Maya waits patiently for the door to Josh's apartment to open. He'd buzzed her into his building just a few minutes ago. It's been about three weeks since the incident at the art gallery fund raiser. Maya had explained everything about it to Josh, including when Alexander Casper had approached Maya later to apologize for his sister's actions. Mati hadn't mentioned it at all since the fundraiser, so as far as Josh and Maya were concerned, the incident was over and forgotten. Maya was continuing with her tutoring of Mati in art and was thrilled with her progress, but more than that, she was happy that Mati truly loved art. Her art class had begun transitioning into painting, which excited Maya. She knew that Mati was getting into a whole new world of art that she, Maya, believed would just cause her love to grow, like it did her. She'd be learning about colors and shading and many others things, including the "golden hours" when the colors outside were at their most brilliant.
When the door to the apartment finally opened, Maya was surprised to see it was Josh who opened it and not Mati. The little girl had always been the one opening the door before when she knew Maya was coming to visit them. She always had a big grin on her face and was eager to start that evening's tutoring session. And it always brightened up Maya's days as well. No matter what kind of mood Maya was in, happy or sad, when that door opened and she was greeted by a big smile and excited face, she always felt better. "Oh, hi Josh," Maya says with a surprised look on her face.
"Well, good to see you too Maya," he answers sarcastically. He knows Maya was expecting to be greeted by Mati and not her father and isn't disappointed it was him, just surprised.
"You know what I meant Matthews," Maya says as she rolls her eyes at Josh's greeting. For the next several moments Josh just stares at her as if he was expecting an apology or something. "Well, can I come in?" She finally asks.
A big smile breaks out on his face as he answers: "I guess you can….even if you weren't happy to see me."
He steps out of the way so Maya can come into the apartment. "Don't give me that pouty face Josh," she says to him as she enters. "That never worked on me before and that hasn't changed." She's trying to act annoyed but can't suppress a smile. This was so familiar, and fun, for her, them bantering back and forth. It was part of who they were before, when they were together. And even though they aren't together any more as lovers, she still loves Josh's wit. She always told him it kept her sharp. At first, others thought the two young lovers were about to have a fight when they encountered their "back-and-forth," especially Riley and Copy, who both wanted their relationship to work out because a breakup between the two might cause friction in the families, both the Matthews and the Hunters. But they soon learned these seemingly sharp words between them was just who they were. Part of their affection for one another was their frequent teasing of one another. And it brought back great memories to Maya as she remembered what was the happiest time of her life. "But now's not so bad either," she remarks to herself as her smile widens.
"Make yourself comfortable," Josh tells her. "I'm just cleaning the kitchen up from dinner."
"Can I help with anything?" She asks.
"Naw, I'm good," he answers. "I'm almost done. Just some dishes to dry and put up is all. Mati's in her room doing her homework. I thought she'd be through by now and greeting you at the door, but as you saw, she wasn't."
"You think she might be having trouble with something?" Maya asks.
"I don't know," Josh answers. "She's been doing really well with all her schoolwork, not just art, since you showed up and encouraged her."
"I'll be happy to check on her if you'd like me to," Maya suggests.
"Wow! Look at you. Miss 'do your homework Mati,' Josh teases. "When you were her age, it was like pulling teeth to get you to do anything concerning school I was told."
"Well, I was lucky enough to have good influences in my life," Maya began. "Starting with your niece, and your brother, and even you, later on as I recall. So maybe I can have a small good influence on her." Josh stops what he's doing and looks at Maya with an intense stare. "What?" she asks, bewildered by his reaction.
Josh finally smiles and says: "I was just remembering the amazing transformation I got to witness in you. From the rebellious but sad little girl I met when I was ten and you were seven; to the young woman I got to know well when you were in high school and I was attending NYU, who was full of hope for her future; to the amazing young woman you became in college; to now, after conquering the art world in Europe, willing to help an old friend with his daughter right when they needed it the most. You are amazing Maya Hunter. Mati and I are lucky to have you in our lives right now, no matter how brief that time may be."
Maya's eyes well up with tears. She had no idea how Josh felt about her being around Mati, until now. "Thanks Josh," she finally says as she wipes her eyes. "That means a lot to me. I didn't know how you felt about me doing things with her. More than anything I wanted to help out an old friend and I guess I was helping more that I realized."
