Let Maya Go

"Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. ... I also understood that death is integral to life — just as loss and grief are the flip side of love." - Mary Oliver

Alex noticed that his pulse elevated and his mind was swirling with a plethora of emotions, thoughts, and memories. The only thought that stayed with him is Maya can't go… not now. Not when he is so close to getting his revenge. She can't just go. He jumped into the elevator when it reached his floor, and he pressed the ground floor button about a hundred times, somehow thinking that it would speed up the process. When he reached the ground floor, he jogged to his car and started it up, driving to the hospital as fast as he could.

When he hit traffic, he felt like screaming. "Traffic! You have got to be fucking kidding me," He shouted as he hit his hand against the steering wheel in frustration. It took good ten minutes for the traffic to clear, and it tempted him to jump out of the car and run the rest of the way, but he knew that wasn't an option. He quickly drove the rest of the way to the hospital and parked his car sloppily. Adrenaline was running through his body as he made his way towards the reception.

He burst in and stood at the doorway, breathing heavily, only to see Josh waiting outside the ICU for him.

"Have you seen the doctor? How is she? What happened?" Alex fired questions without waiting for an answer.

"No, to all your questions. I'm waiting to see the doctor." He replied softly. Alex pace the length of the corridor.

"Alex, I… You… need to know something." His pause loaded, and Alex knows he's carefully choosing his words. "What?"

"Maya was staying at..."

It was then that he heard a voice that made him freeze. "What are you doing here?" Startled, Alex jumped and whirled around to come face to face with his mother - Mrs. Rose King.

His mother, whom he hasn't met or spoke in four years. His mother disowned him for going behind Maya for revenge. His mother, who chose Maya over her own son.

Next to his mother stood the girl he considered his sister, Sasha. Sasha stood with him by going against her best friend because Maya betrayed him. Now she is here with Maya? How did this happen?

Josh couldn't finish his sentence, but now he knew what he was talking about. Maya Davis was staying with his mother.

"What are you doing here, Alex?" The tone of disdain was clear in her voice. Alex saw no compassion in her eyes, just contempt.

It was a good question. One that had been plaguing his mind since Josh called him. He wishes he knew the answer, but he doesn't.

"You know what they say, Mom. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Alex crossed his arms over his chest, his face going hard and his stance defensive.

"What are you doing, Sasha?" Questioned Josh, confused.

"I'm here for Maya." She said as if it had been a stupid question.

"What an excellent turn of events! My mother, who kicked me out because I wanted to teach a lesson to the girl who broke my heart. But here is my darling mother who is mothering the same girl who broke his son's heart. And Sasha, the girl who stood up for me all these years, changed overnight and is now supporting her friend? The question is why? Why are both supporting her?"

"I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain this to you, Alex. This is beyond your understanding."

"Enlighten me, Mother. I would love to know why my family is backstabbing me."

Before his mother could answer, the door opened, and a young woman in blue scrubs walked out. She looked at the four of them huddled in a group—Alex, his mother, Josh, and Sasha. "I take it you all are family?"

My mother extends a pleading hand. "Yes, please tell us how is she?"

"She's stable. Her vitals are strong…"

"Oh! Thank God." Alex's mother and Sasha both exhale in relief.

"We pumped the medicine out of her stomach. She will up in an hour. We're monitoring her, but as you know, we need to inform the cops about this."

Mrs. King's chest hollowed out. She falls forward, but Sasha held her. "No… please… it's not her fault. It was my fault" Mrs. King's voice was grave and helpless. Alex's heart sped up double-time in his chest.

"She lost her husband and her father in ten days apart, Doctor. She looked lost, as no point of return. She was ready to throw in the towel and waiting for the end to come. She doesn't eat or sleep. I wanted to help…" Another pause "I gave her my sleeping pills. She must have taken it all." Tears stream down her cheeks and Sasha wraps her arms around Mrs. King's shoulders to support her.

"She is going through a hard time. I didn't know how to help her…" The words were just pouring from Mrs. King's mouth. It was like she had no control at all.

The doctor nods at her in understanding. She gazes between Alex and Josh. "I take it you are all family? Is it okay to discuss the patient's details?"

"Yes," Alex replied, before his mother or Sasha could object.

"Did she ever mention anything about physical abuse?" Questioned the doctor.

Boom! There goes the bomb. Mrs. King and Sasha's gaze tangles like they were sharing a secret. All the air seems to be sucked out of the room as Alex looked at his mother and Sasha shocked.

"Can we speak in private?" Sasha quickly interjected and whisked the doctor away in a blink of an eye. Mrs. King was hot on their tail.

Alex stood shocked. It hurt like a shard of glass piercing through his heart. What the fuck did the doctor say?

"Are you okay?" Josh placed his hand on his old friend's shoulder. Alex turned around and met Josh's eyes. Josh's face was full of worry as it reached into the fog wrapping around him and pulled him back to reality. Alex slowly nods his head nonchalantly.

