A/N: I'm finally back and continuing this story. I've got several more chapters written, but they need to be proofread before I post them, but hopefully than won't be too long.
Maya wasn't able to make it back to Josh's apartment for several weeks. She had obligations to fulfill concerning some of her artwork as well as news and magazine interviews she'd promised to make with a seemingly very impatient art media. She really didn't like doing interviews. She preferred doing art instead of talking about it, except for when she was trying to inspire other artists through her teaching, tutoring, or lectures, but she understood the importance of the interviews to the art world, so she did them willingly. This took up most of her days during the week and weekends too. On most days, it was past Mati's bedtime when she got through. She talked with Josh and Mati when she could, including doing a video chat with Mati so the little artist could show Maya what she was doing in her art class. And she would take the time to talk to Josh via cell phone when she could if it wasn't too late for him, which it seemed never to be. But nothing compared with being there in person. When she did talk with Mati, the little girl would ask her when she was coming back to see them. Maya would tell her as soon as she could; hopefully next week; but even that got put off for another week. She hated disappointing Mati, but Josh assured her that he explained to her that what Maya was doing now was important and that as important as Mati was to Maya, and they both assured her of that, Mati wasn't the only thing in Maya's life, and she had others who depended on her for certain things. Josh assured Maya that Mati understood and not to worry about it, but she still felt bad.
Finally, Maya's schedule slowed down enough for her to set a time to visit with them again. And as Josh had suggested previously, he invited her to come early and have dinner with them, which she happily agreed to. She was greeted at the door by a very excited Mati. She hugged Maya's waist and then pulled her into the apartment by one of her arms. Maya loved the little girl's hugs; she knew they were genuine. They walked into the kitchen area where Josh was putting the finishing touches on dinner. The two greeted each other with hellos and warm smiles. Maya remembered why she enjoyed coming to Josh's apartment so much. Just being around Mati was enough for her to look forward to her visits, but more than that, she had reconnected with Josh, something she hadn't expected when she planned on returning to New York for a little while. She believed she'd be seeing Josh at some time, but not spending as much time with him as she was, because she thought he still lived in Philadelphia with his wife, Ann, and his daughter, Mati. Whenever she thinks about what Josh and Mati, and the entire Matthews family, have lost, it makes her sad. But it also reminds her that what she's doing with them now, getting them both to talk about their loss, was helping them; she could tell that. It also made her sad because she'll never get to meet Ann; and she wanted to, so much. When she left for London, she had put her previous relationship with Josh behind her. And while in the back of her mind, she carried a small, tiny, hope, that maybe they'd be together again someday, that disappeared when he and Ann were married. Those that didn't know her, might have thought she wished Josh and Ann had never met, but that wasn't true at all. Ever since they had parted, Maya had only wanted Josh to be happy and she believed he wished the same for her. But reconnecting with him and getting to know his daughter made her happy and she was determined to do whatever she could to ease their pain.
She asked Josh if she could help with anything in the kitchen. He told her that dinner was almost ready, but she could help Mati set the table if she liked, which she did. After the food was on the table and they began to eat, Mati immediately started telling the adults about her day and asking questions about theirs. Most of her questions were directed at Maya though. Maya was finding it hard to eat because as soon as she answered one of Mati's questions or responded to something Mati told her, she'd have another question or story waiting for her. Finally, Josh said: "Mati, slow down and let Maya eat. We don't want to starve her to death the first time she has dinner with us, she may not want to come back." That got her attention. She immediately went silent and began eating her dinner. Maya had to suppress a laugh, but she was grateful to be able to eat now. She looked at Josh who smiled back at her and gave her a wink. The next little while was spent mostly in silence with Josh asking Maya how her work had been going since they'd last talked and Maya asking Josh how it'd been going with him. As they were nearing the end of their dinner, Mati looked at her dad and asked: "Is it okay if I tell Maya something now dad? It's the main thing I wanted to tell her."
"It's okay Mati," Maya responded for him. "And don't worry, I definitely want to come back and have dinner with you again sometime." This brought a huge smile to the energetic little girl. "What did you want to tell me?"
"Well," she begins, "my art class has been going great. We've started to do a little painting which is harder than I thought it would be. I just can't do what I think I should do."
Don't be discouraged Mati," Maya told her. "Painting is different than drawing and involves so much more, like learning how to mix paints to get the color you want. I had problems with painting at first myself, but I stuck with it and slowly got better. So don't give up, okay?" Maya could tell that her encouragement brightened Mati up and eased her worry. "Are you and your classmates enjoying learning to paint?" Maya asks.
