Maya's Choice

by Earl Sewell

  I thought for sure I’d gotten busted by my aunt. I closed my eyes tightly and nervously turned in the direction of the voice, hoping I could come up with a damn good lie.

  “Are you sneaking out of our house?” I opened my eyes and realized that it was Maya and not Aunt Raven asking the questions. Sometimes they could sound like each other. Maya was sitting on the front porch on the swing.

  “Keep your voice down,” I said as I moved toward her.

  “Were you about to take Grandmother Esmeralda’s car?” Maya asked.

  “I’ve taken it before and returned it. It’s no big deal,” I said.

  “You don’t even have a driver’s license,” Maya said.

  “A lot of people don’t have a license or insurance, but does that keep them from driving around and getting them to where they need to go?” I asked.

  “And exactly where are you going?” she asked.

  “None of your business. Besides, what are you doing out here this late?” I whispered softly.

  “I couldn’t sleep so I came out for some air,” Maya explained.

  “It sounds like you’re freaking bored to death.” Maya didn’t deny what I’d just said. “I’m going out to a party,” I reluctantly informed her.

  “You can’t just go to a party without asking.” Maya was starting to sound like someone’s mother.

  “Yes, I can. I always come and go as I please without anyone’s permission, and I’m not about to start asking for it now,” I said indignantly.

  “I’m telling.” Maya rose to her feet to go squeal.

  “If you go in there and say something, I’ll deny everything and lie on you. I’ll say that I came out to the car to get my purse and saw you out here with Misalo.”

  “That’s a lie! Misalo wasn’t here. My parents wouldn’t believe you,” Maya said.

  “How do your parents know that you’re telling the truth? After all, you did get busted with him in your room. It would be my word against yours. Besides, I’m still in my pajamas. Why would I go to a party in my pj’s?” I gambled with my last comment, hoping Maya was the perfect princess that I knew she was, and had never in her life snuck out of the house and stashed a change of clothes somewhere. Maya was silent for a moment. Then to my utter shock she asked, “Where is this party at?”

  “Oh, hell no! Don’t tell me you want to go,” I said.

  “I’m feeling daring, so either you take me or the minute you pull off, I’ll wake up everyone in the house and let them know that you’ve disappeared…just like your mother,” Maya said.

  I wanted to choke her for bringing up my mother like that. I was about to drop the entire idea of going to the party and just beat Maya up, when a mean-spirited thought entered my mind. It would be the perfect way to get Maya into some really hot water.

  “Okay. I’ll take you,” I agreed. “How long will it take you to get ready, because we don’t have much time. We’ve got to get there, have our fun and then come back. I want to be back in the house at about 3:30 a.m.”

  “It won’t take me long at all,” Maya said.

  “I’ll be in the car.” I smiled because she had no clue what I was about to do to her.

  Maya got dressed in ten minutes and I drove us to the address as quickly as I could. During the drive there I acted as if everything would be fine and assured Maya that she’d have a great time. When we arrived at the address and entered the house, the party was alive and buzzing with energy. The music was hot, people were dancing and the drinks were flowing. It didn’t take me long to run into several people that I knew. A friend gave me a can of beer and I offered one to Maya. I purposely didn’t introduce her to anyone there. I wanted her to feel totally lost and friendless. Almost immediately, I could tell that she regretted the decision to come. Knowing that brought me a twisted kind of joy. I raised my can high in the air and screamed. Several friends joined me as I rocked and grooved my way to another section of the house, leaving Maya, the human wallflower, behind.

  During all of my excitement I stumbled across several people who were pretty wasted. I took the opportunity to pick their pockets. I grabbed a plastic bag out of the kitchen and went to work. It was so easy. I took jewelry and cash. About two hours after we’d arrived I went looking for Maya. I was actually a little disappointed that she wasn’t searching for me. When I found her and saw what she was doing, my jaw hit the floor.