He pushed a hand through his hair and wondered how much detail he should go into. Not that he cared for Maya, but abuse? Who would've abused her?

Time passes as Alex and Josh waited for Mrs. King and Sasha in a private room.

After a while, Alex saw his mother and Sasha walking out of the doctor's room in tears. Josh guided Mrs. King to the private by holding her hand as she sat on the chair absentmindedly and Sasha sat bedside her by holding her hand.

Alex kneeled in front of his mother.

"What is going on, Mom?" Mrs. King's expression turned sober.

"Why do you care?" She stood up, pushing Alex's hands away. "You must be happy, celebrating… Congratulations son! You won. You've ruined the woman you loved. What shall we do to make this day a little more special? Should mommy make your favorite dessert?" She sounded like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Every word is a stinging lash to Alex's already bleeding heart.

"No! Stop twisting this around, it was all Maya. I merely started.. she is yet to pay. And you?" He pointed his finger at his mother. "How could you support the woman who broke your son's heart?"

"You made this break up the center of your universe, Alex. Stop this. Stop this madness. We are all human and make mistakes, and none of us are perfect. What matters is how we handle the situations we find ourselves in."

Seething, Alex says between gritted teeth, "A mistake? That's what you call when she ripped my heart out and stomped on it? He fists his hands into a ball. "She emasculated my pride, Mom. She humiliated and killed me alive."

It must be anger. It must be hurt. It could even be defiance. But his mother is shouting an answer to Alex's face. "There's no excuse for what you did, Alex! You could have proved her wrong in a million ways, but no… you had to ruin her marital life. I can forgive Maya, but I can never forgive you. Want to know why? Because unlike her, you had a mother. I taught you how to treat and value a woman. It's baffling, how fast your love turned into hate as if you didn't even fight it. You let that negative emotion swallow you and pour acid into your soul."

Alex was breathless with hurt. It felt like she punched him in the stomach.

"While we are at it, add one more sin to Alex's cart, Aunt Rose. He was the mystery buyer who bought Maya's father's shares. He wants to buy Maya's shares of her 'The Orphanage'." Rattled Sasha, she intones as if Alex's a child.

Mrs. King gasp outraged. "Haven't you done enough, Alex?"

"It takes one traitor to know another. What are you hiding, Sasha? From when did you become the gatekeeper of the right and the wrong?" Snarled Josh, who was a silent spectator up until now.

God, between the three of them Alex felt like he stood in the Bermuda Triangle.

The words are out of his mouth before he could even stop to consider the wisdom of them. "If history's our guide, she'll be gone as soon as she gets what she wants."

"It's convenient to throw all the blame on Maya, who can't defend herself. So, let me just recap, Alex One, she never came to you for help. It was all you. Two, you gave her all the pain in the world and she soaks it all up like a sponge. Never complained. Three, you are selfish, arrogant, and a narcissist." Sasha's sarcasm was so thick it surprised me it didn't drip onto the floor.

Her words are stabbing his heart with a knife, but Sasha's second point was like twisting the knife.

"Sasha, preach what you teach if not change your speech. At least we stabbed Maya in the front, unlike you our backs are bleeding." Josh grimaced in disgust.

"Enlighten me, Sasha. Why did she soak up all the pain I gave her? Is it because she felt she deserves it? Or she is a talented actress using this ruse to manipulate you?" Alex gritted his teeth.

Sasha looked away from Alex saying nothing.

"It's tough to defend something you can't even explain,"

There's a long moment of thoughtful silence. His mother touched his arm. "Holding onto your anger is grasping a lump of hot coal intending to throw it at someone else, but in reality, you are the one who gets burned. Alex, you can't fix yourself by breaking someone else. Let it go."

"That logic is flawed,"

"It doesn't work that way. You put yourself in chains, holding onto the past. Let it go and forgive her. She has suffered enough."

Alex looked at his mother's pained expression and realized for the first time there was so, so much she kept to herself.

"Stop it, Mom. She has you eating out of her palm. That is Maya. She finds a person's weakness and exploits it. If you think she is innocent, then you both are in for a rude awakening." He poured out the words with angry vehemence, raising his voice with each word.

"Alex is right, Aunt Rose. Please wear sensible shoes. Why would she get in touch with you after four years?" Questioned Josh

Mrs. King looked up straight into Alex's eyes. "Who said I was not in touch with her all these years?"

Alex was perturbed, but he was too shocked to form a sentence. Mrs. King took his silence as permission to continue.

"I was in touch with her." She confirmed his confusion.

"How?"

Mrs. King shook her head, refusing to answer. "Let Maya go, Alex."

"Last question: Do you know everything about your adopted daughter?" Alex snapped, his question dripping with sarcasm like nectar from a honeycomb.

"I do." She said with a conviction.

"Hold that thought." Alex looked at his watch and spoke, "No time like the present? Let's go." His tone holds no room for negotiations.