"Some of us are, but not all of us. And it could be better." She tells Maya.
"Why is that Mati?" Maya asks her. "When I've visited your class, everyone seemed to be enjoying it. And Ms. Andrews seems to be a good teacher."
"Oh she is," Mati responds immediately. "But there's not enough art supplies, brushes, paints, and other stuff, for all of us, so we have to share. That's okay, but it's just harder to learn and enjoy it when you want to try something but you can't because there's not a canvas or paper available. Ms. Andrews said something about budget cuts, but I didn't understand what that meant."
"Oh, Mati," Maya begins, "I'm so sorry to hear that. I had something like that to happen to me when I was in middle school, but it eventually got fixed. Maybe we can do that for you."
Mati's eyes light up when she hears this, but Josh had to say something then: "I remember Cory telling me about that Maya. So we tried the same thing at Mati's school, appealing to the school board, but unfortunately they wouldn't budge. They said that money was just too scarce now and they couldn't find any more for the art classes. They said maybe next year." Maya was disappointed to hear this. She remembered when she thought that her art class might be stopped due to budget cuts and while this wasn't as bad as her middle school problem, it was still hard on the classes and teachers. And who knows about the future; they might even get cut.
"It's not too bad for me Maya," Mati says. "I can paint at home, thanks to the stuff you bought me." Maya, with Josh's permission, had bought Mati everything she needed to paint and draw all she wanted to at home. "And some of the other kid's parents bought them art supplies for home, but most can't afford them, or their parents won't buy what they need. My best friend, Nancy, can only paint at school. She has nothing at home to practice her painting on, and she loves to draw and paint as much as I do. It makes me sad." Maya can tell the little girl is sad for her classmates and especially her best friend. "She's definitely a Matthews," Maya thinks for herself. "She doesn't worry about herself, but she does worry about others."
After a few minutes of silence, Josh says: "Mati, if you're through with your dinner, why don't you go to your room and do your homework while Maya and I put things away in the kitchen. And when you're through, you and Maya can work on your art together." This gets a small smile from her as she says: "okay dad," and leaves the table to go to her room. After she's gone, Josh and Maya finish their dinners and then clean and straighten up the kitchen. Josh notices that Maya doesn't say much during this time. She seems to be in deep thought. He believes he knows why too; she's thinking about ways she might be able to help Mati's art class. Finally, after they're through with their cleanup, and settle down on the living room couch together, Josh asks: "trying to come up with a way to help Mati's art class?"
This causes Maya to look at him and smile. "He knows me too well," she thinks to herself. "Yeah, I know what it's like to be in her position and it saddens me. In some schools, art takes a back seat to other things, like sports. There's nothing wrong with sports. I know you played baseball and basketball in high school. And I enjoyed going to games in high school and watching Lucas and Zay play. But the arts should be properly funded as well." They sit in silence for the next few minutes as Josh sees that Maya's still in deep thought. Finally she says: "I think I have a way of helping them. But I need to ask Mati something, which I will before I leave this evening." Josh smiles and nods silently at her which let's her know that he supports whatever she plans she has in mind. They spend the remainder of their time alone together casually talking about what's going on with them in their daily lives, before Mati comes back into the living room to be with Maya and work on her art. Even though Maya enjoys doing things with Mati and with Mati and Josh, these times she gets to spend with Josh alone, are something she looks forward to as well. Most of their conversations are about everyday things like work and what's the best coffee to brew, and she finds them relaxing and enjoyable. While living in Europe, she had made friends and they talked, but she never enjoyed their company as much as she did Josh's. Talking with him always came easy and seemed natural. Even before they started dating, while she was still in high school, they would occasionally sit in the living room bay window of Cory and Topanga's apartment and talk, sometimes for hours until Cory had to make Josh leave because it was everybody's bedtime. And she can tell that Josh enjoyed their recent talks as well. These were the times when Josh would open up and talk about Ann. Josh would tell her about the fun times they had together, including some of the crazy things and somewhat irresponsible things they did together before they got married and before Mati came along. Some of their exploits caused Maya to laugh out loud and to tell Josh she never would have thought of him doing anything that spontaneous and wild. But he would remind her that she got him to into some pretty wild situations with her a few times as well, which got back to Cory who would sit them down and lecture them about responsibility. That jogged her memory and even embarrassed her a little, which surprised Josh. And there were times he would tell her about how sad he was after losing Ann. Especially when he saw how much it hurt Mati. He'd tell Maya he could handle his own grief, but at times he was lost in trying to help Mati with hers. Several times Josh would start to cry when talking about Ann and Mati. During those times, Maya would take Josh in her arms and hold him while he cried. She always wished she could have done more, but she didn't know what else she could do. When she told him this, he would smile and tell her that by just being there for him and listening to him and allowing him to grieve and to simply cry on her shoulder, helped him more than he could explain with words. Maya was happy about this; that's all she wanted to do, help her friend in his time of need just like he and his family had always done for her.
