A few days later, Josh asks Maya to have dinner with him and Mati at his apartment, which she happily accepts. Once there, she gets a non-stop description of what's been happening in Mati's art class since they've gotten the art supplies gifted to them by Maya. Josh has to once again calm his energetic daughter down so she and Maya can finish their dinners. When they're through, Mati runs off to her room to do her homework before her and Maya can work on her artwork together. As Josh and Maya are cleaning up after dinner, which Maya insists on helping with even if she is a guest, Josh makes conversation but wants to bring something specific up. "I was talking to Riley yesterday," he begins.
"Oh, what about?" Maya asks causally.
"About what you did for Mati's art class and the school art program in general," he answers. Maya gives him a nervous side glance but says nothing. Josh decides to tell Maya everything he knows about her donations. "She told me that you could only get about a third of what you needed from the galleries and art supply stores you visited; and the rest you paid for yourself. I'm sure that was expensive."
Maya stops what she's doing, looks down, slightly annoyed, and says: "I asked her not to tell anyone about that."
"Don't be upset with her Maya," Josh says. "She's just proud of you, and so am I. I'm glad she told me. Why wouldn't you want anyone to know about what you did?"
"It's been my experience that acts of charity can be used against you by those jealous of who you are," she begins. "And besides, I didn't want people going around saying I did it as a publicity stunt. That could distract from the kids in Mati's class, and her, from enjoying painting and drawing. They're just beginning their art education, and I just wanted to help. I don't mind Riley knowing, and you knowing, and our families knowing, but I don't want to make a big deal of it."
Josh smiles and says: "Okay, we won't make a big deal of it, even though it is." She shoots him a quick look and sees him smiling, which takes what little annoyance she had about the situation out of her. "Let's finish up," he says, "and wait for Mati in the living room."
When they finish and sit down on the couch together, Maya relaxes completely. This has become one of her favorite things to do, sit and talk with Josh. It needn't be about anything important or pressing, just whatever they feel like talking about. At one point, Josh says: "I have a favor to ask Maya."
"Okay, I'll be happy to if I can," she tells him.
This coming Saturday, I have to work," he says. "We've got a deadline on a project that's going to require some extra time to make. So I was wondering if you'd like to keep Mati that day. You know, spend the day with her."
Maya's eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped. She didn't expect Josh to ask her anything like this. "You…., you'd trust me with your daughter?" She asks. Maya knew that Mati was the most important thing in Josh's life and he wouldn't trust her with just anybody. She'd spent time with Mati before of course, but Josh was always with them. This was completely different.
Josh's forehead knotted in confusion at what Maya asked. "Of course I would Maya," he replied. "I've seen how you are with her. You're very good with her, and Mati loves hanging out with you. I've seen how protective you are of her; how patient you are with her; how you teach her things, and not just about art, but life things that an adult should teach a child. All of this shows me that when she's with you, she's safe and I don't worry about her."
Maya is silent for a moment, stunned by Josh's words. Then she says: "Wow Josh, I don't know what to say." That's all she could think to say as she tries to wrap her mind Josh's request.
Josh takes her hesitancy as a sign she'd rather not spend the day alone with his feisty daughter, which he can understand. "If you'd rather not Maya," he begins, "that's okay; I understand. She can be a handful. I can ask Riley. She's kept Mati before and won't mind I know." He's a little disappointed but knows this whole "watching out for a kid" thing, is new to her.
But Maya surprises him. "No Josh, I'd love to spend the day with Mati, just the two of us." She smiles broadly while telling him this, which makes Josh happy.
"Good," he says. He turns toward Mati's room, knowing she's probably listening because he told the little girl he'd ask Maya to stay with her while he was at work, and says is a loud voice: "Hey Mati; Maya is going to stay with you Saturday while I'm at work!" And as he suspected, they immediately hear her running toward them in the living room.
"Yaaaa!" She shouts as she enters the room. She immediately runs to Maya and throws her arms around her. "Thank you Maya," she says. "We'll have so much fun together."
Before she can say anything, Josh says: "hey, what about me? I asked her after all." Josh has a look of mock disappointment on his face, to tease his daughter.