There were a few moments of comfortable silence between the two, then Josh spoke up: "If you want to check on her, that's fine. I'll just finish up in here."
Maya smiles, nods her head, and heads down the hall to Mati's room. She makes sure she's completely composed before gently knocking on her door. "Come in," she hears the little girl say softly.
As she opens the door, she says: "Hey Mati, it's me." She expects to see her face light up when she sees who it is, but instead, Mati just looks up briefly and meekly says: "hey Maya." This surprises her. Mati is sitting on the edge of her bed and holding what appears to be a picture frame. And she's staring at it intently. Curious, Maya walks over to the bed and sits down beside her to see what's holding her attention so strongly. It is indeed a picture that Maya recognizes immediately. It's a picture of her and her mother, Ann. Mati keeps it on the nightstand next to her bed. She remembers Mati showing her the picture and telling her that Josh had taken it on a weekend trip they took to a park in Pennsylvania. Maya doesn't know why the little girl is staring at this picture of her and her mother, but she's surmising she's missing her mom right now, so she wants to tread lightly with her. "Your mom was very pretty," Maya suggests. "She was, wasn't see," Mati says is a barely audible voice. It was then that Maya notices that Mati had been crying. Her nose was a little red and she wiped her eyes and sniffed her nose a little. This concerned Maya somewhat. She had talked with Mati about her mom some. And she was all smiles when telling her about Ann. But this was somehow different. "You know, it's okay for you to miss your mom Mati," she begins tentatively. "I know," Mati responds. "Dad's told me that, so has Uncle Cory and Aunt Topanga. And so has grandma and grandpa (Amy & Allen)."
Would you like to talk about what's making you sad right now?" Maya asks. "It's okay to be sad sometimes too."
Maya told herself she's venturing into unknown territory now with Mati and to think about everything she might want to say to her before she says it. "It's not just missing mom that's making me sad Maya," she finally says. "What really hurts; what makes me the saddest is….is…." Maya can tell the little girl is struggling to say what the thing is that's really making her sad.
"What is it Mati? Maya asks gently. "What's making you so sad right now?"
Maya can tell that Mati wants to tell her what it is, but for some reason she can't. "Maybe she would rather talk to Josh about this," she thinks to herself. "This may be too personal and painful for her to talk about with someone she met just a few weeks ago." She's about to ask her if she's rather talk to her dad, when suddenly it all comes flowing out of her in a rush. "I'm afraid I'm forgetting my mother, Maya!" She blurts out in a panicked voice. She looks up at Maya now as tears begin to roll down her cheeks and continues. "I don't want to forget my mother, Maya! I loved my mother and she loved me and now I'm afraid I'm forgetting her!"
She begins to cry now, which breaks Maya's heart. "No wonder she didn't want to say what it was," Maya thinks to herself. "She's probably afraid if she says it aloud, it might actually come true." She puts an arm around the now scared little girl and tries to ease her fear. "You're not going to forget your mother Mati. Why would you think that?"
"Because Maya," she begins as she continues to look up at Maya, "I'm beginning to forget what she looks like. That's why I was looking at a picture of her, so I could remember. But every time I do, I begin to forget again, so I look at her picture again. And I'm beginning to forget what her voice sounded like Maya!" Maya can hear the desperation in her voice. "And I'm beginning to forget how she said my name. It's just not fair. I don't want to ever forget my mother!" She begins to cry harder as she buries her face in Maya's side to hide her tears.
Maya puts her arms gently around the crying girl and holds her tight. She feels Mati hugging her back as if she's clinging to someone to save her life. Maya speaks to her soothingly. "Don't cry Mati," she begins, "you're never going to forget your mom, I promise."
She looks up at Maya with hopeful but unbelieving eyes and asks: "How do you know that Maya? How do you know if I'll never forget her?"
Maya gives her as much of a reassuring smile as she can before she speaks, hoping to ease the little girl's fears. "Let me tell you something I've learned Mati," she begins. "I've learned that our hearts keep all those wonderful memories we've have with those who we loved that are no longer with us and locks them away for safe keeping in a tight little lock box and stores that box away in our heats." She taps Mati's chest with her finger where her heart is to emphasize what she means. "And every once in a while, something causes that box to open and all those wonderful memories spill out for us to relive, and when they do, the feeling is wonderful and makes you happy, even if you've been sad."
