and he could tell she wanted their relationship to be more than friendship, but she respected his boundaries. She would flirt with him occasionally, but he didn't flirt back. As their relationship continued, he found himself liking her more and more. Then one evening as they were saying goodnight, as she looked into his eyes, he couldn't resist what he was feeling any longer, and kissed her. She kissed him back as if she was expecting it, and to Josh, it just felt right. They began dating. He had already introduced her to his mom and dad, and they liked her from the beginning. Cory wanted to meet her as well, so they took a long weekend and visited them in New York. He introduced her to Cory, Topanga, and Auggie, who was still living at home at the time. Ann even met Shawn and Katy at Topanga's where Katy was the manager now. Josh wanted Ann to meet Shawn because of the close ties he had to their family and not because he was the father of her former girlfriend. However, he wasn't sure how Shawn or Katy would react to his new girlfriend. But they took it in stride and were very cordial to Ann. At one point, before they left Topanga's, Shawn came up to Josh while Katy was showing Ann around the little café, and said: "You did good kid." That told him that Shawn had accepted that he and Maya had moved on from each other and he was happy for Josh.
Josh went on to tell Maya that the only person he worried about meeting Ann, was Riley. She had loved it when he and Maya started dating. She would still tease Maya from time-to-time saying: "you're not going to be my aunt," but they could both tell she was thrilled they were dating. And he also knew that Riley, above everyone else, knew how close he and Maya were getting. He was sure Maya had talked to Riley about him, a lot, and probably could feel how Maya felt about him. And he was sure Riley held out hope that he and Maya would get back together again someday, and Ann was a threat to that. So Josh decided to talk to Riley about it when he could. He got his chance one evening after dinner while they were still in New York. Ann and Topanga were talking, so Josh made his way to where Riley was. "Hey Riley," he greeted her. She managed a smile and returned his greeting, but then looked away from him. It was clear to him that she didn't want to talk about Josh's new girlfriend, but Josh knew they must, so he just started. "Have you talked to Ann any Riley?" He asked her. She just shook her head, still without looking at him. "Riley, look at me," he told her, which she finally did. Josh just got right to the heart of the matter. "It's okay if you don't want to like Ann; I understand." He told her. This surprised Riley. "And I wouldn't expect you to be friends with her. All I ask is that you be friendly with her, okay?" Riley sighed deeply and said: "I can do that uncle Josh. I know Ann hasn't done anything wrong, so I'll be nice to her." To Riley's dismay, over the next few months, she began to like Josh's new love interest. She was sweet and kind and always took time to talk and do things with her and Auggie whenever she was with them. She instinctively knew how important Riley and Auggie were to Josh. And even though she was a little disappointed, she was happy for them when they announced they were engaged.
Josh told Maya that Ann even asked Riley to be one of her maids-of-honor at their wedding, which she accepted. By this time, Josh had told Ann everything about Maya, so Ann understood why Riley was a little standoffish with her at first. Before the wedding, Ann had a long talk with Riley about Maya. She told Riley that she could understand why she might not like her and if she didn't want to be in the wedding, she could decline, and there would be no hard feelings. By this time, Riley had really grown to like Ann very much and said that she did want to be in her wedding, which made Ann very happy. She also told Riley that she hopped to meet Maya one day, because she meant so much to the family she was marring into. She also hopped they could be friends. Josh went on to tell Maya that only three months after the wedding, Ann found out she was pregnant. Maya saw Josh's eyes light up when he told her that, and it made her heart feel warm and happy for him. He told her all about the pregnancy; how he was the way over-protective father-to-be and Ann how would get annoyed with him at times. "I'm not helpless Josh! I'm just pregnant," Josh told her Ann would remind him from time to time. This caused Maya to laugh out loud at that image. She could easily see Josh as being over-protective.
Josh went on to tell Maya about the rest of the pregnancy and Mati's birth and the joy that it brought to everyone. He told her that Mati and Riley bonded almost immediately. And how it made Riley want to be a mother too. Maya was enjoying everything Josh was telling her and could tell he was enjoying telling it. Then, suddenly, the smile left Josh's face and was replaced by sadness. "We were so happy together Maya," he told her. "I just don't understand why it had to end. Despicable, mean people live to be old, while a wonderful, sweet, kind person like Ann had to leave us. It just doesn't make sense."
Maya felt like she'd done a terrible thing by reminding Josh of what he'd lost. "I'm sorry Josh," she told him. "I shouldn't have asked so many questions. It's caused you to relive the saddest time of your life."