Mati gets the hint and hugs her dad tight. "Thanks dad," she says. "Thanks for asking Maya to stay with me."
"That's more like it," he says in mock smugness. "Okay, that's settled now. Mati, go back and finish your homework. I know you were listening to me asking Maya and weren't doing it."
"Okay dad," she says with a smile; happy that her and Maya will get to spend the day together. She hugs him again and heads back to her room.
Josh and Maya share a smile at the happy little girl's reaction. "So do you want me to just hang out with her here in your apartment and watch movies and play games or something?" She asks Josh, wondering what limits he has with her.
"No," Josh says in surprise. "Do whatever and go wherever you want with her Maya. I trust you with her completely."
"Alright," she says. "I'll come up with something for us to do." Her and Josh pass the time until Mati comes back into the living room, ready for her art lessons with Maya. The two retreat to her room where easel and paints are set up for her to use. They work together until it's Mati's bedtime, then Maya leaves for their apartment, already thinking what the two of them will do together Saturday.
When Saturday rolls around, Maya shows up at Josh's apartment early so the three can have breakfast together before Josh leaves for work. "Have you come up with some things to keep you and Mati busy today?" Josh asks.
"I have," Maya answers. "I got some advice from Riley. She has experience keeping kids entertained in the city."
"That's for sure." Josh laughs. "The twins are a handful, but Riley and Farkle do great with them."
"I promise I won't' be as much trouble as them Maya," Mati says.
"Oh honey," Mays says to the little girl. "The twins aren't really any trouble and I know you won't be either." This gets a big smile from Mati. "I've got several things in mind we can do together today, and we can talk about which we want to do, but there is one thing I definitely want us to do together. I found out where an old friend and college, who I haven't seen in a long time, is now and I want to go see her. And I want her to meet you and for you to meet her. She's very special to me."
"Okay," Mati says. "I want to meet her then."
Josh looks at Maya and she can tell he wants to know who she is talking about, but she says. "I'll tell you about her later Josh. I want to surprise Mati." Josh nods his head in acknowledgement.
After Josh leaves for work and tells Mati and Maya goodbye, Maya helps the excited little girl get her things together to take with her for the day, including her carry bag with sketch pad and pencils in it. A little while later, Maya and Mati are on the subway train. Mati asks: "Where are we going first Maya?"
"I thought Grand Central Terminal might be a good place to start," she answers.
"Are we taking a train ride somewhere?" Mati asks.
Maya smiles and answers: "No, I want you to see the beautiful architecture there."
"Architecture?" Maya asks. "What's that?"
Maya thinks for a second before asking. "Architecture is kinda where art meets engineering," she answers. When she still sees bewilderment on the little girl's face, she says: "Architecture is what makes buildings and other structures pretty to look at. Think about New York, Mati. Aren't many of the buildings pretty to look at, instead of being just plain concrete and steel buildings?" The little girl nods her head, letting Maya knows she understands. "Well, that's because architects, who are more artist than engineer, make sure that there is artistry in buildings, especially important buildings. And Grand Central Terminal is a real good example of that. Have you been there before?"
Mati looks up at her and says: "I have a couple of times. Once with dad and once with Riley and Farkle. But nobody ever said anything about architecture."
"Well, this time you're going with an artist, and we'll look at things with artist's eyes. I want you to see, Mati, that you can be a better artist if you look at all kinds or art, not just paintings. Other forms of art can inspire you and your art." After reaching their destination, Maya leads Mati through the famous structure and begins pointing out different parts of it that she finds the most beautiful and inspiring. The main concourse ceiling was first. There Maya pointed out the famous backwards zodiac painting on the ceiling. They went to Vanderbilt Hall where Mati saw the huge chandeliers hanging there. They visited the information booth clock and one of Maya's favorites, the Tiffany Clock on the outside. During their time there, they visited several other places inside the magnificent structure, but at one point Maya stopped and pointed out something that was a recurring theme in the building. She points that out to Mati and asks: "Do you know what that is Mati?"
"It looks like leaves and nuts made out of concrete," she answers.
