"I can't believe she would do this! Why would she write a blogpost about it and publish it for all of Clearwater Bay to see? Isn't it enough that I have to call him my father?" I angrily question.
After receiving the text from whom I assume was Cassandra, I left the table without saying anything to Nick. I hurried to find my uncle and show him. He ended his call when he saw why I had come to him. He took me up to his room and sat me down on the couch to get me to control myself. It took a few minutes, but I finally exploded, which is why I'm now angrily shouting questions.
"Maya, you need to take a deep breath. This isn't about you. This is about your father, and we will get justice for Cassandra's mother so that Cassandra can move on from this. It hasn't ever been about you," Uncle Sam calmly tells me.
I collapse on the couch and say, "What do you mean?"
He gives me a little smile and replies, "You don't think I didn't find out about her treatment of you? I'm not clueless, Maya. I know she was unkind to you, and I know that she hurt you in different ways."
I raise my eyebrows. "And you did nothing about it? I mean, I'm glad you didn't, but you really didn't do anything about it?
"I tried, but nothing could be taken care of unless you would say what was happening, and I knew you would never admit to her being a bully to you. But, besides that, I'm going to visit your father tomorrow and try to get to the bottom of this," Uncle Sam says reassuringly.
I sigh. "What makes you think he's going to talk?"
"He's behind bars already, so he has nothing else to lose. Plus, I'm persuasive, along with my lawyer. Now Maya, you need to get some sleep," he tells me.
I nod and stand up. "I have to go back to the hotel Emma and I are staying at. I'll see you sometime tomorrow."
I pick up my purse and begin to walk out of the room, but Uncle Sam stops me and says with a crease in his forehead, "I don't think it's safe for you to be wandering around New York City at night. I'll get Nick to help you there."
I quickly shake my head at his words. "I don't need help. I can get there just fine. Don't worry about me."
He shakes his head and pulls his phone out of his pocket. I almost jump towards him to take the phone away, but someone knocks on the door. I grimace and pray it's not Nick as Uncle Sam goes to answer the door. He comes back with a quiet and sad looking Emma in a couple of minutes. She looks at me timidly, and I give her a smile.
"Thank goodness! Now you have nothing to worry about, Uncle Sam. Goodnight!" I say with obvious relief as I push Emma back to where she came in.
When I close the door behind us, I turn to Emma and quietly ask, "Where did you go?"
She shrugs and quietly says, "I just walked around and then went back to the hotel room to think. I didn't think you and Sam, excuse me, Mr. Erickson would want to talk to me after you knew the truth. I'm not exactly proud of it."
I give her a comforting smile and pull her into a warm hug. When I release her, I tell her, "That would never turn me against you in a million years. My father hurt many people, including you. I'll admit I was slightly angry and confused when you told us, but Uncle Sam helped me understand that he thinks you truly didn't know until today. How could I be mad at you if you didn't even know until today?"
Emma smiles back. "Thank you, Maya. I'll miss you, but I know you'll do great things. Now, let's go back to the hotel and get some sleep."
We walk into the elevator and soon reach the lobby. We walk out of the hotel, and Emma expertly hails a cab. We talk quietly on the way to the hotel, but nothing else is said about the information revealed today, making it easy to talk to each other. When we get to the hotel, I immediately get into my soft pajamas while Emma takes a shower. When she's done, I brush my teeth and remove the small amount of makeup I have on.
It isn't until Emma has turned off the lights that I whisper, "You're really leaving?"
I hear Emma sigh. "There's no need for me to be around if I don't have anyone to work for. Remember? Mr. Erickson is moving back to the city as soon as you leave for college."
"But what about me? What happens when I go back to Clearwater Bay for vacations?" I question.
I hear her chuckle slightly. "You'll be just fine, Maya. You don't need me around all the time. When you do need me, you can call me. I'll always be around to talk."
I sigh. "I wish I could have you around forever. You know, I feel like the changes in my life began when you came to work at the house. I met Nick when you were around and got to know him. I became friends with someone who is completely opposite from who I am, and I began a relationship with my uncle. I got healed from old wounds that had never been healed."
Emma whispers in her sweet, kind voice, "I didn't do any of that. You did it on your own. I was just there as a support for you. My time with you has been precious, and I wouldn't give up this experience for anything. I just feel like it's time for me to go try to help some more people. Now, goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."
~•••••~
The next morning, I leave Emma in the room to do some exploring before I go meet up with Uncle Sam later. I wander down the street and smile as I hear impatient honking and impatient people yelling at each other. Some people rush past me, and I allow myself to be jostled a bit. It's just like how I remember.
I don't make it far down the street before I hear a familiar voice call, "Maya! Maya!"
I turn around and see Nick rushing toward me wearing the hat and sunglasses he wore when I first met him. I stand and wait for him to reach me, making impatient people curse and rush past me. It doesn't take long for him to reach me, and when he does, he pulls me back in the direction of my hotel.
"I have my car waiting. I wanted to talk to you," is all he says before we reach a black car.
I simply get into the car and wait for him to settle in before I ask, "How'd you know where I was?"
He blushes and sheepishly says, "I asked Mr. Erickson where you might be this morning, and he told me after a few minutes of pushing him. I called up to your room, but Emma told me you had left to go do some exploring. It took me a few minutes, but I finally found you."
Despite my thoughts screaming not to, I smile at him and teasingly say, "So, you were stalking me."
He laughs. "If you want to look at it that way, then sure."