Eventually Mati came back into the living room and sat next to Maya so the two "artists" could work together. Josh would always leave them alone then, but he didn't mind. He knew that Mati enjoyed her time with Maya and he suspected that Maya enjoyed it as much as Mati. And Josh noticed a change in Mati. It was subtle, and he believed most people didn't notice, but he did. The twinkle had come back into her eyes that had faded after she lost her mother. He and his family had done everything they could to help Mati through her grief and they had been wonderful. Because of that, Mati was happy again, but Josh could tell it just wasn't the same. Now, somehow, Maya was changing that. His daughter laughed a little more now; and when she talked about her mom, it was always with a smile now, instead of tears. And she told everyone who asked about her mom, what a wonderful mom she was. Josh believed it was because Maya spent so much quality time with Mati. Of course Maya couldn't be there all the time, she had responsibilities, but when she was with Mati, Maya was all in and gave her complete attention to the little girl, and Mati noticed that. Josh was absolutely convinced that Maya helped more than anyone else could. There were others of course, his mom and dad, but they were grandparents, wonderful grandparents, but they couldn't spend as much time with Mati as she needed. And after he moved to New York, there was less time for them. And when he did move to New York, there was Riley, his wonderful niece. She also spent as much time as she could with Mati, but Riley had a family of her own and her twins were a handful. And sharing Riley's affection with the twins didn't seem to bother Mati, but Josh could tell she needed more, and Riley wasn't able to give it. But Maya could and did. That's when Josh realized that Maya had come back into his life and into Mati's life right when they both needed her.
As Mati was getting ready to go to her bedroom, after Josh told her it was her bedtime, Maya asked her: "Mati, do you know which of your classmates don't have anything at home to paint with?"
"Yes, I think I so," she answered.
"What about supplies for you class room, can you give me an idea of what it'd be nice to have?" Maya asked also.
"That's easy," Mati replied, "we're all having to double up on everything, sharing brushes and paints and paper to paint on, so we're short a lot. Why are you asking?" She asks Maya.
Maya looks at Josh to see him paying close attention to what's happening between his daughter and Maya. "Now Mati," she begins, "don't get excited and I don't want you to get your hopes up, but I think I may be able to help out your classmates; at home as well as in the classroom."
Mati's eyes suddenly lit up. "Really?!" She said excitedly. "That would be awesome Maya!"
"Don't mention it to anyone for now. Okay?" Maya asks. "I wouldn't want to get everyone's hopes up only to have everything fall apart. Do you understand?"
Mati sigh loudly. "I guess I do, but that's gonna be hard, not saying anything."
Maya looks at Josh again, and they share a knowing smile. "I know it'll be hard Mati," she tells the young girl, "but it's important not to say anything."
"I won't; I promise," Mati tells her.
"Good," Maya says with a big smile. "Now give me a hug and then off to bed. Like your dad said, it's your bedtime."
Mati hugs Maya tight before heading off to bed. Maya's getting to like the little girl's hugs more and more. "They're beginning to rival Riley's," she thinks to herself with surprise. "Good night, Maya," she says and heads to her bedroom.
"I'll be there to tuck you in, in a minute Mati," Josh tells her as she heads to bed.
Maya gets her things together and prepares to leave. When she gets to the apartment door, she turns to Josh and says: "Thanks for inviting me to have dinner with Mati and you this evening Josh, I had a really good time."
"Even with all of Mati's questions?" Josh asks with a smile.
"Yes, even with the questions," she answers with a laugh, knowing Josh is joking with her. As she stands near the door, ready to leave, she notices Josh staring at her and not saying anything. Eventually it worries her. "Why are you staring at me Josh?" She asks. "Do I have something stuck in my teeth, or smudged makeup, or something?"