He managed a little smile then and said: "It's alright Maya; good pain, remember?"
Maya couldn't help but smile herself now, as Josh reminded her about their conversation in the park when they first saw each other after Maya had returned to New York. They sat in comfortable silence for the next few minutes while each thought about their most recent conversation. Finally Josh looked at Maya with a smile and said: "Thank you for listening to me tell Ann and mine's story Maya. Of everyone I've ever known, you've always been the easiest and most natural to talk to. Tonight, this conversation, has really helped me. Helped me to heal so much more. Thank you Maya. I'm glad you're here."
Maya could see tears form in Josh's eyes and that showed her how much this had helped him. The two shared a warm hug and as she heard Josh give a long sigh, she could feel some of his pain leave him, and that made her happy. "That's what friends are supposed to do," she said. Maya glanced at phone and said: "Wow, it's later than I realized. Guess I need to head back to my apartment. Josh walked her to the door and Maya told him: "I'll call you tomorrow and we can set up some sort of schedule for me to come over and help Mati with her drawing on a regular basis." Josh agreed that it was a good idea, and Maya left.
For the next several weeks, Maya came by Josh's apartment to tutor Mati with her drawing. Sometimes she'd come twice a week, but usually it was once. It soon became routine. Mati would answer the door with a big smile on her face to let Maya in. At first Maya would ask the excited little girl if she'd finished her other homework, which she always had. But later, she didn't bother to ask, she knew Mati already had. The only problem that arose was when it was Mati's bedtime. Both Mati and Maya enjoyed what they were doing so much, they'd lose track of time. Maya would tell Josh later that his daughter was the most enthusiastic and dedicated young artist she had ever been around. Mati never wanted to go to bed on time when Maya was there. She wanted to stay up longer and draw more. She would eventually relent though. Maya would tell her she needed her rest so she could do her best at school, including art class.
The next time Maya arrived at the apartment, instead of Mati greeting her, it was Josh. She didn't think much about it at first; she figured Mati was in her room already drawing. But then Maya noticed that Josh had a frown on his face, something he hadn't had since she'd reconnected with him. This worried her. "Josh," she began, "is everything okay?"
"No, not really, it's Mati," he answered. When he saw the concerned look on Maya's face, he realized he may have made a wrong impression on her. "No Maya, she'd fine. I mean she's not sick or anything," he clarified, "she'd just sad."
"What happened?" Maya asked as the two sat down at the kitchen table. Josh could tell that Maya was genuinely concerned, which he appreciated.
"It seems," he began, "that her art teacher, Ms. Andrews, noticed a significant improvement in her drawing over the past several weeks." This caused Maya to grin slightly, happy that Mati's art teacher had noticed. But this didn't explain why she'd be sad. But Josh wasn't finished. "In class one day," Josh continued, "she complimented Mati on her improvement. That made Mati happy and I guess she wanted to give you some credit, so she told Ms. Andrews the Maya Hunter had been helping her."
"So, is Ms. Andrews not a fan of my work or something?" Maya asked. "Surely," she thought, "an art teacher wouldn't berate one of her students because she'd didn't like the person who had helped her. Especially after the teacher had just complimented her."
"No," Josh answered, "just the opposite. She's a big fan or yours evidently." He could see the confusion on Maya's face, so he continued: "She didn't believe Mati when she told her about you. When Mati insisted it was true, Ms. Andrews blew her off, saying that no one in this little art class could possible know a world famous artiest like you." Maya should have been flattered that an art teacher had referred to her as "world famous," but she wasn't. She was getting angry that someone would accuse Josh's sweet daughter of lying, and for no reason.
"Mati, wouldn't lie," Maya suddenly blurted out. "I know the Matthews, and they don't lie, none of you do. It was one of the lessons I learned from them, meaning Riley, Cory, and Topanga."
"That actually wasn't the worst part," Josh went on, catching Maya by surprise. "The worst part was that all of her classmates started teasing her about it. Then it spread throughout the school and even students that she didn't even know would tease her in the hallways and lunch room."
"Poor Mati," Maya exclaims. "I know how cruel some kids can be. In elementary school and a little in middle school, Farkle was teased. Riley, Lucas, and I put an end to that though."
"Her two closet friends believed her," Josh went on, "and tried to convince others she was telling the truth, but it didn't help. The damage had been done."
"Do you think if I talked to her it would help?" May asked.
