August 15th 2023

Chapter 227
We Bloom In Music

She was never so aware of how much her job and the ongoing issues with the principal demanded of her time and energy until it all came to a stop, and she had to switch gears, putting aside Mrs. Friar the art teacher for Maya Hart, the singer and songwriter. She had no doubt that this double duty thing would have made her an easy target in Davenport's ongoing crusade, but then she couldn't really do anything about it without being so obvious about it. Maya didn't have to be absent all that often, and when she was, she always had her substitute locked in. Her classroom and her students never lacked for anything. Possibly as a side bonus, the principal saw these absences as chances to swoop in and snoop or do any number of things without her knowing about it.

Whatever she did or didn't do, she'd definitely had more chances than ever this year, thanks to the release of Maya's collaboration with Portia Keller. There'd be the odd weekend – and occasional weekdays – where she'd go off to do a show, a brief appearance, interviews… It really made Maya stop and think, whenever she'd have to turn around and switch to her other career. She would realize how little she'd actually worked on new music lately. The album with Portia was one thing, the songs weren't hers, so for the most part she only had to sing them. TXNY hadn't put out a new album… in about as long as Sandra Davenport had been at the school… and as far as her contracted work, most of what she'd put out there came from pieces she'd already been messing around with for ages.

Ever since she'd started picking up on all that, she'd been feeling almost distressed. She had been feeling as though something was missing in her life, but she never knew what it was or how to fix it, and suddenly she knew… and she understood… and she couldn't bear it. How was she supposed to fix this? She couldn't just sit down and go 'alright, let's write a song' and expect to come away with something in the blink of an eye. It wasn't all about writing a song either, she just missed being able to sit in this space in her head and feeling her connection to the music. She missed having this melody in her head that would relentlessly play on until she'd find the rest of it, missed the feeling of everything coming together, of finetuning here and there until it was just what she had been feeling and hearing in heart and mind.

She needed to spend more time in the Hex, dedicate some time – in the midst of her teaching, advising, and coaching at the school, and her being a wife, and a mother to eight children now, to seven of them at home – to her studio. Even if she only went in there while she went through her students' sketchbooks, or worked on this thing or that one, none of it actually related to music, the hope was that existing in that space again would enable her to reconnect with this part of herself she had not been serving nearly as much as she would have wanted to. That was what she was setting out to do that Saturday morning. Breakfast had come and gone, and she'd started off working through her diary boxes up at her desk upstairs, as she so often did before remembering her endeavor. With that in mind, she'd taken two of the boxes down, one and then the other, and stuck them on her cart before heading up the path out of the kitchen door.

Maya had not realized that the studio was already occupied, not until she approached and saw light from inside. She could think of a few other people who could have been in there just now, but then she only had to think back to sitting around the breakfast table earlier, and one little face among them being off in her own world, and she knew who she would find if she looked through the window. And there she was… her pumpkin, sitting tall in one of the chairs, in front of the console. She was only ten years old, but the way she sat there, Maya swore, it was as though she'd been doing it all her life and then some.

She couldn't hear what her baby girl was cooking up, but even without even the smallest note reaching her ear, the impression was very much that Marianne was following inspiration as deep as it would lead her. Maya knew how powerful that could be… It was just the kind of thing that she was hoping to recover in visiting the studio that day, and seeing her there now, Maya was reminded of how much they'd always said that Marianne was a perfect mix of her and Lucas. Everyone said it, and much as they tried not to influence her in any way, that was just who she was, wasn't it? Maya couldn't help but be completely and utterly amazed by her, by the person she was becoming. She still had so much room to grow.

Maya briefly considered just going back into the house, leaving the studio to Marianne until she was done, but then she'd gone seeking the music, and maybe this was her path toward it. So, she went ahead and announced herself, the better not to startle her daughter, and when she got the all-clear, she opened the door. The studio was silent when she did, so whatever had been playing before, Marianne must have silenced it. She had the same sort of apprehensive jolt about her she usually had whenever either of her parents found her secretly working along in the studio. They trusted her to be here, to use the equipment, enough so that, if they looked for her and couldn't find her, they'd at least know that looking here would be a safe bet. It didn't change that she felt strange about having anyone find her, watch her, whenever she'd be working along in here.

"So, what's got you working away in here this morning?" Maya asked, smiling. Marianne hesitated, looking around for a moment before turning back to her mother.

"I… I wanted to work on my song, for the ball."

