Chapter 128
We Can Make It Happen If We Try

It was a work night for both of them that day. Maya's day ended about an hour before Lucas' did, but seeing as they could head to the mall together and go have dinner before they had to clock in, she would go and wait for him out on the steps of the middle school and he would pick her up on his way from the university. The place had so much importance to their lives and their story. They could both recall such long conversations on those mornings after his sessions with the counselor, when she'd already be there waiting for school to start. They had gotten engaged, right here. And now she was back, staking her claim on making this school part of her future as a teacher.

Maya worked on the growing blanket coming off her knitting needles as she waited. It was coming along very nicely, a brand-new addition to follow in the trail of Elliott's green Sprout blanket, and Noah's yellow Bee blanket. It had not been so easy to get this one going, as she got stuck on the color scheme. Maybe it went to how they'd equated the tadpole to a little frog, but she kept seeing green colors, and she wanted to make it different from Elliott's. She knew of course that not all frogs were green, but that was where her brain seemed to want to go.

Finally, she'd come to a plan. She was going to go to the store, and she would look at all those colors of yarn available to her, and the right ones would call to her. She ended up having the boys with her that day, and when she told them what they were there to do, they were both very excited about helping. Maya had this image in her head that she would come out of that store with a multitude of clashing tones. She'd done her best to convey how Elliott's was of shades of green, and Noah's was of shades of yellow, so they'd get an idea of what they were after, but beyond that they were still just on the cusp of two and three years old, so she'd get what she'd get for choosing to bring them along.

But then they could surprise her, too, couldn't they? The three of them looked at the wall of colors along with Lupe, who ran the shop with her mother, Pilar. She would let them up close and allow them to feel at the yarn, get a good look, and they were just enthralled. Maya could easily tell herself that, growing up around her and everything she did up in the attic, and under the many-colored leaves of the trees in their room and in their parents' room, their appreciation for colors ran deep in their hearts and souls. When Lupe asked them what they were looking for, Noah informed her that it was 'for baby,' and Elliott had done one better and said it was 'for Tadpole' before pointing to his mother. Lupe had taken all this in and brought down several shades of brown yarn, at once earthy and warm. She went ahead and consulted her little clients, who huddled up around her and inspected her offerings before turning to their mother. The matter was settled then and there.

Elliott and Noah had been watching her work at the blanket whenever she did so at home. She'd been taking her time with it, same as she'd done with the other two. Maya had started to knit when she'd been pregnant with the first of them, seeing this new avenue of creativity open before her eager eyes, and she'd gotten very good at it over the last few years, so she could probably have worked much faster, but speed wasn't nearly as important to her as the activity of it all, so she took her time, and the results spoke for themselves.

That day, waiting for Lucas on the steps, she was working on what was to be a surprise for the boys, a small nod to them, their personal 'symbols' integrated into one corner, in green and yellow. She would try as much as possible to keep it hidden before 'the big reveal' when the blanket was completed. The anticipation of that moment left her quietly smiling to herself.

After Lucas came and picked her up, they headed to the mall and directly to the food court, where they soon spotted Tilly and Judd coming along and invited them to join their table. Maybe because they all worked here, it got to feel like they were back in the high school cafeteria, joining their friends at lunch before they went back to their respective 'classes,' Lucas and Tilly one way, Maya and Judd the other. For now, they sat and ate together, not as classmates but co-workers. Not that they spoke about work at all these days. Instead, the conversation never strayed from the subject of pregnancies and babies.

Every week, every day, when Tilly and Judd's baby continued to grow seemed to register like a victory to the first-time parents-to-be. As much as they tried – and generally succeeded – to turn to the side of hope, it was a lot harder not to fall into that line of thinking where something could and would go wrong than they realized. Thankfully, they had their friends and respective co-workers to back them up, to reassure them. Both of them would call or text with a new question or concern whenever one came up, and Maya and Lucas could tell how they felt awkward about it, like surely, they were asking too much, and their friends would get tired of always talking them down from whatever new concern had crept into them. They could come to them with anything, and they reminded them as much as they needed to hear it.