Josh smiled. The fact that Maya cared for his daughter and was willing to try to help her with this if she could, made him happy. "I think it would," Josh responded. "Just her knowing that you care enough to talk to her about it, will cheer he up some, I'm sure."
"Okay," Maya says. "Is she in her room?" Josh nods his head. Maya gets up from her chair and heads toward Mati's room. When she gets there, she finds the door closed. She gently knocks on it. "Come in dad," she hears from within, and she opens the door to go in. She finds Mati sitting on her bed, leaned up against the headboard, reading a book. "It's me Mati," she says. "Can I come in?" The little girl looks up in surprise and smiles; but not the big smile she usually gets, just a small one."
"Sure Maya, come in," she says. "I don't really feel like drawing tonight though," she says with a frown. "I'm sorry you came over here for nothing."
"Nothing?!" Maya says in disbelief and she stands next to the bed. "Anytime I get to see you, it's a definite something." This gets a bigger smile from Mati and when she sees Maya smiling back at her, she puts her book down and sits on the edge of her bed, which Maya takes to mean she can sit next to her, which she does. Mati is looking down now and Maya can tell that her smile has left her. "Your dad told me about what happened in school Mati, "she begins. "I know how mean some kids can be, but you can't let them get to you honey."
"Why would they think I'd make up that I know you, Maya?" The little girl asks with sad eyes that make Maya's heart hurt. "I don't lie. Why would I lie?"
Maya can see her beautiful sparkling eyes begin to fill up with tears. Maya realizes that Mati is too young to understand that some people are just mean because they want to be. But she wants to try and make her understand. "I know you wouldn't lie Mati," Maya says and she puts an arm around the confused little girl. "I know you. I know your family. None of you ever lie. And they taught me that lying never gets you anywhere." She sees Mati looking up at her, still wanting answers. Maya squeezes her a little and says: "some people are just mean Mati. I don't know why and maybe even they don't know why, but it has nothing to do with you." Mati nods her head in understanding, but it doesn't seem to cheer her up much. Then Maya realizes that even if Mati understands why, she still has to face the teasing tomorrow in school; and the next day; and the next. She sighs and wishes she could do something more. Then her eyes land on something on her nightstand, her sketchpad. "Maybe I can do something about this," she says with a grin as an idea pops into her head.
This gets Mati's attention as well as Josh's who's been standing at the door listening to what's going on. "What?" Mati asks with a little excitement in her voice.
"Well, tomorrow morning," Maya begins as she reaches over to Mati's night stand, grabs her sketchpad, and puts it under her arm, "you're going to forget to take your sketchpad to school with you."
"I am?" Mati asks as she looks at her sketchpad under Maya's arm. "But I'll need it for art class."
"I know," Maya returns, "and so does your dad. And he'll find it in your room after you've left for school. But he can't bring it to you because he needs to get to work. Soooo," she continues with a grin, "he'll call his old friend Maya and ask if she can bring it to you. And of course I say yes because I know how important it is to you in art class."
"And then everyone will see that I didn't make you up!" Mati says excitedly as she sees what Maya is planning on doing. "You would do that for me Maya?" The little girl asks almost disbelievingly.
"Of course I would," Maya tells her. "You're my friend and I'd do anything for you."
That causes Mati to hug Maya tight in thanks. Then she pauses and looks at Maya questioningly. "Isn't that lying Maya?" she asks.
Maya can't help be grin. "Perceptive little girl," she says to herself. "Well, let's just say we're stretching the truth a little," Maya says. "But we're not going to make a habit of this, okay?"
"Okay," Mati says back with her own grin.
"Now, what time and what room is your art class in?" Maya asks.
"Ten o'clock in room 137," Mati says.
"Ten o'clock in room 137," Maya repeats, "got it."
Then rest of the evening is spent with Maya and Mati drawing together in the living room with Josh watching them until it's Mati's bedtime. After she goes to bed, Josh and Maya spend some time talking before she leaves as has become their custom. As they stand at the apartment door together Josh says: "thank you for doing this Maya, going to Mati's school tomorrow so everyone can see she didn't lie. You didn't have to you know."
"I know," Maya says with a smile. "But I wanted to. No child should have to go through the teasing she's been getting, especially Mati, and I'm going to put an end to it." All of a sudden, a big grin forms on Josh's face and almost turns into laughter. "What?" Maya asks.
"I would love to see the looks on their faces when you walk into that class tomorrow and give that sketchpad to Mati," Josh says, "especially her teacher."
This causes Maya to laugh also. "I'll make sure to tell you all about it," she tells him. With that, they bid each other goodnight, and Maya leaves.