May has to laugh a little at that. "It's called an architectural detail, and they're all over Grand Central Terminal. The leaves are oak leaves, and the nuts are acorns, which are oak tree nuts." When she sees Mati is wondering what this all means, she continues. "Oak leaves and acorns were symbols of the Vanderbilt family, who built this magnificent building. What each is symbolizing is: 'From an acorn grows a might oak.'" She sees that little girl is still confused and continues. "Don't worry honey. You'll understand as you get older. My first art teacher pointed them out to me and what they mean, and I understood them later. But basically it means to an artist, no matter how you start out, you can become whatever you want to if you try." Mati seemed satisfied at that, and they move on. Maya smiled. She'd almost forgotten about the oak leaves and acorns and who pointed them out to her all those years ago.
They continued on with their day, Mati smiling all the time, which made Maya happy. Next, they stopped at Bryant Park. They rode the "Le Carrousel." Mati couldn't stop laughing with joy as she rode the French classical style carousel and begged Maya to ride it with her, which she did, several times. While there, Maya pointed out the many ornate features of the carousel which caused Mati to remark: "art is everywhere isn't it Maya."
"It is," she replied. "All you have to do is open your eyes and look." They continued to walk around the park and take in all the sights and sounds. As they approached the Fifth Avenue Terrace, Maya says: "I don't believe it, it's still here."
"What's still here, Maya?" Mati asks as she looks around trying to see what Maya is referring to. "The Art Cart," she replies. "The what?" Mati asks again.
Maya looks down at her and smiles. "That cart over there," she replies, pointing to the familiar cart. When Mati sees it, Maya says: "I used to come here when I first started drawing. They'd give me, and anyone else who asked, some art supplies and encourage me to draw and express myself in any way I wanted. It's when I first fell in love with drawing.
Mati's face suddenly lit up. "I want to do it to Maya. Since you drew here, I want to do it too….please."
"Of course you can honey," Maya tells her with a smile. "Just go over there and tell them you want to draw something and they'll help you."
"Okay," the excited little girl says and runs off to the Art Cart. Maya watches as an attendant listens to Mati and smiles at her request. She gives Mati and a sheet of paper and some charcoal, takes her to a nearby table, and shows her how to get started. Maya remembers that Mati has never used charcoal before but is glad she's going to use it. And she remembers that the artists who manage the cart are very good at instructing children like Mati. She watches the little girl and her new instructor for a little while from a slight distance, not wanting to disturb them. Soon she sees a smile form on Mati's face, which tells Maya she's enjoying herself. The instructor seems to be happy with what Mati is doing. After Mati has been drawing for a while, Maya, who's dying to see what Mati's done, approaches her to see how she's doing. When she gets there, she asks: "How are you doing Mati? Having fun?"
"I am Maya, I am," she answers. "I've never drawn with charcoal before, but I like it."
As Maya is about to look at what Mati's done so far, the young man from the Art Cart who'd been helping Mati, hears Mati say her name and suddenly realizes who's talking to his newest artist. He turns to look at her and his eyes nearly pop out of his head. "Oh my goodness," he exclaims, "you're….you're Maya Hunter, aren't you?"
Maya can see the young man is awe struck and wants to calm him down. She smiles at him and says: "yes I am. And your name is?"
"Wallace…uh….Walt Neely, Ms. Hunter. It's an honor to meet you." It's obvious that the young man can't believe he's just met one of the most famous artists in the world and is now standing in front of him and smiling. He's always heard she was very eccentric and aloof. But here she was now, smiling and talking to him like a regular person.
Maya can see he's nervous and wants to ease his nerves, so she says: "It's nice to meet you Walt, and please, call me Maya." Walt doesn't say anything, so Maya goes on. "Thank you for helping Mati. She's really enjoying herself."
As soon as he hears Mati's name, he looks at the little girl and then back at her and asks excitedly: "Is she your daughter?"
Maya smiles down at Mati and then returns to the young man facing her. "No," she begins, "I'm not that lucky." This causes Mati to look at Maya in surprise and smile. "But she is the daughter of one of my best friends and, as you can see, a very good young artist."