  “What were the odds of that happening? That’s why she hasn’t been looking for me,” I muttered to myself as I watched Maya sharing a slow dance with Carlo. If someone had come and told me that Maya was all hugged up with Carlo I would’ve called them a liar, but there they were, all hugged up.

  “Unbelievable,” I murmured as I removed my cell phone and set it to video mode. I stood in a corner and filmed it, knowing that at some point the video clip would be very useful. Once I’d seen enough, I placed the nail in Maya’s coffin, and left her stranded at the party.

  sixteen

  MAYA

  In the back of my mind I was hoping that by showing Viviana that I was a bit daring I would earn a little credibility with her and we’d be able to get closer and squash the animosity that existed between us. I tried to ease the tension by attempting to talk to her in the car during the drive over, even though I was a nervous wreck. My biggest fear was that we’d get pulled over by the cops and end up in jail for joyriding. Thankfully, even with Viviana’s less than perfect driving, we made it to the party without incident. As we entered the house I thought we’d get a chance to really settle down a little, enjoy our little adventure, and be able to talk about it fondly when we were old and had children of our own. Instead, nothing happened the way I’d envisioned it would. I couldn’t believe Viviana just disappeared on me the moment we arrived. I didn’t know anyone there and a lot of the people who were there looked too old to be teenagers. I was clearly in over my head and had no idea where I was. One guy, who looked old enough to be my father, came up to me said, “Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing. Do you like older men?” I immediately got away from him because he gave me the creeps. I searched for Viviana, but I couldn’t find her because there were so many people crammed into such a tight space. I began to panic as I flashed back to the last party I’d been to with Misalo, where I broke my leg. I pushed my way through the crowd and made it out to the backyard, where there was more room. I searched and searched for Viviana, but I didn’t see her. Feeling as if I’d made the blunder of a lifetime, I pulled out my cell phone and called Keysha. I hoped and prayed that she had her phone near, because I really needed to talk to her.

  “Hello?” Keysha sounded like a frog croaking on its lily pad.

  “Keysha, wake up!” I urged her to come completely alive.

  “Who is this?” she asked, still drifting between sleep and reality.

  “Keysha, wake up!” I shouted into the phone.

  “Stop yelling at me. Who is this? Mom, is this you?” Keysha thought I was her mother.

  “No, it’s me, Maya,” I said.

  “Maya? Girl, what time is it?” she asked.

  “It’s two o’clock in the morning,” I said.

  “Oh, wow. What’s the matter? You can’t sleep again?” Keysha knew me well, but she was going to really freak out when I told her where I was and what I’d done.

  “No. I’m at a party,” I said.

  “A party?” I could tell that Keysha was completely awake. “How come you didn’t tell me there was a party tonight?”

  “I didn’t find out about it until around midnight,” I said.

  “Midnight? What are you talking about, Maya?”

  “Are you totally awake yet?”

  “Yeah, I’m sitting up in the bed now. I’ve just turned on the light. Now, what’s up?”

  “Oh, Keysha, I’ve really, really messed up,” I said, panic-stricken.

  “What did you do?” she asked.

  “I snuck out of the house to come to a party with Viviana and now I think she�
�s left me here.” I wanted to cry, but I held on to my tears.

  “Why in the world did you sneak out of the house with Viviana? You know that girl doesn’t like you.”

  “I thought by doing this we’d somehow grow close, but I was totally wrong,” I said.

  “Okay, calm down. Let me think for a moment.” Keysha paused. “How did you get there?”

  “Viviana took my grandmother’s car keys and we drove here,” I explained.

  “And she left you there?” Keysha asked, making certain of my situation.

  “Yes.”

  “Where is the party at?” she asked.

  “Somewhere in the city,” I said.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, I am. Viviana seriously left me here stranded. Oh, God, if my parents find out what I’ve done, they’re going to shoot me. I wouldn’t be surprised if Viviana’s back at the house right now sounding the alarm that I’m missing. Why did I ever trust that girl?” I said as I hit my forehead several times with the heel of my hand.