The Next Day
Mati walks into her ten o'clock art class. She can already feel eyes on her and can hear the snickering beginning. She hopes that will end soon, permanently. After the class gets settled in, Ms. Andrews, tells her students to take out their sketch pads so she can see how they're coming on the class's latest project. Of course Mati doesn't have hers and Ms. Andrews notices. "Mati, where is your sketch pad?" She asks.
"I forgot it this morning, Ms. Andrews." She replies in a low voice. A few snickers are heard from some of her classmates.
Ms. Andrews looks at them and says: "everyone get your drawings ready for me to see." Then she turns back to Mati. "What's gotten into you Mati?" She asks. "First you make up a story about knowing a famous artist, and now you forget your sketchpad. I just don't…." She's cut off by a knock on the door.
"Excuse me," a voice says, "is this Mati Matthews' art class?" Everyone turns to see who's interrupted their class, including Ms. Andrews. But Mati already knows, she recognizes the voice immediately, and a little grin forms on her face.
"Yes it is," Ms. Andrews answers as she turns to the door to see who it is. "How may I help…." She stops in mid-sentence when she sees who it is. Then she quickly turns and takes a look at Mati in disbelief, along with the rest of the class. Then she turns back to her visitor and asks: "You're Maya Hunter, aren't you?"
"I am," Maya answers calmly. "And I'm sorry to interrupt your class, but Mati forgot her sketchpad this morning. Her father found it after she'd left for school and knew she would need it, but he had to get to work. So he called me and asked if I could take it too her. And naturally I said yes." When she sees everyone looking at her in disbelief, except Mati of course, she decides to explain further. "You see, her farther and I have known each other since we were children, and he's one of my very best friends. And after meeting his daughter," she looks directly at Mati, "we've become friends too." When no one says anything because they're all still stunned at what is happing right now, Maya walks over to Mati's desk, pulls her sketchpad out of her tote and hands it to the little girl. "Here you are Mati," she says. "And we're not going to forget it again, are we?" She asks with a grin and a wink at a delighted Mati.
"No, were not Maya," she answers with a grin of her own, "thank you." They share a knowing look that says: "we won't need to forget it after today." Now every one of Mati's classmates looks at her in disbelief. And a few are feeling bad for teasing Mati.
Maya turns back to Ms. Andrews and says: "Again, I'm sorry for interrupting your class."
Finally, a stunned Ms. Andrews gets some of her sense back and says: "No, no, it's fine. It's an honor to have you in our class Miss Hunter."
"Thank you," Maya answers with a genuine smile. "And please call my Maya." Maya then takes a moment to looks are the classroom. When she's finished she says: "Being in here brings back such good memories of when I was learning to draw and paint."
"Oh," Ms. Andrews exclaims. "Was this your classroom when you were in elementary school? I wasn't teaching here when you would have had this class."
Maya gives her a warm smile and answers. "No, I never took art until middle school. I didn't even know I could draw, much less paint, till I was thirteen years old." She pauses for a second, then says: "thank you for being an art teacher Ms. Andrews." This stuns the astonished teacher. The last thing she expected from Maya was a thank you. Maya sees her surprise and continues. "I hold all teachers, but especially art teachers, in high esteem, all the ones I had in middle and high schools and in college. My elementary art teacher, Miss Kossal, discovered my talent and was the first to take an interest in me and encourage me. Mr. Jackson, my high school art teacher, continued teaching and encouraging me. I love them both and continue to keep in touch with them to this day. And they're still encouraging and teaching me." This brings a warm and bright smile from Ms. Andrews, stunned, but genuinely happy that Maya thinks so highly of all her art teachers. Maya pauses for a minute than asks: "Would you mind if I said something to your class?"
Ms. Andrews eyes nearly popped out of her head. "No, please do," she replies.
"Thank you," Maya says, and turns to the class. "Hello everyone," she begins, "Maya name is Maya Hunter, but I think most of you know that, and I'm an artist. I started my love of art and what turned into an art career in a classroom very much like this one. I would encourage all of you to pay close attention to what Ms. Andrews will be teaching you in her class and to what any other art teachers you may have in the future may teach you. Art is a joy, and you don't have to be an aspiring artist to feel that joy. Most of you probably won't make your living with art, and that's okay. Even if you decide to be a doctor, or lawyer, or a…."
"Fireman!" a boy shouts, causing Maya to smile.