"I'll say," Walt says; calming down somewhat. "You must have been working a lot with her in charcoal."
"Actually, this is the first time she's ever used this medium," Maya begins, "and it seems the little bit of instruction you gave her was very good. Plus she's having fun and that is most important to me."
"Well then," Walt says, "she has talent. She picked up on that very quickly."
"I agree Walt," Maya says. "From what I understand, she probably got that talent from her mother." This causes Mati to look up from her drawing at Maya and give her a warm smile. It's obvious that the little girl loved that Maya mentioned her mother in connection with her art. Maya and Walt continue talking until Mati is finished with her drawing. Before they leave, Walt asks if he can have his picture made with them. Maya agrees and has Mati to hold up her newest drawing for the picture.
After they leave Bryant Park, Maya takes Mati to The High Line. She wants the young artist to see all the different types of art located there. But she also has something else in mind to introduce Mati to, and it's something near and dear to her heart….and stomach. "Are you getting hungry Mati?" She asks her little companion. "Starving," the little girl replies. "We'll I'm going to take to one of my favorite places. It's just off the High Line." As they walk on, Maya says: "I've been going to this place since I was a little girl, but I haven't been here since I've been back in New York, so I thought we'd eat lunch there today, just you and me."
"If you like it Maya," Mati says, "then I'll like it too, I'm sure." Maya smiles and gives the little girl a hug as they walk on.
Finally, Maya sees it in the distance and says: "There it is Mati, Paco's Tacos."
"Oooo, I love tacos," Mati says with glee.
"But these aren't just any tacos Mati," Maya says. "These are Paco's Tacos, and they're the best." As they enter the little café, Maya sees Paco off to one side. Loud enough for him to hear, she says: Two carnitas and two carne asada please."
Paco starts to speak: "if you'll have a seat, someone will…." Then he sees who it is. And even though he hasn't seen his old favorite customer in over ten years, he recognizes her immediately. "Maya, mi hermosa Maya," he says with a warm smile, meaning "Maya, my beautiful Maya."
"Hello Paco," Maya says. "It's so good to see you again." Maya had been eating Paco's Tacos since she was twelve years old when she discovered them. As everyone knew, who knows Maya, tacos and particularly Paco's Tacos, are her favorite food and she wanted Mati to experience them. The older man, now in his sixties comes out from behind the counter to greet Maya. The two embrace in a warm hug that makes Maya feel like she's never left New York. "How are you Paco?" She asks. "You're looking well."
"I'm doing well Maya," he answers. "As you can see, I've expanded to this new location and business has never been better."
"Well, I can understand that," she answers. "You do have the best tacos in the world." This gets a smile and an appreciative laugh from Paco. "And I wanted my friend here," he indicates Mati, "to see how good they are. She loves New York hog dogs and I know she'll like your tacos better."
"Aaaah, I see," Paco says. Then he turns to Mati and asks: "And you are?"
I'm Mati, short for Matilda," the little girl says confidently. "And if Maya loves your tacos, then I know I will too."
"Haha," Paco says with a smile. Maya can see he's not sure what Mati is to her, so she tells him. "Mati is the daughter of one of my closest friends, and we're spending the day together. And I believe we're both hungry."
"Well in that case," Paco says, "sit down and I'll get your tacos myself." After the two have eaten their tacos, Mati sits back and says: "those were delicious Maya. I'm glad you brought me here for lunch."
"Yeah," me too," Maya says, pleased by the fact that the little girl is having a good time. The two soon says goodbye to Paco after having promised him they would come back. They move on to Central Park. Maya takes Mati to the various gardens around the park. Of course Mati had been to Central Park before with her dad. But she had never been there with an artist like Maya. So with her, she looked at the park with an artist's eyes.
After exploring the park for an hour or so, during which they each made some sketches and looked at areas which they'd like to return to draw or paint, Maya decided it was time to go to their next stop. "We haven't been to this gallery, have we Maya?" Mati asks.
"No we haven't, Mati," Maya answers. "But there's a very special reason I want us to go there. There's someone there I want you to meet and I want her to meet you. She is very special to me." Mati grins. "Then I want to meet her too," she says.
