Third Time's The Charm

Chapter 17

Maya made her way back into the dining room, broom and dustpan in hand. I observed as she slowly and carefully swept up the mess left behind by the smashed plate. Her movements were slower than normal. Her gaze was blank and cold, almost dead.

"Bambina?" I called out.

"Yea?" she jumped, sighing as some of the contents of the dustpan fell back onto the floor, "Hang on," She swiftly swept everything back up before making her way over to the trash can. I continued to watch her as she slowly made her way back to me. She stopped at the archway that led into the room. Her eyes fixated on the ground.

"Will you help me up so I can get Ezra over to the couch?" I asked. Maya just stared at me. It was as if I had spoken to her in another language.

"I'm sorry what?" she finally responded.

"Can you help me up please?" I smiled, reaching my hand up for her to take. I placed Ezra so that he was now sitting with his legs around my torso and my hand beneath his butt, making it easier for me to stand up. The blonde reached for my hand and in one swift movement she picked me up off of the floor. The three of us proceeded into the living room, Maya leading the way. I waited for Maya to finish setting up a pillow and a blanket before laying Ezra down on the couch. Once he was settled, I took the blonde by the hand, leading her onto the back porch.

"He's going to freak out if he wakes up alone again," she said, looking back at the sleeping child.

"He won't wake up anytime soon, and we'll be right out here. We'll hear him before he even notices he's alone," I responded. I took a seat on the porch swing, motioning for Maya to take the empty space next to me. It was still difficult for her to voice what she was feeling, but I knew she needed reassurance when she took a seat so close to me that she was practically sitting on my lap.

"Talk to me, bella. I'm right here," I said, pulling her in a little bit closer as I began to slowly rock the swing back and forth. She threw her legs onto my lap and placed her head on my shoulder, pressing her face into my neck. I rubbed my hand up and down her arm, waiting for her to be ready, when I felt moisture begin to build on my shirt. She was crying.

"Hey, hey, talk to me. What's going on?" I asked. I moved out from underneath her and placed my hands on the sides of her face, forcing her to look at me. She closed her eyes and sighed as I wiped away some of her tears with my thumbs.

"It's stupid," she whispered, taking my hands into hers as she looked down at her lap.

"It's not stupid if it's bothering you, tesoro," I responded. She looked back up at me and I gave her a nod, letting her know it was all okay.

"It's just," she hesitated, fiddling with the rings on my fingers.

"The plate and the wall and the yelling. Ugh it's so fucking stupid honestly. He's four for crying out loud!" she yelled. It finally clicked.

"Bambina, you're safe here, and it's completely okay for you to feel the way you are right now. It's expected and normal for situations like that to trigger an emotional response no matter who causes it. Whether it be a four year old or a fifty year old," I said, pulling her into a hug. Maya had been working with Diane on overcoming the years of emotional trauma that Lane had caused her. It wasn't something that had come easy to Maya, but definitely not impossible. Moments like these showed me the immense amount of progress she had been making. There weren't very many things that triggered her anymore; however, she hadn't experienced anything like today since she had moved out of her childhood home.

"I just, I thought I was over it. Everytime I feel like I am making progress something like this happens and it sets me back again. It feels like I am never going to get there," she responded.