I smile at him despite my mind saying not to and then look away. I look out the window and gaze at all of the skyscrapers and people. I forgot how exciting and beautiful New York City was. Although, I was never able to truly enjoy the city when I lived here. I only got to see the dirty and hard parts of it.
I let a soft smile form on my lips as I let my thoughts drift to my mother. I've avoided the subject of my parents for a long time, but this trip has helped me realize that my past has molded me into who I am today. I haven't had an easy life, but it's taught me to be strong and to not let whatever has happened to me keep me from moving forward with my life.
We soon come to the Brooklyn Bridge, and Nick taps me on the shoulder. I turn to look at him, and it gives him the opportunity to point out different parts of Brooklyn Heights. From the bridge, we begin to drift to the neighborhoods. The car soon stops in front of a beautiful brownstone home.
Nick quickly gets out of the car and comes over to my side to open my door for me. I thank him and look at him confusedly as I ask, "What are we doing here?"
He smiles and just leads me up the stairs and into the house. I walk in and gasp at how beautiful the home is. While the outside was a reddish brown color with some rich dark chocolate accents, the interior has white walls and was very bright and airy. The accent color was the same accent color as the exterior. It was also tastefully decorated.
"Welcome to my New York City home. What do you think?" Nick says.
I look over at him with surprise and slight shock as I say, "Are you serious?"
He laughs. "Well, it's technically my parents home, but I stay here whenever I'm in the city. They always welcome their son home. I don't tend to get to stay here very much because I mainly live in LA."
I smile at him, and he smiles back as he gestures for me to sit down on one of the couches. I sit down, and he sits down in the chair that's to the right of me.
I ask him, "So, what are we doing at your house?"
"Well, I wanted to make sure that we were okay. You never got to answer me last night. Your uncle also tasked me to make sure to distract you from the blogpost you got."
"He told you about it?" I ask.
"Well, not really. He just said that he had some business he needed to take care of that related to your father, and he didn't want you to worry about it, but I kind of went and looked at the blogpost because I was curious. Besides that, I'm really waiting for your answer on whether or not you'll forgive me," he replies.
I give him a small smile and tell him, "It's okay. We're almost good."
"Why just almost?" he asks.
With some nervousness, I open up the topic that is tugging on my mind. "You never told me the truth about why you left Clearwater Bay. Sure, you said that you needed to promote your music, but you and I both know I'm not that dumb. There was something else, and you acted as though I should know. When I didn't, you looked upset with me, and I need to know why you actually left."
He sighs looks away from me. "Maya, that was awhile ago. It doesn't matter. You don't need to worry about it."
I shake my head at him. "Just because you don't want to tell me, doesn't mean it's right to keep it from me. I need to know. If it was something serious enough for you to leave like you did, then I have to know. We can't ever fully be friends again until you tell me why you left, and I don't want a lame excuse. I want some honesty."
He opens his mouth to reply, but doesn't get the opportunity to say anything because someone rings the doorbell. He sighs and opens the door. I look over and see my uncle in the doorway. Nick invites him in. When Uncle Sam approaches, he has a triumphant look on his face. I stand up to give him a hug, and he sits down after the hug.
"I have some news," he says.
Nick begins to leave the room, but I stop him with,"You can stay." I turn back to Uncle Sam and say, "I hope it's good news."
I see Nick sit down in a chair and look back and forth at my uncle and me with confusion and interest. I can tell he wants to know exactly what we're talking about.
"Depends on what you consider is good news. I can tell you for certain that your father didn't do what Cassandra accuses him of, but I do know that her mother's death wasn't an accident. The organization your father worked for was responsible, but he had nothing to do with it," he explains.
"But how would my father know about her death if he wasn't involved. How did you even get all this information?" I ask with slight confusion.
"Well, we got him to tell us certain information that helped us gain more insight on the case. Turns out my lawyer, Mr. Edwards, has worked a case against someone else who was a part of the circle that your father was with. He made a few phone calls and was able to dig up old files. We don't know the individual who murdered Cassandra's mother, but we know the people who were responsible, and they've all been brought to justice in recent years."
"But why would they murder an innocent woman?" I question.
Uncle Sam sighs and hesitates. "She had left the organization with threats to tell the authorities about them. She was a part of the selling, just like your father. Her threats were what made them decide it was too dangerous for her to be walking around, so they decided to do something about it."
"That's awful," I whisper. "Have you talked to Mr. Beckham and Cassandra yet?"
He nods. "My lawyer sent over all the information, and I spoke to Mr. Beckham. He was shocked, but I think it will help him. Most of all, I hope it will help Cassandra stop treating you the way she has."
I give him a soft smile. "Maybe. Maybe not."
I look over at Nick and catch him staring at me with an intense expression. As soon as I meet his eyes, he turns away from me, and I see his cheeks turn slightly pink. I smile to myself at his embarrassment and look away from him.
We all stay at Nick's house until lunch and then Uncle Sam and I leave. He takes me to the hotel, and I meet up with Emma. I hang out with Emma for the rest of the day. We do some shopping and then meet Uncle Sam for dinner. The dinner turns out to be pretty awkward, but I think it was beneficial for both Uncle Sam and Emma to sit down together and calmly be in the same room.
When I go to bed, I let my thoughts slow, and I remember that it's my last night in New York City. Tomorrow we leave, and more than that, I get to visit my mother for the first time. The thought makes me smile because I feel like she knows that I'm at the best point in my life. I feel like she knows how far I've come and how much I've grown to become more and more like her.
She was a fighter, and I've found out I am too.