As they near the place Maya is taking her to, Mati sees the sign, "Little Soho Gallery." After entering the little gallery, Maya begins to look around until she sees who she's looking for. She approaches the lady, who's looking at a painting and facing away from her. She's tall with salt and pepper hair and has a certain elegance in the way she looks and moves. When Maya gets near her, she stops and says: "Still teaching art I see, weather at school or here."
As soon as she says this, the lady is surprised and spins around to face her. She was sure she recognized the voice and was rewarded when she sees its Maya. "Maya," she begins, "it's so good to see you. I knew you were back in New York and was hoping I'd get to see you. And I didn't get to see you at your art show. You were so busy" With that, she pulls Maya in for a warm hug.
"There was no way I was coming to New York and not see you Miss Kossal," Maya tells her with a smile. She returns Maya's smile but says: "We're colleagues now Maya, not teacher and student, so you should call me Gabriella now."
"Thanks Gabriella," Maya says, "but you will always be my teacher." This gets a small smile from Maya's old teacher and she sees her eyes glisten with moisture because of what Maya just said to her. After a few moments of silence, Gabriella looks down at Maya's small companion, which prompts Maya to introduce them. "Gabriella, this is my friend Mati Matthews. Mati, this is Gabriella Kossal. She was my very first art teacher and was the first person to encourage me to pursue art, so she's very special to me."
"Hello Miss Kossal, it's nice to meet you," Mati says as she shakes the older lady's hand. "You did a great job with Maya." Gabriella laughs at that and says: "She had amazing talent. I just showed her what to do with it." She turns and smiles at Maya after saying that. She realizes something, and asks Maya: "Matthews? Is she related to your friend Riley?" She remembers Riley and her purple cats, but she hasn't seen her since middle school.
"She is," Maya answers. "Her father is Riley's uncle, Josh. He's only three years older that Riley and me, and I've known him since I was a little girl. He had to work today, so Mati and I are spending the day together, and I wanted her to meet you. Mati's taking art in grammar school, and I believe she has real talent and she loves to draw."
"Josh, huh? I think I remember something about him and you." Before she can say anything else, Maya interrupts and says: "I tell you all about us later, okay?" Maya thought Gabriella may have been about to mention that her and Josh dated once, but she didn't want Mati to hear about that from anyone but her and Josh and maybe never. Gabriella nodded her head in understanding. Later, as Mati was drawing something at Gabriella's request, Maya told her old art teacher all about her and Josh and about Mati's mother, Ann. When Mati had finished her drawing, Gabriella looked it over and said: "Maya was right Mati. I think you have real talent as well. But if your cousin Riley is any indication, you didn't get your talent from the Matthews side of the family, so it must have come from your mother." This gets a laugh from Mati who says, "That's what Maya….and Riley, have both told me."
For the rest of the afternoon, Maya and Mati stay with Maya's old art teacher. She shows them around the little gallery that she works with in addition to teaching, which she still does. Along around four o'clock, Maya's phone rings. She sees it's Josh. "Excuse me for a minute Gabriella," she says, "but it's Mati's dad, so I better get it." She tells Maya to take her time and she'll keep Mati entertained.
Maya (answering): Hey Josh, what's going on? Are you getting close to coming home?
Josh: That's what I was calling about. How is it going with Mati?
Maya: Going fine. We're having a great time together.
Josh: That's good news. Unfortunately, this project is taking longer that we though, and I'm going to be staying longer than I expected. We're actually ordering dinner in so we can keep working.
Maya: Wow, long day then.
Josh: Yes, it is. I'm not sure when I'll be home. It could be late, after Mati's bedtime.
Maya: Okay.
Josh: If you'd rather now stay with her that long, I'll understand. I can call Riley. She can keep her tonight. She's kept her before.
Maya: No Josh, it's fine. I'm really enjoying spending time with her.
Josh (grinning): That's good to hear. Are you sure it won't be a problem?
Maya: I'm sure Josh. I'll make sure she gets something good to eat for dinner and that she gets to bed on time. And I'll stay with her till you get home.