"They do?" Mati asks with a little grain of happiness in her voice. "But how do you know that Maya?"
"Because that's happened to me," Maya responds. When she sees Mati perk up a little with her response, she continues: "When my mom and I were left alone after my birth father left us," my grandmother, I called her 'Gammy,' came to live with us. She'd take care of me when mom was working, which she did a lot, so we could have a place to live. Gammy loved me and I loved her back. She was kind and sweet and she loved my friends too, especially Riley." This causes Mati to smile a little because she knows how easy it is to love Riley. "But she was old and died just before my real dad, Shawn, came into my mom and mine's lives. And when she did, I cried and cried, just like you did when your mom died." Maya has Mati's full attention now as the little girl realizes Maya understands her sadness. "Then, one day," Maya continues, "when I was really missing her, I heard someone laugh just like Gammy did, which surprised me because she had a funny laugh." This actually gets a little smile from Mati. "And when I heard that laugh, all the wonderful memories I had with Gammy poured out of my little lock box in my heart and I was so happy thinking about her."
"You remembered everything about her then?" Mati asked hopefully.
"Yes I did," Maya answered her. "And I'll tell you something else, that little box of memories stays with you forever, just waiting to burst open and fill you up with wonderful memories."
"Even when you get older," Mati asks.
"Even then," Maya tells her. "After I had moved away from home and had been living in London for about two years, I was sitting outside at a little café eating lunch. I was really feeling sad that day. I was missing Riley, and mom and dad; and I was missing your Uncle Cory and Aunt Topanga." (She started to say she was missing Josh as well, but decided that was a discussion for another time). "Then, all of a sudden, I hear a little girl's laughter. I looked to where the laughter was coming from and see a little girl holding onto an older woman's hand and saying: 'Come on Grandma, let's go to the park and look at the flowers.' And it reminded me of holding my Gammy's hand when I was a little girl and doing things with her. And instead of being sad, I was suddenly very, very happy."
Mati nods her head in understanding of Maya's story, but then sighs and says: "I hope that'll happen to me. I don't want to forget my mom."
Maya can see the doubt and sadness return to her young face. She realizes Mati isn't quite convinced she will have those memories of her mom. She begins to think of other ways she might convince Mati her mother's memories will never fade. As she looks around the room, she spots something that she thinks will help. "Mati, close your eyes. I've got something I want to show you." Mati just looks at her with a questioning looks on her face. "Do you trust me Mati?" She asks. Mati nods her head. "Then close your eyes and keep them shut till I tell you to open them. Okay?" She closes her eyes like Maya asked her to and waits patiently. Maya quietly gets up and moves to Mati's dresser. There she picks up a small bottle of perfume. It was Ann's perfume. Mati had proudly shown it to her when she gave Maya a tour of her room the first time she visited her and Josh. Maya knows that scents are one of the strongest memory triggers there are, so she takes the bottle and spritzes a little of the perfume in the air, then uses her hand to fan the fragrance toward Mati. Then she waits. A few seconds later, Mati's eyes suddenly pop open. A big smile comes to her face as she says: "momma" out loud in a voice filled with joy.
She looks at Maya then and says excitedly: "I remember everything Maya. I remember exactly what her voice sounded like. I remember how she said my name. I remember that when I was younger she'd call me 'little bit' sometimes and it would make dad giggle. I remember what she smelled like right after she took a shower because she loved to pick me up and hug me in her soft, fluffy bath robe. I remember how her lips felt on my cheek when she kissed me goodnight in my bed. And I remember how much she loved dad and how she always told me I was the only person in the world she loved more than dad, but only a little. Oh Maya, I remember everything about her." As she's telling Maya all this, Maya makes her way back to Mati's bed and sits down next to her where she was before. When she does, Mati throws her arms around Maya and hugs her tight. "Thank you Maya," she says as new tears flow down her face, but this time they're tears of joy. "Thank you for showing me that I'll never forget mom. Thank you so much."
Maya hugs the little girl back and says: "You're welcome Mati. I'm happy you know that now. You're mom loved you very much and people who love us like that, we'll never forget." Mati just nods her head in recognition and hugs Maya tighter in appreciation. While this was going on, neither of them noticed Josh leave the doorway of the bedroom and walk back to the kitchen area. When neither Maya or Mati returned to the living room soon after Maya went to check on his daughter, he went to check on them and had witnessed what had taken place between the two. When he reached the kitchen, he paused a second and wiped his slightly moistened eyes. And he said a silent thank you for Maya being at the right place at the right time when it seemed they both needed someone like her the most.
