Part 27: The Conversation She Needed
One year after Edward’s surgery, Maya and Vivienne took a weekend trip together to a small cabin upstate. It was Vivienne’s idea.
They spent the days walking in the woods and the evenings sitting by the fire.
On the second night, Vivienne finally asked the question she had been holding onto for years.
Vivienne
“Do you think you’ll ever be able to fully forgive me for how I treated you that night at the gala?”
Maya stared into the fire for a long time before answering.
Maya
“I already have. Mostly.”
Vivienne looked surprised.
Vivienne
“Really?”
Maya
“I realized something while watching Edward go through treatment. Holding onto anger takes energy I don’t have anymore. You’ve shown me, over and over, that you’re trying. That matters more than one terrible night.”
Vivienne’s eyes filled with tears.
Vivienne
“I still hate myself for it sometimes.”
Maya
“You don’t have to. I don’t hate you for it.”
She paused.
Maya
“But I will never forget it. And that’s okay too.”
Vivienne nodded slowly.
Vivienne
“I can live with that.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a while.
Then Vivienne asked another question.
Vivienne
“Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if Edward had stayed with your mother?”
Maya smiled faintly.
Maya
“Sometimes. But then I remember that I wouldn’t be the person I am now. And I like who I am. Even with all the pain.”
Vivienne looked at her with something close to admiration.
May you like
Vivienne
“Your mother raised an extraordinary woman.”
Maya
“She did.”