Josh: Okay, if you're sure. Thanks Maya. You've been a great help.
Maya: No need to thank me Josh. I'm having more fun that I've had in a long time.
Josh: That's good to hear. Well, I need to get back to work. I'll see you tonight when I get home. Bye.
Maya: Bye Josh.
"What did dad want?" Mati asks.
"Well," Maya begins, "he called me to say he'll be working later than he thought. He probably won't be home till after your bedtime." She sees Mati look as her as if to ask what's going to happen with her. Maya smiles and excitedly says: "That means we get to spend more time together!"
"Yaaaaa!" Mati says as she gives Maya a happy hug. They spend more time with Gabriella until it's time to leave. They say their goodbyes and promise to visit the little gallery again when Gabriella is there.
Later That Night
Josh checks the time just as he's getting to his apartment door. "I can't believe it's 11:30," he says to himself. "Hope Maya didn't mind stating with Mati this long." He opens the door as quietly as he can, believing Maya may be asleep on the couch. And he was right. He finds her fast asleep with the TV on but nothing playing. As he moves around the couch, planning on waking Maya up gently, he sees something that totally surprises him. There, curled up next to her, is Mati, also sound asleep. And Josh notices something about his daughter, and it both warms his heart and moistens his eyes. What he sees is the content and happy look on Mati's face. It's been a long time since he's seen her like that, and now he's certain he made the right decision in letting Maya stay with her today. And he wants to remember this and share it with others in his family. So he takes out his phone and snaps a few pictures. Once he's done, he walks over and sits on the coffee table in front of Maya. He puts a hand gently on her shoulder and quietly says: "Maya, wake up. I'm home now."
Maya's eyes pop open and she jumps slightly as she wakes. When she sees it's Josh she smiles. "Hey Josh," she says. "What time is it?
A little after 11:30," he answers.
"11:30," she answers with surprise on her face. She glances down at a still soundly sleeping Mati, then looks back at Josh and says, in a worried, but soft, voice: "oh God Josh!" I'm so sorry! I meant to get her to bed on time, but we started watching a movie together and I guess we both fell asleep. I'm really sorry."
Josh just smiles at his worried old friend and says: "It's fine Maya. Look at her." Maya looks down quickly at a still sleeping Mati, and then back to Josh. "She's sleeping fine," Josh continues, "and that's the most important thing. If fact, that's the most peaceful and content I've see her sleep in a long time." Maya smiles at that, let's out a long sigh, and relaxes. "Come on, you can help me put her to bed," Josh says as he begins pick the little girl up. Maya nods her head and follows Josh to Mati's bedroom. On the way, Mati wakes up slightly and sees it's her dad carrying her. "Thanks for letting Maya stay with me today dad," she says, "I had so much fun hanging out with her." He smiles down at her, kisses her on her forehead, and says: "I'm glad you had a good time today honey." When they reach her bedroom, Josh says to Maya: "Get a pair of her PJs please Maya. They're in the top left drawer of her dresser." Maya does as he asks, retrieves the PJs, and brings them to Josh. He takes Mati's clothes off and gets the PJs on the half-asleep little girl. As he begins to tuck her in, Mati asks: "Is Maya still here?"
"I'm right here Mati," she answers.
Mati looks at Maya, stretches her arms out while lying on her bed, and says: "Hug goodnight."
Maya's heart swells with Joy. She can't believe this sweet little girl thinks that much of her that she wants her to hug her goodnight. She sits on the side of Mati's bed and puts her arms around her. When she does, Mati puts her arms around Maya's neck and pulls her close. The hug lasts longer than Maya expected, but she likes it. "This little girl gives the best hugs," she says to herself. After a few more seconds of her hug on Maya, Mati says softly: "I love you Maya."
Maya responds with an audible gasp. This has taken her completely by surprise. She loosens her grip on the little girl just enough to look down at her. And what she looks into are the two most loving eyes she's ever seen. And suddenly, Maya realizes she has feelings for Mati as well; feelings she didn't know she had. Feelings she's had for a while, but they'd been just below the surface of her emotions and Mati's words have triggered their release, and she's overwhelmed. "Oh, Mati honey," she begins as she continues to look into those loving eyes, "I love you too." Tears begin to run down Maya's cheeks as she fights to keep from crying. She has to wipe them from her cheeks to keep them from falling onto Mati's face. She leans down and kisses the little girl on the cheek and says: "You sleep good tonight and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," Mati says sleepily.