  “Okay. Just relax. First, you need to figure out where you are. Then you’ll have to call a cab, because public transportation is just too dangerous this time of night.”

  “Keysha, I don’t have any money on me.”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  “No. I’m not working, remember?” I reminded her that I’d lost my job. Keysha released a giant sigh.

  “Okay, here is what we’ll do. Call a cab and I’ll have the driver bring you home. I have one hundred dollars in cash. When you get close to home, call me and I’ll sneak out of the house and come over to your place so I can pay your fare.”

  “Keysha, I can’t have you sneaking out of the house for me.” I felt horribly guilty.

  “Well, you can’t come over here and knock on the door, either,” she said. I’d just about given in to the idea that her plan was my best and only option. That’s when I saw Carlo walking toward me.

  “Oh, my God!” I said.

  “What? Maya, what’s wrong?” Keysha asked nervously.

  “Carlo is here,” I said.

  “Carlo?”

  “Yeah,” I answered her. Carlo approached me with a giant grin on his face.

  “You’re the last person on earth I ever expected to see here,” he said.

  “That makes two of us,” I said as I swallowed hard. “Say, you didn’t happen to drive here, did you?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I did. Why?” Carlo answered.

  “Do you think I could get a ride back home with you?” I practically begged him.

  “Sure, I wasn’t leaving just yet, though,” he said.

  “Keysha.” I spoke into my phone.

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  “I’ll call you back. Carlo is going to give me a ride home,” I said.

  “Maya,” Keysha called to me.

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you sure about getting a ride home with Carlo?” I could hear the concern in her voice.

  “Yes. It will be fine. I’ll call you when I get back in the house,” I said, ending the call.

  I explained my situation to Carlo and begged him to take me home. “I’ll be forever indebted to you,” I said.

  “What’s in it for me?” he asked.

  “Huh? What do you mean?” I asked, confused.

  “What do I get for taking you home?” he asked.

  “I’m not giving you any booty, Carlo. I’d rather call my father and deal with him than to do that,” I said without flinching.

  “No, silly, I wasn’t thinking of anything that extreme. I was thinking of something more along the lines of a dance. You’re without question the prettiest girl here and it would be a dream come true if I could share at least one dance with you.”

  “Well, I don’t see any harm in that,” I said.

  “Good. I happen to know the DJ. There is a song in particular that I want to dance to,” he said. “Come on, follow me.”

  Carlo had his friend play a popular romantic song. I hesitantly stepped into Carlo’s embrace and danced with him. He placed one hand on the small of my back and held on to my other hand. Carlo moved sensually and I forced myself to keep my eyes off his hips. I looked up and met his gaze.

  “You have pretty eyes. They shine like moonlight shimmering on water,” Carlo whispered. I didn’t know what to say. His words were so romantic and it was all too easy to get lost in the moment. I told myself to hold it together. I forced myself to think of Misalo, but his image vanished when Carlo began to sing in my ear.

  “Oh, God. You know how to sing, too,” I said as I surrendered to his sweet words and the melody of his voice.

  Carlo held true to his word and drove me home safely. When we arrived, I saw that Grandmother Esmeralda’s car was sitting in the driveway, which meant that Viviana had purposely left me.

  “Oh, I’m going to make her pay dearly for this,” I muttered as Carlo put the car in Park.

  “So, do you think I’ll ever get a chance to dance and sing to you again?” he asked. I exhaled and smiled nervously.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I said, “but we can be friends.” Carlo licked his lips.

  “You want to be so much more than my friend,” he said confidently. I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing.

  “Look, I’d better go, it’s very late. I’ll see you around, okay?”

  “Sure,” he said. I gave Carlo a kiss on the cheek and exited his car.