"Yes, or even a fireman," she continues, "no matter what you do in life, you can take art with you. And getting joy from art has nothing to do with talent. May best friend has practically no art talent at all. Once she said of herself: "I stink.'" This gets some laughter from the class, including Ms. Andrews. "But she never stopped painting to this day. And even though what she did on canvas is weird sometimes, she takes joy in doing what she can do." Maya pauses for a second, then concludes: "art is something you can always do anytime, anywhere. Someday, if you're lucky," she continues, "you'll be drawing or painting with you kids and grandkids even. So, enjoy your time in this class; who knows where it will lead." She looks at Ms. Andrews, indicating she's finished.
"Thank you for those encouraging words Maya," Ms. Andrews says, speaking for herself and her class. "It's been a delight having you here and I know my class appreciates it."
Maya looks at the smiling faces and nodding heads of the children, and an idea pops into her head. "Ms. Andrews, would you mind if I stayed for the rest of this period? I'd love to help you out a little. And please don't worry, I would never do anything that would contradict what you teach in here. I never have with Mati. I'm just an artist, but you're a teacher. I just want to encourage these young artists while I'm here."
"Just an artist," Ms. Andrews says to herself while inwardly rolling her eyes. "That's like saying Denzel Washington saying he's just an actor." She resists the urge to laugh out loud at Maya's last remark. "We would be flattered if you'd stay Maya." She starts her class and Maya busies herself by walking around to each student and offering bits of advice and encouragement. When she gets to Mati, she bends over, puts an arm around her shoulders, and quietly says: "you'll get your tutoring tonight, okay?"
"Okay," the little girl says with a smile.
Maya enjoys herself thoroughly and so does the class. As the class period nears its end, Ms. Andrews says to her class. "Alright everyone, the bell to change periods will ring is just a minute, so I think we should thank Miss Hunter for spending some time with us." The class says: "thank you Miss Hunter in unison, and then gives her a round of applause at Ms. Andrews' prompting.
Maya says: "thank you everyone. It was my pleasure. And everyone keep drawing." Then the bell rings and the students begin to file out of the room. They all take a moment to stop and tell Maya: "thank you" individually. Mati waits till all of her classmates have left before approaching Maya.
"Thank you Maya," she says with the warmest smile Maya has ever seen from her. "You were a big help to me today." Although their exchange would imply that Mati's thanking Maya for bringing her sketchpad to her, both know what the little girl really means.
"You're welcome Mati; I was glad I could help." Maya then gives her little protégé a big hug with both arms. As she's doing this, Mati notices several of her classmates have lagged behind and witnessed the display of genuine affection passing between the two. "I'll see you tonight, okay?" Maya tells her. "Okay," Mati answers and then leaves the room.
As Maya is collecting her things, Ms. Andrews approaches her. "You coming here came as a big shock to all of us, especially me, "she says. "I thought Mati had made up a story about you knowing her and tutoring her."
Maya looks up at the teacher and says in mock disbelief: "Really?! She would never do anything like that." When Ms. Andrews doesn't respond, she continues. "I've known Mati's family since I was a little girl. Her dad's niece is my best friend. His parents have always treated me like another granddaughter. His brother and sister-in-law helped raise me. And his brother's best friend married my mom and adopted me. And I can tell you, none of them lie or fib about anything. If they ever did, I think their face would break or something."
This gets a chuckle out of the art teacher. "Well, I certainly believe that now," she says. As they're saying their goodbyes, Ms. Andrews asks: "Maya, Mati didn't really forget her sketchpad this morning, did she?"
Maya, seeing that she had surmised what was really went on this morning, answered: "No, she didn't. Mati doesn't go anywhere without it, just like me."
This brings a knowing smile to the teacher's face. "You really seem quite fond of her, aren't you," she says.
"I am," Maya replies. "Her and her dad have been through a rough time, as I'm sure you know." This gets a knowing nod from Ms. Andrews. "I'm hoping I'm bringing a little extra joy into their lives; helping them to keep healing." As she's about to walk out the door, she turns back to the teacher and says: "I'll be displaying some of my paintings at a galley for a fund-raising event, and I hope you'll come."
Ms. Andrews says: "I'm aware of it and was planning on coming."
