My one and only Love

Chapter 6

Kermit and Jules had been furious when Topanga called to tell them that she’d found Maya. Another 600 mile trip north and missed work had Kermit even more furious with his oldest daughter. He didn’t share pleasantries with the Matthews this time, he didn’t even ask who Josh was when Maya lingered hugging him goodbye.

“Maya, I swear, I don’t know what you want from me!” He scolded as she stared at the window of his old beat-up Honda. “I’m trying to be a good father, Maya, I’m giving you a family, I’m giving you a real house with a yard, real sisters…and you take off without any word. You don’t answer when we call. I was worried about you Maya! Do you realize how much work I have to miss to take you back home? Don’t you want me to keep my job, Maya?”

“It’s not home.” She muttered, and he huffed in frustration.

“Maya! For fucks sake!” He shouted, stopping hard and barely missing a cab in front of him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

She turned finally, anger all over her face. “It means it’s not my home!” She screamed. “You’re not my family! The Matthews are my family! You are nothing!”

Kermit had never hit one of his kids, not ever. He had never struck anything but a wall on a really bad night, never a person. But Kermit hadn’t been pushed quite so far as he was now. More than a week not knowing where Maya was, having to miss work and spend a lot of money in gas to go get her again and she was so ungrateful, so harsh and mean when he was trying so hard to show her he was there now even though he hadn’t been before. He hadn’t meant to swing his arm at her in frustration as he let out an angry shout of ‘shut up!’.

Maya stared at him with wide eyes. Just as he had never really hit someone before, Maya had never been hit before. “Shit, Maya I’m sorry! I-” But he couldn’t get out anything else. It only took her a second to grab her bag from the back and swing it forward. It hit him in the back of the head as she swung open the door and jumped out of the car before he could start moving again. “Maya!” He shouted out the open door, throwing the car in park. He got out, being met with many honking cars that all drowned out his shouts for Maya as she took off running back the way they’d come.

Having never been hit before, especially by a parent – if she could call Kermit that – she didn’t understand the feelings going through her. She felt ashamed and embarrassed not to mention the sting on her face. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she ran, she didn’t stop running until she was at the Matthews apartment. The family was still outside, sitting on the stoop and trying to explain to Auggie why Maya had to leave again. Josh and Riley sitting quietly, knowing they were still in trouble for hiding her, but more upset to have seen her go. Maya ran fast, running into Josh’s arms and clinging to him as she cried.

“Maya!?” Cory gasped, the whole family trying to figure out what was going on as she sobbed against Josh’s chest. He looked baffled as he wrapped an arm around her and tried to calm her down.

Maya was inside the Matthew’s apartment with a steak on her face when Kermit showed back up. Topanga on the other hand had taken control of the situation as soon as she saw the redness on Maya’s face. Her eye would blacken but she hoped that it wouldn’t be too bad with the steak against it. She called the police and refused to let Kermit into the house until the officer was there as well.

“Are you kidding me with this?” Kermit exploded as he walked in with two NYPD officers. “It was an accident! Now I’ve had enough of this Maya.”

“Are you the father?” The officer asked Kermit, the other officer moving over to where Maya sat on the couch between Josh and Riley.

“We were arguing in the car because I didn’t want to go back to Ohio and he told me to shut up and hit me.” Maya said, glancing over at her father. “I don’t know if he meant to or not, I don’t know him.”

“Maya.” Kermit said, trying to step closer but the officer stood between them.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, sir.”

“I didn’t hit her I just swung my arm up, it was an accident for fucks sake!” Maya pulled the steak down from her face, Josh taking it from her and her bruised face was apparent to Kermit now and he looked stricken. “Maya, I never meant to hurt you, I would never. I’ve...shit I’ve never hit anyone in my life.”

Maya watched him, seeing how distraught he looked. “Okay.” She muttered. “I’m fine, we don’t need police.”

“Maya, are you sure?” Topanga asked, eying Kermit. She knelt down in front of Maya. “No one ever has the right to hit you, you understand that don’t you?” Maya nodded. “No one, Maya.”

“I know, but I believe him. I just…no one ever hit me before and, I don't know." She just shrugged.