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I wonder what Maia does over winter break…
An idea pops into my head.
Maybe I won’t have to be alone on my road trip home or over the holidays.
Maybe Maia won’t have to be, either.
I pick up my phone and type out a text to her.
Then I close my eyes and wait for the buzz sound of the reply.
* * *
“Are you sure your family would be okay with me coming?”
“Of course. My invitation included a plus-one.”
“I mean…” Maia wrings her hands together as we walk to the orphanage. It’s finally the night we’ve worked hard for.
The night we give the children their gifts and watch their faces light up as they open toys.
Finals finished yesterday. The freedom of winter break stretches out before us, our last one before we graduate.
Maia told me she’d give me an answer by today when she responded to my text since I’m leaving tomorrow morning. A part of me expects her to say no. Wouldn’t she have said yes already if she really wanted to go? Instead, she left me with the I’ll think about it.
Maybe it was too much to ask.
Maybe our friendship isn’t there yet.
Maybe she’s afraid of what’ll grow between us. Kind of like I am. But I’d rather take the risk of her going than her not. I like her company and enjoy our time together. I hope she’ll agree.
“If you don’t want to come, it’s okay. I understand. A road trip across the country isn’t a small thing.”
“Especially when you’ve never left the state of California.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. Sierra Cove is the farthest I’ve been from the orphanage I grew up in.”
“Oh shit. Wow. I didn’t realize…I should’ve. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. I was never adopted, so while I bounced from foster home to foster home a lot, the majority of the time, I was in the orphanage. Honestly, I liked it there better. Some of those foster houses are truly awful.”
“I bet it was rough. I can relate in regard to a lot of kids always being around. Never getting much alone time when all you want is a smidgen of privacy.”
“Exactly. We’re not asking for a lot. But I know it’s hard when there’s more people than space. Sometimes our sleeping area would have fifty kids at a time, all the beds lined up in rows. You could barely breathe. We were all packed so damn tight.”
“Damn, fifty?” I whistle.
“Yep. But like my social worker always said, being grateful for what you have makes it so you feel as if you have enough.”
I let her words sink in for a minute. They couldn’t be more true. “I’m grateful for our friendship.”
“Me too, Rhett. I’d probably still be under Alex’s spell.”
“Nah, I doubt it. You’re a tough cookie.”
She smiles at me, and it warms my insides. We arrive at the orphanage, and as she turns to walk up the stairs, I stop her. “Maia, wait. Before we go in, I want to tell you this. I know you’re probably anxious to leave the state. Drive across the country and put yourself in awkward, vulnerable situations. I get it. But I promise I’ll do my best to always make sure you’re comfortable. And doesn’t spending Christmas on a cross-country road trip sound better than doing nothing or being alone?”