"Good," Maya says with a smile. "Find me when you get there, and we'll tour the gallery together, just you and me. I'd love to see what you think of the artwork on display, including mine." Ms. Andrews tells Maya she'll look forward to that and then Maya leaves. As she's walking down the hallway on her way to the exit, Maya notices a little group of students grouped around a locker and they're engaged in excited conversation. When she gets closer, she notices Mati is in the center of the group. Someone in the group notices Maya and alerts the rest. Immediately everyone stops talking and watches Maya approach. Maya catches Mati's eye as she passes, winks at the little girl, and says: "see you tonight Mati." Then she continues on down the hall and out the door. When she disappears out the door, the little group of girls and boys continue their conversation, peppering Mati with questions about the famous painter.
Later That Night
Maya is buzzed into Josh's apartment building and is now waiting on the apartment door to be opened after she'd knocked. When it did open, she wasn't greeted by Mati, as she expected, but rather by Josh. "Come in Maya," Josh greets her with a big smile. Just after she got through the doorway and Josh shut the door behind her, he suddenly threw his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in for a tight hug. She was completely taken by surprise by Josh's action, but after she got over the initial shock, she instinctively put her arms around his waist and hugged him back. As she did this, she was immediately transported back in time to ten years before when they had been dating. She felt his strong arms around her, strong yet gentle, which made her feel safe with him. She breathed deep and took in his aroma and that brought back a flood of memories of the four years they were together. She got lost in those memories and stayed there until she was suddenly jolted back to reality when Josh released her. He saw that he had surprised her. In truth, it had been sort of a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. He had just planned on greeting her with a smile and a "come in," but as soon as he saw her and with what Mati had told him about her day at school, he couldn't resist. "You did such a good thing for Mati today Maya," he began. "All the way home from school, she couldn't stop talking about what happened in art class. She was so excited that I had to make her slow down so I could understand everything she was trying to tell me." That made Maya smile. She'd seem Mati excited like that a couple of times, and she was adorable when she was like that. "And when we got home, she was walking around about two feet off the ground, still excited. She told me that she had gone from someone who was getting teased to one of the most popular students in the school. She said even some of the teachers asked her questions about how she knew you." Maya's smile got bigger and bigger as Josh told her everything, and so did Josh's. Then suddenly his huge grin turned into a small, pleasant smile. "Thank you Maya," he said. "Thank you for doing this for her. It's made her so happy."
Maya looked up into Josh's eyes and saw genuine affection for her. It caused goosebumps to run up and down her spine. She hadn't seen that look from Josh since the last time she saw him before she left for London. She knew that his affection was for what she had done for Mati and not because of any feeling he had for her. And she was fine with that. She just liked seeing him and Mati happy. "You're welcome Josh," she said, I'd do anything for her….and you too."
Josh continued looking at her for a few more seconds, then sad: "I know you would Maya; I know you would."
After a few more awkward seconds, in which Maya didn't know what to do or say and not knowing what Josh was thinking, familiar running footsteps were heard coming down the little hallway of the apartment. This eased the slight tension between Maya and Josh because they knew what was coming. All of a sudden, Mati appeared in the living room with a huge smile on her face. Then she screamed "MAYA!" and ran toward Maya jumping into her arms. She was ready, barely, and caught the excited little girl without falling down. Mati threw her arms around Maya's neck and hugged her tight. Maya could feel the gratitude and affection coming from her. "I thought I knew what a hug was," Maya thought to herself, "but I was wrong."
"Thank you Maya, you're the best friend ever," she said softly into Maya's ear. Maya felt her eyes getting a little moist, but held back her tears. Mati let her go finally and asked: "would you like to hear what happened after you left?"
"Absolutely, I would," Maya answered with a smile. Mati grabbed Maya's hand and led her to the couch where they both sat down and Mati told her everything, in detail. Maya was sure Josh had already heard this, in detail, but didn't seem to mind hearing it all again. Just like she was while telling Josh, Maya had to ask her to slow down a few times in order to understand it all. Maya hung around until it was time for Mati's bedtime. They spent their time talking about the day's events and drawing together. When it was her bedtime, Mati hugged Maya's neck again, told her goodnight, and thanked her again, then Josh put her to bed.
After he did that, Maya decided she needed to head back to her apartment before it got too late. As they said their goodnights at Josh's door, he hugged her tenderly again and thanked her one last time. As she rode the subway back to her place, she had time to think about what had happened at Josh's apartment. She smiles as she remembers Mati telling her how much better she was treated after her art class that day. Then she smiles a melancholy smile as she remembers her interaction with Josh when she arrived and as she left his apartment. She sighed. She enjoyed the physical contact they'd had while she was there. It felt so…..natural. But she just chalked that up to all the time they'd spent together before she left for London. They were friends….good friends, but nothing more. And to think anything else was just crazy.