"Now, tell your dad goodnight." Mati nods her head. Maya gets up from the bed, but turns away from Josh. She's embarrassed for him to see her cry, unable to control her emotions.
Josh sits down on her bed, makes sure she's tucked in properly, kisses her forehead, and says: "Goodnight honey."
"Goodnight dad, I love you," she responds.
"I love you to," he responds. He gets up and turns to leave, expecting to see Maya in the room, but is surprised when he doesn't fine her there. "She must have though I wouldn't want her in here while I was telling Mati goodnight, which is ridiculous," he thinks to himself. But he just shrugs his shoulders and leaves his daughter to sleep. At the door, he turns to check on her and sees she's already fallen back to sleep. He shuts her door quietly and heads to the living room. There he finds Maya, as he expected, but he didn't expect to see her like she was. She's sitting on one end of the couch, with a box of tissues next to her, her face buried in her hands, which are full of tissues, she's crying. This alarms Josh somewhat, not knowing what's happening. "What's wrong Maya?" he asks as he sits down next to her. "Are you okay?"
She looks up at him with red, watery eyes, and answers. "I'm fine Josh. It's just that I….I wasn't expecting her to say that to me. It's overwhelmed me and I don't know why. I mean, Riley has told me she loves me hundreds of times, maybe thousands, so has mom and dad, so has Cory and Topanga, so has your mom and dad for that matter, and every time one of these people who I love so much said it to me, it built up my self-worth. It made me think that I was worth being loved. But when Mati said it to me, I mean….it was like nothing I'd ever felt before."
"She got to you, didn't she?" Josh remarked with knowing smile.
"Hah!," Maya exclaimed while trying to dry her tear-soaked eyes. "Got to me; that's the understatement of the year. And I can't stop crying. It's so embarrassing."
"Embarrassing? Why is it embarrassing Maya?" Josh asked with genuine confusion.
"Why?!" Maya said, surprised at Josh's question. "I mean look at me Josh. I'm a grown woman. I'm thirty-one years old and I'm crying like a little girl who's been given a puppy for her birthday. Like I said, embarrassing."
"Oh Maya," Josh says sympathetically. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about."
"It's not?" She asks.
"No, of course not" Josh answers. "The first time Mati told me she loved me, I just melted into a puddle on the floor."
"Really?" Maya asked, amused with his metaphor, and feeling a little bit better about herself.
"Yes really," he answers with a laugh. "Ann had to sweep me into a bucket just to get me out of the room." This brought a chuckle out of Maya, now thinking that her emotional outburst probably wasn't as bad as she thought. Then Josh got serious. "And Maya," he begins, "Mati didn't say that because she's heard adults say it. She meant it; she knows what love is. He mother made sure of that."
She smiles at Josh and says: "I'm thinking her dad had something to do with that too." Josh returns her smile in appreciation. "And when I said it back to her," she continues, "I didn't say it because she said it to me. I meant it too."
"I know," Josh said with an appreciative smile. "I know you wouldn't say something like that if you didn't mean it."
"Well, is that okay?" She asks with concern.
"Okay?" Josh asks in bewilderment. "Why wouldn't it be okay?"
"Oh, I don't know, because I'm not family," she answers as if her answer is obvious.
Josh rolls his eyes and puts a hand gently on her shoulder. "Maya Penelope Hunter," he begins. "You've been family ever since you crawled through Riley's bedroom window when you were a little girl and she latched onto you and wouldn't let go. Cory and Topanga have, and still do, consider you to be their second daughter. And my mom and dad see no difference between you and Riley. And your own father, Shawn, has been considered a part of the Matthews family since he was a little boy. Heck, I thought he was my third brother till I was ten." Maya's heart is filled with joy at Josh's words. She knew everything he'd just said was true, but it was always good to hear it from a Matthews. "And even if none of that were true Maya," Josh went on, "my little girl could never have too many people in her life that love her like you do."
