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“I think I love him,” Maye said. It felt good to say it out loud. It was almost a relief to say it, finally. “I do. I love him.”
“Stop it, I’m gonna barf,” Tracy said.
“Gross. Don’t be immature, Tracy—”
“No,” Tracy said as she scrambled out of bed, “seriously, I’m gonna barf! Get outta the way!”
Maye drove the route to the convention center slower than usual and reluctantly arrived in time for the live show that she and Chris were scheduled to host. She circled the parking lot, driving past plenty of open parking spaces in search of the perfect spot.
“Classic avoidance behavior, Maye,” she said to herself.
She pulled into the next one that she saw.
What am I doing here… she sighed as she leaned her forehead on the steering wheel.
“You’re a woman of integrity,” she answered in a mocking tone. “You can do hard things…This is temporary…Be the example you want to see in the world…The only way is through—actually, I like that one.”
There were others that she liked, so she pulled out her phone and searched for motivational quotes.
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right…that’s a good one. It’s okay to not be okay if you don’t give up on yourself…yeah, true.”
Her car was still running and so her playlist shuffled to the next song. “Fight Song” could not have come on at a better time. She could turn things around. It was all within her ability.
“I am a woman of integrity!” she told herself. “I absolutely can do hard things!”
By the time the first chorus finished, Maye was ready to run through a brick wall.
She pulled open the conference center door with authority and walked briskly through the entrance with her shoulders back and her chin up.
“Hey, it’s her!” a voice in the crowd shouted. “It’s the lady who freaked out on stage yesterday!”
“Yeah, it is me!” She yelled in the direction of the voice. “And I’m back because you have to face hard situations. I’m not going to run away on some hiking trip!” Even she was surprised with the clapback.
The audience that had gathered at the stage was much smaller than the previous evening, but what concerned Maye was not seeing Chris. He had texted her last night that he wanted to talk to her again, but she had not heard from him since.
“Hey, Maye?” The emcee found her as he was about to take the stage. “We’re going to get started so we can stay on schedule. Even if it’s just you taking questions, we’re gonna go ahead with the show.”
“Okay, but…” she looked around. “Are you sure we should we start without Chris? I haven’t seen him.”
The emcee handed her a microphone. “Just a few quick questions and you’re outta here.” He stepped onto the stage and introduced her to a smattering of applause.
“Good morning, everyone,” Maye announced. “Thanks for joining us—or me live this morning…”
The emcee held up a piece of paper that said, “We have a video to start.”
“We’ll take some questions soon,” she continued, “but we’re going to start with a video?” She looked to the emcee for confirmation. “Yes, yes we are going to start with a video. Okay, let’s take a look.”
Her body tensed up and she nearly dropped the microphone when she saw Chris appear on the large screen.
“Hello, Maye,” he began. “Hello, everyone. This message is mostly for Maye, though, so I’m sorry to everyone who has to sit through this. Maye, I’m sorry about what happened last night during the premiere, but I wanted to explain what happened after you left. I went back on stage and I told Sheila and the audience that you were upset by what Sheila had said. That you work really hard to be authentic and that you are one of the most genuine people I know. I apologized on behalf of myself and you. I hope that’s okay. Then something funny happened. Sheila asked me what I was apologizing for. She then explained that her break-up was the best thing that ever happened to her…”
Maye exhaled deeply and relief washed over her as Chris continued.
“She came to our Q&A to encourage us and express that while some people might take our show seriously, that was their mistake. It was clear to her that we were having fun together and entertaining people along the way. And she said our flirting is adorable.”
The audience “aww’d” together.
“So,” Chris continued, “I hope this helps and I hope you can see how much joy you bring me and others. I’ve never doubted your feelings or anything you’ve said to me, and I hope you can feel deep down that I’ve been completely open with you as well. And…that’s it. Next question.”