Back in Mati's room, after the two release each other from their warm hug, Maya decided to bring up the reason she was at their apartment to begin with. "Are you ready to do some drawing and maybe some painting now Mati, so I can see how you're doing?" She asks.
Mati sighs in frustration. "I am Maya," she begins, "but I still have some homework to finish.
Maya has to suppress a laugh. She sees how much Mati wants to start her art tutoring right now, but knows Maya won't do that with her until her homework is done. "Okay," Maya says. I'll go back to the living room and wait till you're done, and then we'll draw some." The little girl nods her acknowledgement, with a half-smile, and Maya gives her one last hug, kisses the top of her head, and leaves her to do her homework.
Maya finds Josh in the kitchen. He has his back turned to her. She begins to tell him that Mati has homework to finish. "Mati has some homework to finish," she begins. "So I guess we can hang out till she's finished. Can I help with anything in the kitchen?"
Before she can finish, Josh suddenly turns around and wraps his arms around her neck and pulls her in for a hug. This takes her completely by surprise. "Um….okay," is all she can manage to say. She's about to say more, when suddenly her mind transports her back in time to a little over tens years ago; to a time when her and Josh were together. Her arms instinctively wrap around his waist as she hugs him back. This was how they used to hold each other. Their relationship contained a physical part back then, which they both enjoyed. But holding each other like this was more intimate and brought them closer together than anything. When Maya was in Josh's arms, she felt safe and loved, even though she never used the 'L' word or even thought it back then for reasons she doesn't understand now. And those times with Josh were the happiest she'd even been.
She was brought back to reality when Josh says: "Thank you Maya. Thank you for what you did." She's brought all the way back when Josh releases her and looks down at her with thanks that she could see were genuine. But she's confused. "You're welcome, Josh," is all she can say, then adds: "but what are you thanking me for, not that I mind of course." She gives him a small smile after saying that.
Now he grins slightly and explains. "When you didn't come back immediately after checking on Mati, I went to see what you two were doing. And I saw what you told her about why she would never forget her mother. And how you showed her she would never forget her."
"Oh," Maya says; not knowing where Josh is going with this. "I hope I didn't do anything wrong," she finishes with a little apprehension.
"No," Josh stated firmly. "You didn't do anything wrong." Maya breaths a sigh of relief, knowing Josh isn't upset with her. "If fact, I couldn't have done any better with her than you just did and I don't think anyone else could have either. I've noticed she's been a little worried about something lately and was going to ask her about it, but now I know. And you eased her mind about that." As Josh looks at her, he thinks: "Is this the Maya Hunter I knew when she lived in New York? That Maya was tough, edgy, and a bit of a wild-child. She was becoming more mature though, as she went through college. Still, I couldn't even imagine her being that good with children. She's still Maya; I can tell. But this Maya is definitely different. And different in a good way."
Once again, Maya is at a loss for words. Finally, she says: "I was glad I helped her Josh. A little girl shouldn't grow up worrying about things like that; believe me, I know. The worst thing she should ever worry about is if she'll be able to hang out with her friends after school."
Josh stares down at Maya again; still smiling with gratitude. He hugs her again and says: "I can't thank you enough Maya. What you did for her, and me, is more than I could ever repay." He holds Maya for the next few seconds, and again, on instinct, she hugs his back.
When they release each other, Maya says: "You're welcome, Josh. And knowing I helped that sweet daughter of yours is more payment that I'll ever deserve. I've grown quite fond of her, if you haven't noticed."
Josh chuckles a little and says: "Yeah, I thought I noticed that a little. And I think she's grown a little fond of you as well." This causes Maya to grin. She's happy that Josh is okay with the way she handled this. After a few moments, Josh says: "You asked if you could help with anything, how about you help me put up dishes and then we can hang out till Mati's through with her homework. "Sounds like a plan," Maya answers as she picks up a plate from the drying rack.