Finally, Josh smiles and answers. "No," he begins. "I was just thinking about how much you've changed since you left for Europe."
This takes Maya a little by surprise. "I hope you mean that as a good thing," she tells him.
"It is. It's a good thing," he returns. "It's just that you're so much more grounded now; I guess is the best way to put it." Her eyebrows go up a little after he says this. "When you were in college, you were so carefree and happy; not that you're unhappy now, your clearly not; but, after Shawn adopted you, your whole outlook on life changed. We all noticed, including all your friends. You were so full of hope and that came through in your personality. You laughed more, you hugged more, you cried more, not from sadness but from the sheer joy of realizing that you were blessed with a stable family life. You knew you had a father, as well as a mother, who loved you and would never leave you. And all that translated into someone who wasn't afraid to take risks. And a couple of those risks got us into a little trouble as I recall." This gets an embarrassed laugh from Maya as she remembers their time together when she was in college. "And you had few worries or responsibilities in your last three years of high school and when you were in college. And that's the way it should have been. You were a normal kid with a normal life and maybe the happiest person I'd ever seen. And it was a joy to be with you. And not just for me, but for Riley and all your friends. And your mom and dad, Cory and Topanga, and my mom and dad. We all witnessed it and loved it."
Maya just nods her head; a little stunned at Josh's comments and not knowing what to make of them. "Why are you telling me this Josh?" She asks.
"Because you're not that person anymore, Maya. From the time we first saw each other again in that park, I still had in mind that carefree college student. But I've come to realize you're not her. You're a better version of her now. I have been genuinely surprised at how responsible you are with Mati. And it's obvious you care about her. She's more than just another art student to you. You care about her wellbeing and future. You've done everything you can to help her get over the death of her mother. When you've been with her, you've been with her, and she notices that; I can tell." He kind of looks down now, a little embarrassed at what he's about to say. "I guess I was shocked and wasn't expecting the mature young woman you've become. But it was a pleasant surprise."
Maya can't help but smile at what Josh has told her. But then she's laughs and says: "You think you were surprised. When we reconnected, I looked at you as that same go-anywhere, do-anything, guy I had so much fun with in college. Imagine my surprise when you turned out to be, not only a father, but a very responsible one as well. It took me a while to adjust to this new version of Josh Matthews, but I really admire him. Fatherhood suits you."
Josh smiles. "Thanks," he says. "It's actually surprised me a little too. I knew I wanted kids, but still, fatherhood wasn't what I thought it would be." When Maya gives him a questioning look, he continues. "I thought it would be me being the disciplinarian. Keeping our kids in line, but it's so much more. I knew I would love Mati, but not like the way I do. Not with such passion. I've heard parents say they'd die for their kids. I didn't understand that then, but I do now. That's why when we lost Ann, and I had to tell Mati, the pain I saw on her face when she realized she'd never see her mom again, almost broke me. But I knew I had a daughter to take care of and had to be strong."
Maya had to hold back her tears when she hears Josh say this. "I wish I'd been there for you Josh when that happened."
"I know," he says, hoping Maya had forgiven him for not letting anyone contact her about Ann's death. "But you're here now and like I've already told you, you've been such a big help to me and Mati. We would have made it if you hadn't been here, but I doubt we'd be as far along with our healing as we are now. We're not there yet, but I can see us eventually returning to normal lives because of you."
Once again, Maya has to control her emotions. She still has trouble believing she's really helped them that much. "But maybe I have," she thinks. "It's kind of you to say that Josh," she begins. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I did come back into your life right when you most needed someone. And if I did, then I am grateful."
After a few moments of comfortable silence between the two, Josh asks: "What do you have in mind for helping Mati's art class?"
"Oh," she says. "I had the idea of talking to some art galleries in the area, including the one I'm associated with, and maybe some art stores and see if they'll donate some art supplies to Mati's art class and maybe her school in general. I mean, it's worth a shot, right?"
"That's a great idea Maya," Josh says excitedly. "And if anyone can pull that off it's you. I'm sure you can get what her school needs in art supplies."
Maya looks at his excited face and mumbles: "okay, no pressure there." She didn't think she said that loud enough for him to hear, but she was wrong.
"No, no pressure at all Maya," Josh says. "I just have confidence in you. And I know how much you love art and support it's spread."