For all their concerns, things were progressing just as they should. Tilly's baby was actually due before Maya's, by a couple of weeks, so she was just barely further along, and though it was still very easy not to notice it depending on what she wore, her own little bump was coming along nicely, to the future parents' delight. The discussion expanded to the knitting today, drawing Judd's curiosity and Maya's immediate assistance. They would spend the better part of any free time they got that night with her giving her co-worker some tips and pointers.

Maya and Lucas both expected to arrive and find the house quiet, everyone in bed asleep by the time they got home, or at the very least the boys asleep up in their room and Pappy Joe sitting in front of the television. Instead, they came along to find the lights were still on downstairs. And there was a familiar car outside. They had no idea what Sophie and/or Chiara might be doing here at this hour, but they were eager to find out.

All the sound was coming from the kitchen. They could hear voices – Pappy Joe, Sophie, Chiara, and Asher and Ray, too? They all seemed to be having a good time, and beyond what they caught with their ears, Maya and Lucas could also gather some clues via their noses. Someone was or had very recently been cooking in there, and it turned out that both options were true. By the looks of it, there had been a whole lot of cooking and baking already done, and it was still winding down at the two of them stepped into the kitchen and were found to have returned. They were quickly greeted by happy friends who came up and hugged here, felt a belly there…

"What are you guys doing here?" Maya laughed. "Not that we're not glad you're here, it's just a bit… unexpected, you know?" It was getting late, and the drive from here to their house hadn't gotten any shorter.

"We were invited," Asher informed her.

"Excuse me, I was invited, the rest of you just tagged along to play Auntie and Uncles with the junior Friars," Sophie pointed around to the others. This got her a look from her wife, who was presently assembling the last tier of a lasagna.

"Well how could we pass up an opportunity like that?" Ray smiled and shrugged.

"And all the food?" Lucas asked, looking at the counter, and the table. They hadn't even looked in the refrigerator yet… or the freezer…

"It felt like the thing to do," Chiara replied in a merry tone. Maya and Lucas looked to Pappy Joe, seeking an explanation. He was being oddly and possibly comically quiet over there at the table. Faced with his grandson and his wife's curious eyes, his face turned into what could best be described as a 'right, so I guess it's my turn now.'

"A lot happened while you were out today," he stated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucas asked, as both he and Maya's eyes turned upward, carried by a thought of their sons.

"Not with the boys, just me, and… just good things, I promise," Pappy Joe told them. "Come on, sit down," he smiled.

"Hungry?" Sophie asked.

"I'm good, if I eat now I'll regret it in the morning, trust me," Maya shook her head, and Lucas declined with shake of the head.

"Pappy Joe…" he turned back to the man with inquisitive eyes. His grandfather raised a hand and nodded.

"Well, now, a couple weeks ago, I had a talk with this one here in the middle of the night," he nodded to Maya, who sat up a bit straighter at this, grasping what he was getting at. Lucas noticed this and frowned, clueless as to what the two of them were referencing.

"I… kind of had an idea about how he might be able to stay here even if he gave up the room," Maya told him, and Lucas' eyes widened. As much as he'd tried to think of something, he hadn't come up with anything, but now it seemed as though they had, and he couldn't wait to find out what it was.

"Yes, and then I asked her to keep it to herself until I could look into it some more. Didn't want to get anyone's hopes up just yet. But, well, I have looked into it now, and it is very possible. By now, you could say it is happening, or it will, in a few weeks at most, provided that everyone's in agreement and… I do think we will be," Pappy Joe gave his grandson a smile.

"What is it?" Lucas asked. The old man went to reply but then paused, turning the answer over to Maya. It had been her idea in the beginning, hadn't it?

"I just thought, with the land back there… We always figured we'd use it for something one day, so why couldn't we use it now, build a smaller house there, and then…" she indicated Pappy Joe. Lucas watched her, and he laughed. It was such a simple solution when you thought about it. He hadn't found it, but she had.

"Then, I remembered Sophie here telling me about some of her colleagues, how they had a contracting business on the side, and she'd been pitching in here and there," Pappy Joe took up the story, as neither Maya nor Lucas would be caught up to this part yet.