"Thank you Josh," Maya says, still fighting back tears, but with a joy in her heart she hadn't felt in a long time. Finally, after composing herself and checking the time, Maya says: "Gosh, it's after midnight. I need to head to my place."
Josh looks at her with a worried look, and says: "Maya, it's late for you to be out by yourself. Why don't you stay here?"
She looks at him with a tiny amount of annoyance and says: "Josh, I grew up in New York. I've lived in London, Rome, and Paris. I think I can make my way home in New York."
"I know you can Maya," Josh says, "but still, I'd feel better in you spent the night here. And Mati will be thrilled when she finds you here in the morning." To try to convince her more he says: "You can sleep in my bed and I'll sleep here on the couch."
Maya thinks hard on this for a moment, then says: "I'm really tired, so It does sound tempting to lay my head down now and go to sleep as opposed to a long subway ride." Once again she pauses to think, then continues. "Alright, I'll stay. But I'm not going to kick you out of your bed in your own home, I'll sleep on the couch." She sees that Josh is about to say something and knows what it is. "If you argue with me on this Joshua Matthews, I swear I'll walk out that door right now!"
Josh sees there's no use arguing with her on this, but is happy she's staying. He throws up his hands in surrender and says: "Alright, alright, you can have the couch." When he sees that Maya is satisfied with that, he continues. "I'll get a sheet, pillow, and blanket for you to sleep on from my room. And you can have a pair of my PJs to sleep in. You'll probably have to roll up the sleeves and legs, but other than that, they should be fine." Maya follows him to his room, where he retrieves the sheet, pillow, and blanket. "While I put these on the couch, you can change in here. PJs are in the middle drawer of the chest of drawers. There are hangers in the closet you can hang your clothes on." Maya thanks him and he leaves her alone to change. He spreads the sheet on the couch, then lays the pillow on one end of the couch and the blanket on the other for her to use if she wants. Not too long after he finishes, Maya comes back into the living room, dressed in a pair of Josh's PJs. "How do I look?" she asks as she twirls around as if she was modeling the latest fashions from New York Fashion Week. "Comfortable, that's what comes to mind, comfortable," he replies making Maya laugh. "I should think so," she responds, "considering all the room I have to move around in in these." She proceeds to shake her arms till the sleeves she'd just rolled up come unrolled and extend several inches past her hands. This gets a laugh from both of them. When they stop, Maya rolls the sleeves up again and says: "Thanks Josh. I really appreciated this. I think I'll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow."
"Good," he says. "I feel better with you spending the night here." Maya makes her way to the couch, looks down at Josh's handywork, and gets ready to lay down. As he stands at one end of the couch he says: "Looks like you're all set, so I'll say goodnight, Maya. Sleep well." She looks up at him to say goodnight, but is stopped suddenly by the way he's looking at her. "Since I've been back, he's looked at me like that before, but this time it feels different." Then a thought runs through her mind that makes her feel sick and disgusted with herself. She's still looking at him without saying a word, when he says: "Maya?" She snaps out of her trance and says: "Oh sorry, just thinking about today. Goodnight Josh; sleep well."
"You too," she says, then turns and goes to his bedroom. When he does, Maya lays down on the couch and tries to go to sleep, but she can't. She tosses and turns for a while, then softly says to herself: "What's wrong with you Maya. What kind of wretched person have you turned into? Mom and dad taught you better than this and Cory and Topanga would be ashamed of you. And Riley would never speak to you again if she knew." She tosses and turns for a couple of hours, trying to fall asleep, but doesn't. Finally, after thinking over what has happened, she decides she needs to talk to someone about this. At first, she thinks about a psychologist, but doesn't want to go there yet. Then she concludes that she needs to talk to the four people that have advised and taught her through most of the years of her life, Shawn & Katy, and Cory & Topanga. With this resolved, she finally drifts off to sleep.
A/N: What has Maya done or thought that has made her disgusted with herself? And is she wrong to think that? The answer will be in the next chapter.