Take on the World

Girl Meets the Forgiveness Project Part 2

Corey Matthews stood in front of his class with furrowed brows. He sighed knowing this was going to be a hard topic to complete.

"How's the forgiveness project going?" He asked knowingly.

"You killed us, Matthews" Maya stated.

"I gotta say, Matthews, I don't know what you were thinking," Riley said to her father.

"You think forgiveness leads to peace? It leads to war in a movie theater" Lucas added.

"Lights go down, the movie starts, I make Farkle sit in the other corner of the theater so he can't ruin anything" Zay continued.

"Sounds like good strategy" Corey commented.

"Yeah, then a cowboy comes on the screen. Farkle yells".

"Dead!" Farkle interjected

"An old prospector comes on the screen".

"Alien looking for a time portal".

"Next comes a cheerleader".

"How is there a cheerleader in this movie?" Corey asked.

"No kidding".

"Well, I'm sure some of you had a better experience".

"Forgiveness doesn't work, Dad" Riley explained to her father "I forgave Auggie and he didn't thank me" her father then went on to explain that she didn't forgive her brother, Maya read her letter to the class showing that she had tried to forgive the man that walked out on her and her mother but she couldn't. Corey then questioned why the people they want to forgive do what they did, the students realized that they hadn't asked that question either, once they did some truth became very clear which made forgiving easier.

In the diner called Topanga's, we see Maya and Riley conversing, Riley had her baby brother Auggie in her lap.

"Forgiveness does work, Maya," she told her friend with a smile "You just have to do it right".

"Can I go play with my friends now?" The young boy asked his sister.

"No!" She denied "All you have to do is listen to the other person".

"Can I at least go to the bathroom, Riley?" He tried again.

"Quiet, I'm talking" Maya smiled at their interaction.

"Auggie is there every day, Riley" Maya stared "My dad couldn't get out of here fast enough, I mean he's halfway home by now" the girl frowned slightly "Forgiveness doesn't work for everybody" at that point Kermit entered the room.

"I am not hungry, so please don't throw anything at me" he spoke as he rose his hand in surrender.

"I thought you left".

"I did, I was in the car on the way back and then I looked at this thing again and it says you don't want to be angry anymore" he then looked at the people in the room "I know what you all are to Maya, thank you, I just need to borrow her for one second, if it's okay" Maya nodded and went outside with her father "This wasn't you Maya, this was all me" he spoke as they sat around a table "I couldn't provide comfort for you in a lightning storm and I was no good for you on a sunny day, either" Kermit confessed, "I blew every paycheck instead of providing food for the refrigerator and when you know you're not good for people, you start not showing up and then you don't show up enough times, and it begins to feel like leaving until you do".

"You're there for your new family, aren't you? What did they do that I didn't do?" Maya cried.

"You never did anything Maya, you were just a little girl" he sighed "I was who I was and there is nothing you did or could have done, I just... I wasn't ready for you or anyone but I think I've changed and these people believe that I am capable of something" he smiled "They don't know who I was, they believe in who I am now".

"Who are you?".

"I found a job and I've managed to keep it, I came back to tell you that I am grateful for what you wrote and I am sorry for what I did, I'm glad you're okay" Maya stared at her father with tears streaming down her face and told him that his job as a father was to stay which he didn't, she told him that hearing him say she had nothing to do with him leaving made her feel better and she was glad she wrote to him because it gave her closure even though she couldn't forgive him she wasn't angry anymore, she bid him goodbye and left. Seeing her tear-stained face, everyone went to her side but she looked at her teacher.

"I'm sorry, I failed," she told him "I know you wanted me to forgive him but I didn't, I couldn't do it" she cried "You were wrong about this one, Mr. Matthews".

"I never expected that Maya," he told the girl softly "That kind of forgiveness, it doesn't come so easy but life is a long time and I hope you get there someday" he looked at her "But that's never what I was looking for right now".

"What did you want from me?".

"Maya, did you forgive yourself?" She rushed into his embrace and for probably the millionth time since she left, Maya's thoughts went to her sister and she cried even more.

Maya and her friends stood at a mailbox, 4 of them had red envelopes in their hands, Maya read over her letter before she sealed it and placed it into the mailbox with the others.

"Do you think she'll read them?" Farkle asked only to be met with silence.

"We can only hope but that doesn't mean that she would forgive us" Lucas stated before they walked away, Riley wrapping her arm around Maya's shoulder. As Maya walked her mind was on the letter she sent and wondered if she did the right thing.

Dear Everest,
Today Mr. Matthews introduced us to the Forgiveness Project, we have to write a letter to the person that had wronged us and tell them we forgive them so that we can get over it but I can't do that with you as you did nothing wrong so instead, I'm writing to ask for your forgiveness. I'm sorry you had to babysit me, I'm sorry that we forgot about you, I'm sorry that we weren't the family you need.

Your sister,
Maya.