  I was able to enter the house through a side door, the same side door that Viviana had crept out of the house through. The entrance led to the laundry room. Once inside, I removed my street clothes, put them in the laundry basket and grabbed from the dryer some fresh pajamas that Grandmother Esmeralda hadn’t yet folded up. I purposely messed up my hair so that I didn’t look as if I’d just come in from a party. As I was making my way to my bedroom, I ran into my grandmother, who was coming out of the bathroom.

  She screamed and jumped when she saw me, “My God, Maya. You nearly gave me a heart attack. What are you doing down here?”

  “Uhm…” I paused as I tried to think of a quick lie. “I came down to look for some extra bedsheets.”

  “Come on, Maya, you came in from outside, didn’t you?” she asked and I tried not to panic.

  “No,” I lied. “I’m seriously cold and—”

  “I’m just kidding,” she said.

  I put a fake smile on my face, hugged her briefly and rushed upstairs. Once I made it to my bedroom I sent Keysha a text message to let her know that I’d made it home safely.

  I didn’t awake until early in the afternoon the next day. I took a deep breath and then exhaled as I threaded my fingers through my hair and away from my face. I didn’t get out of bed right away; instead I listened for the sounds of activity. Hearing none, I sat upright, stretched my arms high above my head and yawned.

  “What a night,” I murmured as I stood and headed toward the bathroom. Once I’d freshened up, I went downstairs and headed directly toward the kitchen because I was hungry.

  “It’s about time you woke up,” said my mother. She was stepping down off a ladder.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Washing the windows. I had to use a ladder to get up top,” she said.

  “Where is Grandma?” I asked.

  “She’s gone home. I love her dearly, but she was driving me crazy with all of the cleaning she was doing. No matter how many times I told her that I didn’t want her to clean the house she wouldn’t listen. So today I’ve decided to really do some detailed work. Do you want to help?”

  I looked at my mother oddly. I guess the look on my face said it all.

  “You live here, too, you know. Your father and I are going to get much more strict on you guys about your chores. After I’m done, there will be no more sneaking off to bed with a pile of dishes in the sink. There will be no more unfolded laundry piled up on the sofa and there will be—”

 
; I interrupted her, “Mom, I’m not messy like Paul and Anna. I keep my room spotless. I’m always telling them they need to clean up their messes, but they just look at me as if I’m trying to boss them around,” I griped.

  “Well, from now on, especially since Viviana is here for God only knows how long, a lot of things are going to change.”

  “Speaking of that heifer, where is she?” I didn’t mean to call Viviana out of her name.

  “Maya. Don’t speak of her like that!” My mother wasn’t pleased with my attitude toward her, but if she only knew what Viviana had done she’d feel differently. As much as I wanted to tell her everything, a larger part of me wanted revenge.

  “Sorry. Where is she?” I asked.

  “She, Anna and Paul are all at the pool. Your grandmother took the liberty of spending what little spare money she had to buy Viviana a new bathing suit. Your father and I have been arguing about taking on the additional financial responsibility for Viviana.”

  “You guys aren’t getting a divorce over this, are you?” I asked.

  “Not yet,” my mother muttered.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “It means that you shouldn’t worry about that. Your father and I will work through this.”

  Speaking slowly I said, “So Salena still hasn’t surfaced at all?”

  “No. Salena has been flaky all of her life,” Mom said as she started cleaning the glass on the cabinets. “She’s just never been able to get her crap together.” I wanted to tell my mother what I had overheard Salena say about her when I was staying with my grandmother, but I didn’t think now was a good time to bring that up.

  “Do you mind if I go out to the pool?” I asked.

  “No, just make sure everyone is back here in time for dinner.”

  “I will. Oh, and Mom, you don’t have to worry about cleaning up my room.”

  “Oh, I’m not going that far with my cleaning. Well, I will go and pull the sheets off of Anna’s bed and get them washed up, but that’s about it. I’m not going to get into the habit of cleaning your rooms.” I gave my mother a big hug and told her that I loved her.