After putting everything away in the kitchen they go to the living room and wait on Mati. Their conversation is easy and natural as it always was with them. From the first short ones they had at the sky lodge, when Maya was a freshman in high school, to the amazing ones they had when she was in college, till the last one they had before she left for London, which was the most important one they ever had, Maya found that talking to Josh was as enjoyable as anything they did together. They discovered who each other was; some things they knew or suspected from the other, like Maya's love of vintage t-shirts; and some things that were a complete surprise, like their mutual love for Blues music. After about thirty minutes, Mati came running out of her room, sketchpad in hand. "Homework's done," she proclaims as she sits down next to Maya. "This is where I leave you two artists alone," Josh says as he gets up from the couch. This causes Mati to smile brightly. She loves when her dad calls her an artist; almost as much as when Maya calls her one. "Let's see what you've done since I last saw you," Maya tells the little girl, who begins to page through her sketchpad.
Mati is curled up next to Maya as she looks over the little artists shoulder at what she's drawing. "That's really good Mati," she says. "I think you improve a little more each time I see you." This puts a big grin on the little artists face. But that grin soon disappears as Josh comes into the living room and says to her: "Bedtime Mati; school tomorrow."
"Aw dad, not now!" She complains. Maya and Josh exchange smiles. It's become a pattern with them for Mati to beg for more time drawing with Maya. "You need your sleep honey," Josh tells her, as he always does. But this time Maya decides to jump into the familiar disagreement. "Your dad's right Mati; you need your sleep. And so do we for that matter," referring to Josh and herself.
"Okay," Mati says in exasperation. "I can't believe you took his side on this Maya. I thought us artists stuck together."
"We do," Maya answers back. "But I've always been on your dad's side on this. We all need to get plenty of sleep. Believe me; I know."
"Tell Maya goodnight, honey," Josh begins, "and go get ready for bed and I'll be in shortly to tuck you in."
"Okay dad," Mati says. She puts her arms around Maya's neck to hug her goodnight, like she always does, but this time she holds on a little tighter and longer. Finally she says: "Thank you Maya. Thank you for everything you taught me tonight." Maya knows that Mati means the talk they had together in her room about her mother not just her art work.
When Mati let's go, Maya says: "you're welcome, Mati. If you ever want to talk about anything, all you have to do is ask, and I'll listen." Mati nods, smiles at Maya, hugs her one more time, and heads to her bedroom. After she leaves, Maya gets up and gathers her things together to leave. "Good night Josh," she says. "I enjoyed our conversation tonight as I always do. We'll talk later in the week about Mati's next tutoring session."
"Next time," Josh begins, "why don't you come over a little earlier and have dinner with us. Mati would like that and so would I. And I know Mati would love to tell you about her day and week, like she does with me. And it'd be nice to have someone else here to help answer the thousand questions she always has."
Maya grins at his last remark, imagining the little fireball rattling off questions or events in her life, one right after another. And she's genuinely surprised that Josh has invited her join them for dinner. "I would like that Josh; thanks for asking," she responds. After a few moments of awkward silence, Maya finally says: "well, guess I need to run before it gets too late." Just as she reaches the door to the apartment, with Josh following her, he once again pulls her in for a hug. For the third time that night, she's surprised by this show of affection. And for the third time that night, she's transported back in time and puts her arms around him and hugs him back. And for the third time, she's pulled back to the present, and reality, when Josh says: "thank you again Maya. Thank you for explaining to Mati that she'll never forget her mom. And thank you for just being with us. You're helping us heal more that you could ever know. You seemed to have come along right when we needed you the most."
As Josh looks down at his old friend, Maya can see the genuine gratitude on his face, and her eyes begin to get a little moist. "I…I don't know what to say Josh," she begins. "I'm just trying to be the best friend I can be, like you've always been to me."
"And that's what I'm so thankful for Maya," he says. "Your friendship, right now, has been what my little girl and I have needed. And I know what you're thinking: we've got other friends and family that would help. And you're right. But there's just something you have that no one else has, I guess. I don't know what that is and I don't care. I just know you've been here and you've helped….a lot."
Maya just nods her head, not really knowing what to say. "It's been really nice getting reacquainted with you Josh, and it goes without saying that your precious little girl is a joy to be with. And I'm lucky to have met her." The two share another moment of not so awkward silence, before sharing one last goodbye hug, then Maya leaves for her apartment.
After he closes and locks the apartment door, he heads back to Mati's room. When her gets there, she's got her PJs on and is just climbing into bed. Josh kneels beside the bed and helps her get under the covers. As he's tucking her in, Mati says: "dad, I'm really glad Maya's our friend."