"Right, so then he called me last week, and we've been talking it over. I've been talking it over with the guys, too, and then I had the first rough estimate, and some designs according to what he'd wanted and the dimensions we had to work with. I mentioned this, and he said to come over anytime, so I said I could be there tonight. And then…" Sophie gestured to Chiara, Asher, and Ray.

"And then all the food?" Maya wondered. She was resisting the urge to ask for a plate. It would be brought to her in an instant, and she hadn't been kidding when she said she'd regret it in the morning, but damn if it didn't smell really good…

"No, that was after we got here," Asher replied.

"I don't get it…" Lucas looked around. He was getting the impression that he was still missing a very key piece of information, and the looks that passed across his friends' and grandfather's faces told him he wasn't wrong. The Houston quartet looked like they knew the answer but couldn't say it, so he turned once more to Pappy Joe and his casual/not so casual look. He was holding on to one more big reveal, and it wouldn't stay hidden much longer.

"Wasn't going to say anything to them, only… timing…" Pappy Joe gestured.

"Tell them about what?" Maya asked.

"Yes, well, it's like this. After I spoke to her," he indicated Sophie, "I got to thinking, about this house of mine, when it would sit out there, when I'd be living in it. I thought about what that would be like. Oh, I'd have you two and the kids out here, that's the whole point, isn't it? But once I go back there, all by myself… Pets are nice, sure, but there's more than that, isn't there? So, with no… expectations or pretense, I… asked Patty if she would come and share this little house of mine, to spend what life we have left here together, as husband and wife. And she said yes."

For a moment there, they could have heard a pin drop from the overwhelming surprise of the revelation. Then, almost too synchronized to keep their friends from laughing, both Maya and Lucas reached up and covered their mouths, in an effort not to make any sounds that might awaken the sleeping boys upstairs. Even if they hadn't stopped themselves, could they have been blamed? This was monumental news, and they could never have seen it coming if they tried. After a few seconds, Maya reached out one hand – the other still clamped to her mouth – to tap her husband's arm. You, talk, ask stuff.

"You're serious?" Lucas asked. Maya gave him a look from over her covered mouth. Oh, come on, you can do better than that. "You did this… over the phone?" Maya nodded. Better, a little.

"Well, no, see, I knew she was in town today, visiting her son. I figured it was too perfect to pass up. I went out and met with her… Your father stayed here with the boys, didn't tell him exactly what I was going to do," he told Maya in an aside. She let her hand down and silently nodded. "So, it's like I said…" Pappy Joe went on, and oh if he had any chance at all to hide away that little smile from his face…

"But… the university, her job…" Maya finally spoke, almost whispered.

"Well, she'd been thinking for some time about taking a step back, maybe stick to short stints, and guest lectures. More chances to travel, too, work on some research, maybe write another book. And she would be closer to her son, and her granddaughter… and you two and the boys, too."

Maya and Lucas contemplated all this now… How long had they been watching Pappy Joe get closer to Patty Robinson, whether or not he'd admit it? Now, her coming to stay with him in that little house, marrying him… It was everything they could have hoped for, for him and for her as well, and then some. Maya quickly got up and went around the table to hug the man, who welcomed the embrace with a great laugh.

"I really wish I could eat something right now," Maya sighed. "Tomorrow, I promise," she told him, and he nodded.

"You'll have your pick," Sophie grinned, turning to press a kiss to Chiara's cheek. Now, the abundance of food made sense. It had been their response to inadvertently finding out about the engagement.

Lucas came around as well, as Pappy Joe got up. Grandson embraced grandfather, both of them sharing such a familial smile.

"So, this wedding…" Lucas asked.

"Oh, small, very small. We might just go down to…"

"Oh, no, you don't," Maya pointed at him at once. They turned to her. "My good sir, we can do small, but we will be there, families, too. We can have it right here."

"She's been spending a lot of time with your mother, hasn't she?" Pappy Joe 'whispered.'

"Hey," Maya squinted at him and Lucas smirked.

"No, that's all her right there."

TO BE CONTINUED

See you next week! - mooners