Maya appreciates his confidence in her, and it makes her more determined than ever to acquire the needed art supplies. After they exchange goodbyes and hugs, which have become routine with them, Maya leaves for her apartment to start planning on who to ask about getting what she wants for Mati's school. And she's still amazed at her excitement in helping out this sweet little girl. Sure, she's helped other young art lovers with advice and tutoring, "but it's just different with Mati," she says to herself, which is still a mystery to her. She finally concludes it's because it's Josh's daughter which means Mati's like family to her, like Riley and Farkle's daughters are.
Two Weeks Later in Mati's Art Classroom
"Do you know why Ms. Hunter wants to visit out class today Mati?" Ms. Andrews asks her favorite art student.
"Well, I have an idea Ms. Andrews," Mati answers, "but Maya asked me not to say anything to anyone about it. I think she wants to surprise us." Maya had asked the little girl to find out from her art teacher if she could come by and visit her art class today and Ms. Andrews said it was okay.
"Okay everyone, take your seats please," Ms. Andrews says as the last of her students enter the classroom. When they're all settled, she says: "We have a surprise today. Mati has told me that Ms. Maya Hunter will be visiting us today. Applause and cheers erupt from the class at the announcement. "Let's all settle down now," she tells her class. Then turns to Mati to ask: "Did she say when.…"
"Excuse me, may I come in," comes a voice from the doorway, it's Maya. She's greeted by smiles and excited hellos from the class and Ms. Andrews.
"Yes Ms. Hunter, please come in," Ms. Andrews begins. "It's wonderful to see you again." Maya greets the class with a "hello everyone," which is immediately answered by all the students.
"I guess you all are wondering why I've stopped by," Maya begins. "Well, Mati told me about the art budget being cut and the difficulty it has caused this art class, and others. My art class had the same problem when I was in middle school, but we were able to convince the school board to refund the art classes. But Mati's dad told me they had tried to do the same but were unable to convince them. I had seen how much this class loved learning how to draw and paint, and how everyone enjoyed it. And I saw the great job Ms. Andrews had done teaching you. So I set about doing something about it.
"Did you convince our school board Maya?" Ms. Andrews asked.
"No," she answers. "From what I understand, that option's out, at least for this year. So I went another route." When Ms. Andrews looked at her, not understanding what she meant, Maya turns toward the room door and says: "Okay guys, bring in the boxes." Immediately some young men Maya had recruited started rolling in several large palette carts with boxes stacked on them.
Once they were all in, Ms. Andrews asked: "What is all this Maya?"
"This," she began, indicating the boxes, "is art supplies for your art classes."
"But how?" Ms. Andrews asked, completely overwhelmed by what she's just been told.
"After finding out what was needed," Maya says, "I visited some art galleries and art supply stores and asked for donations. And this is the result."
"I wouldn't have believed that could be done. Thank you so much Maya." The grateful teacher says.
"You're welcome," Maya says. "Now let's get enough stuff out of the boxes so everyone in the class has everything they need, and then we'll put the rest in storage." With that, Maya, Ms. Andrews, and the young men begin distributing the art materials to the class. After they finish and the young men have left to put the rest into storage, the class a buzzing with excitement as they try out their new items.
After a few minutes of this, Ms. Andrews says to Maya: "I can't thank you enough for this Maya. This is a dream come true."
"You're welcome Joan," Maya answers. "I love the looks on the kids' faces. Hopefully this will put joy back into your class."
"Oh, it will," the art teacher says. She turns to her class and says: "Everyone, let's all thank Ms. Hunter for this wonderful gift." The class all says "thank you Ms. Hunter," including Mati with a big grin on her face.
"You're all very welcome," Maya says to them. "But I have one more surprise. As you know I'm sure, I bought Mati art supplies for her to use at home. I knew that would help her to learn more by being able to draw and paint at home. And she told me that some of you," indicating the class, "have arts supplies at home as well that your parents bought for you. She also told me that most of you don't have anything at home. And I can understand that. Art supplies can be expensive. But I wanted everyone to have that extra opportunity. Soooo…., bring the other boxes in guys," she says as she turns toward the door again. And just as earlier, those same young men roll in two more palette carts with boxes on them, though not as many as before. "Mati told me which ones of you don't have anything at home, so what's in these boxes are for you. They may not be the best there is, but I believe they're ideal for beginners." With that, Maya begins retrieving items from the boxes and calling out names of different students from the list of names Mati had given her. Maya, with the help of Ms. Andrews and the young men again, give each of the students on her list art supplies for them to take home and keep. They include brushes, paints, easels, and paper to paint on. Again the class is abuzz with excitement as this is going on. When she finally finishes handing out the supplies, Maya tells the class to use their new art supplies wisely and not to waste anything, but keep painting and drawing. Ms. Andrews once again asks the class to thank Maya for her generosity, which they do. When the class settles down, Ms. Andrews begins the day's class, even though they're late getting started. Maya asks Ms. Andrews if she can help with the class. Of course, the teacher is thrilled and agrees. Maya wonders throughout the classroom mostly encouraging the children's efforts and giving out advise when she deems it helpful.
When the bells rings, signaling class changes, the students begin putting their things together and leaving. Without a prompt from their teacher, each student comes by and thanks Maya for her generosity. Maya has trouble controlling her emotions. She was not anticipating nor was she prepared for their outpouring of gratitude. Mati waits for all the other students to leave before she approaches Maya along with her best friend Nancy. When the two little girls near Maya, they stop and Nancy seems to hesitate about something. Mati sees this and says to her: "It's okay Nancy. Maya loves hugs."
After hearing this, Nancy suddenly hugs Maya tight and lays her head on her chest. "Thank you, Ms. Hunter," she begins. "This means so much to me. Now I can paint at home just like Mati does. I'm so happy."
As she continues to hug Maya, the older woman can feel the gratitude in the little girl's arms and again, she's not prepared for it. She looks at Ms. Andrews, who is smiling at Nancy's display of gratitude. She knows the home situation of the little girl and knows how genuinely thankful she is for Maya's gift. "You're so welcome honey," Maya says, trying to hold back her tears. When Nancy finally releases Maya, she asks the little girl: "You're Mati's best friend aren't you?" The little girl nods her head. "Well since you are, then why don't you start calling me Maya, because I may see you sometime at Mati's apartment when I'm visiting."
"Really," the little girl says in surprise. "But you're a famous artist."
"Oh nonsense," Maya exclaims. "All that means is that more people know me than most other people. I'm an artist, just like you. I love to paint and draw, just like you. So since you're Mati's friend, we should be friends too. Okay?"
"Okay," the little girl says with excitement.
"Good," Maya says. "Now you girls scoot. Don't be late for your next class." Before they leave, Mati gives Maya a big hug as they always do when leaving one another. Maya kisses the little girl on the top of her head and tells her: "I'll be by to see you and your dad in a couple of days."
"Will you come by for dinner too?" Mati asks excitedly.
"If it's okay with your dad, then I'd love that," she answers.
"Oh, he'll be okay with it Maya; I know." She says with a smile. And with that, the energetic little girl gives Maya one last hug and heads to her next class.
As Maya is getting her things ready and prepares to leave, Ms. Andrews says: "Thank you again Maya, this has been a good day." Maya smiles and tells her she was happy to help. The teacher is curious about something and says: "I've noticed that you and Mati seem close. And I know that she lost her mother a couple of years ago. Are you and her dad seeing one another?" As soon as she asks this, Maya's head shoots up and she looks at the art teacher in surprise. And Joan instantly regrets asking her about her relationship with Mati's father. "Oh, I'm so sorry Maya," she begins. "That's none of my business and I apologize for asking such a personal question."
But Maya just smiles after getting over her initial shock. She starts to tell the teacher about her past relationship with Josh, but then decides against it. Neither her nor Josh have said anything about their previous time together to Mati and if she tells Joan, it could possibility get back to the little girl. And Maya feels that, like her, Josh would feel that if anyone should tell Mati about it, it should be her and Josh. "No, we're not seeing each other. Josh is an old and dear friend. We've known each other since we were children. My best friend is also his niece and that's how we know each other. We've been friends ever since. Since I've been back in New York, I've been doing everything I can to help them heal from this awful thing that happened to them."
Joan can see how sincere Maya is about that. "Well, I think you've done a great job with Mati. I've seen a change in her since you've come into her life. She's always been a happy child, but she's always had a little sadness in her eyes, especially when other kids talk about their mothers. And while I'm sure she misses her mom still; it doesn't seem to hurt as much now."
Maya almost tears up when she hears this. "Thank you Joan. It means so much to me if I have helped her, especially her. Her dad hurts too, but adults understand that sometimes bad things happen to us. But children aren't old enough to understand that. And sometimes they blame themselves for the bad things that happened to them. I think her dad has done a wonderful job of not letting her believe that, and I just want her and her dad to heal." As the class begins to fill up with new students, the two say their goodbyes and Maya leaves.