He looks down at his smiling daughter and returns her smile. "Me too, honey," he replies. "She makes us both smile a lot, doesn't she?"
"Uh-uh," she replies. She hesitates a few seconds, then continues. "She did something tonight that really made me happy," she begins, "and it didn't have anything to do with drawing." She hesitates again, seemingly not sure of how to continue, then says: "I was afraid I was forgetting mom, but Maya showed me that I'll never forget her." She looks up at Josh now, wondering how he'll react to what she's just said.
"I know," he says matter-of-factly. When Mati gives him a surprised look, he says: "don't worry; she didn't tell me Mati. She would have kept that between you and her if that's what you would have wanted. But I was standing in the doorway of your room when you two talked about that. I was wondering what was keeping you and came to check, so I heard what she told you." When Mati looks at him with questioning eyes, he continues: "I told Maya that I was grateful for her talking to you about that. She knows what's it's like losing a loved one and knew what to tell you."
"She told me she was sad when she lost her 'Gammy' and cried a lot," Mati tells him, "just like I did when we lost mom. But she said she's never forgotten her and that made me feel better."
"Me too," Josh says, his eyes moistening a little as he sees his daughter feeling better. "Now go to sleep so you'll be ready for school tomorrow."
"Okay," she says as he hugs her good night. "I love you dad," she finishes.
"I love you too honey," he tells her, then kisses her cheek before leaving her room.
As Maya sits on the subway train on her way back to her apartment, she can't help but think about the evening she'd spent with Josh and Mati. She smiles and shakes her head in disbelief. "If someone had told me just a few months ago," she thinks to herself, "that I would be spending time with and old friend not named Riley, and his daughter, and enjoying it, I would have thought them crazy." She continues to think to herself: "if twenty-one-year-old me could see thirty-one-year-old me now, she would probably think I've lost my mind." She almost laughs out loud at that thought. As she continues her ride home, her artist instincts take over. She pulls out her sketch pad and drawing pencils and begins to sketch. Thinking back about what she'd told Mati about not forgetting her mother, she begins to draw three figures together, a father, Josh; a child, Mati; and a mother, Ann. "I'll draw this for Mati and no one else," she thinks to herself. "I can even get it framed if she's like and hang it in her room as a reminder that her mom will always be with her." She dives into the drawing and goes into great detail with the three figures, drawing them from memory. Memory of seeing Mati and Josh over the past months and memory of Ann from the picture Mati has of her in her room, as well as the pictures Riley has sent her of Ann.
Before she realizes it, she's at her station stop where she gets off the subway and heads to her apartment. When she gets there, she can't turn her creative mind off and keeps working on the drawing, excited to finish it. Hours later, she notices it getting lighter outside of her windows; she's been up all night drawing. But she doesn't mind because she's close to finishing the drawing. She pauses to take a look at her work. She wanted to see what the whole drawing looked like so far. She'd been concentrating on the details so much, she'd only looked at the whole drawing a few times. As she looks it over, she thinks something doesn't look quite right, but she can't figure out what it is. Then she notices something; she'd gotten Ann's hair color and length wrong. Ann had short, brown hair. As she continues to look over her drawing, she finally sees what's wrong with the drawing, and it shocks her. "Oh my God Maya!" She exclaims to herself. "What the hell were you thinking?!" Shocked in disbelief, she tears the sheet from her sketch pad, rolls it up, and puts it away in the back of her closet, wanting to look at it again only when she figures out what possessed her to draw it the way she did. "Good Lord Maya!" she exclaims to herself again. "What has become of you. Your focus should be on Mati and Josh alone and nothing else." She finally decides to forget about what she's done and instead, keep doing what she's been doing by helping Mati and Josh continue healing from the tragedy that happened to them a little over two years ago.
A/N: I apologize for taking so long to post this chapter. Sometimes my Muse leaves me I think. Lol. I hope to publish the next chapters a little faster. I'm enjoying writing this story more that I thought. I believe it may be my favorite story I've written so far. But I'd like to know what you all think of it. I'm particularly interested in knowing if you like stories where our favorite characters are adults, like this one. Please let me know in the comments. I've never asked for comments before, but I'd like to hear from you on this story. And as always, constructive criticism is always appreciated.