"So, you are going then," Maya hummed, and when Marianne nodded, she embraced her. "Glad to hear. It wouldn't be the same without you, pumpkin."

"I wanted to do a song for Granny, like before. That way… it's kind of like she's there," Marianne explained, and Maya breathed, understanding. "I didn't write anything, but I wanted to try and make my own version, you know?"

"That's a great idea. How's it going so far?"

"It's okay, I think," Marianne shrugged. "I'm not finished though. Some parts are not right, not yet," she reported, sounding so very professional as she said it, which made her mother chuckle. Marianne considered her for a moment and finally appeared to make a decision. "Here, sit down," she motioned to the second chair, which let her mother know that she could not only listen, but she was also welcome to pitch in with advice if she had any to give. Maya happily took her place and waited as Marianne pulled up the track.

They had to hand it to her, for being as young as she was, she knew what she was doing. Her instincts were always great, for as long as she'd been spending time inside the Hex and other studios all her life, but more than that, she never spent very long in any studio without looking like she was observing, absorbing, learning… and right here, they got to see what it all enabled her to do. It was as she'd said, yes, the track was not completed, but what she'd done so far was already very good, not just a start but a foundation with a solid frame and then some.

"Want me to get in there?" Maya asked Marianne, smiling, as she indicated the booth. "Just tell me what you need, and I'll see what I can do."

"Okay," Marianne nodded at once.

They worked together like this for a while, and without having the words manifesting themselves, Maya still felt as though she was accomplishing at least some of what she'd set out to do in coming here this morning. The boxes of diaries were still sitting untouched by the small couch, and she'd have to go on and get started with those pretty soon, but right now this was more important, this was better. She was making music with her baby girl. Once they stopped, they ended up both of them huddled together, on the couch in the corner, and neither of them looked in any hurry to move.

"We should get Ezra something to wear for the ball," Marianne declared thoughtfully, which made her mother laugh lightly. "Like a little suit or something."

"Oh, tiny suits on tiny humans are my secret weakness," Maya admitted with a hum, making Marianne giggle. "I'm not sure how he's going to feel about that, but we can give it a try, for sure."

"He's going to look so cute," Marianne smiled. "We're going to take pictures out there, yeah? Of all of us?"

"All of us," Maya confirmed with a smile and a nod.

"Good. That way he'll know this was his first time at the Equestrian Ball, as part of the family," Marianne affirmed.

"He's so lucky to have you as a big sister, do you know that?" Maya asked, setting her head atop her daughter's.

"I think we're all lucky, us and him, too."

"Yeah, we are," Maya agreed. They stayed this way a while, no words. Marianne started to hum her tune in the silence of the studio, and Maya joined her, harmonized with her… Melinda may not have been there to hear it, but if she was… Oh, she would have been so happy to hear her granddaughter…

"Mom?"

"Yeah, pumpkin?"

"What were you going to do before?"

"What do you mean?" Maya asked, and Marianne indicated the diary boxes.

"You weren't looking for me, I was just here," she pointed out. Maya smirked.

"Good point. Nothing gets by you, huh?"

"I don't know about that…" Marianne shrugged.

Maya went ahead and explained why she'd been coming over to look through the diaries here, explained it as best she could at least. Marianne listened, and it seemed to make sense to her, even as it left her intrigued… hopeful and excited…

"Maybe… I can help you?"

"I'd love that," Maya promised, smiling as she brushed at her daughter's hair. "I don't even know what I'm trying to do yet, you know? What kind of project this would be…"

"You don't have to decide that part yet," Marianne shook her head at once. Maya squinted at her.

"I feel like I heard that before," she teased. "Didn't I say that to you?" she asked, pointing a finger to her own chest, making her daughter laugh.

"A few times," Marianne replied.

"I do give good advice, who would have thought?"

"You can do what you were going to do," Marianne sprang from her mother's arms and moved to pull the first box nearer.

"Careful…"

"Here," Marianne breathed, depositing the box at her feet. "You get started and… I'll be here… I won't bother you, I promise."

"You could never," Maya smiled, more so as Marianne smiled back at her.

Finally, she got to work, while Marianne sat on the studio floor. When Maya would be done with one diary, she'd hand it down to her and be handed a new one. Marianne would look through each diary before putting it back in the box, and so the cycle would continue. Maybe she wouldn't come up with her next big move right there, on that day, but even if she accomplished none of that, she'd still have this moment with her daughter to look back on, and that'd already be a pretty good memory to look back on.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners