Letters from the Heart (21 page)

“So what happened?” Maeve asked. “Why did you guys stop loving each other?”

Maeve's mother looked at her thoughtfully. “I actually still love your father. And he loves me too. It's just that the way that we love each other has changed. It's more like—well, almost like we're siblings these days. Siblings who don't get along as well as we should,” she added ruefully. “This is going to sound like a cliché, but the thing about clichés is that they're often true! We met way too young, and
we grew up in different ways. I think together we found ourselves stuck in roles that haven't been the best for us.”

“You seem kind of different now,” Maeve admitted. “You're not mad the way you used to be. You're not always yelling at Sam and me.” She stopped, realizing that what she had just said didn't sound all that nice. “Sorry! I just meant, you seem happier.”

Her mom smiled. “Don't worry about hurting my feelings. And you're right, Maeve. The thing is, Daddy and I were in this bad place where he was always expecting me to behave one way, and I was expecting him to behave another. It trapped us both. I think we're both feeling better now. This was a very hard step to take, but it was the right one. For now.”

Maeve thought about the question her brother had asked her yesterday. She was dying to ask her mother the same thing.
Would her parents get back together again?

But she knew it wasn't fair to ask her mom. Not now.

Her mother almost seemed to read her mind. “Maeve,” she said softly. “I don't think you have any idea how much we love you. Or how proud you make us—all the time.” Her mother cleared her throat. “I know before Dad moved out that I was in a really bad state. I felt so much tension, and I think I took a lot of things out on you. I kept trying to micro-manage your schedule, to push you in school, and then the evening with Dillon…I blame myself a little, Maeve. Dad and I were very distracted. But Maeve, you must promise me to never lie to us when you want to do something.”

Maeve couldn't believe it. It was so strange to hear her mother talking to her like this—like they were equals. “I promise, Mom. It all got so out of control. I didn't know what to do,” Maeve said.

“That's especially when you should come to me or your
father and tell the truth, honey. I understand better than you think. I'm here to help you,” her mother said, as she patted Maeve's hand. “Anyway, since Dad moved out, I've watched all that you've been doing, and it's pretty amazing. I'm not just talking about how much you've pitched in to help out around the house. I've watched how much work you've put into organizing your own schedule, working on your homework, taking real initiative and above all, how much you've helped Sammy.” Her mother's eyes glowed. “I'm proud of you, Maeve. Really, really proud. I just want you to know that.”

Maeve gulped. “Thanks,” she whispered.

They sat together for a while in companionable silence. Finally Maeve dared to ask the question that had been on her mind for weeks. “Do you think you and Daddy are going to get divorced?” she managed to ask.

Her mother sighed. “I don't know. Not now, anyway. We need time to figure things out. But Daddy and I are continuing to meet with a marriage counselor. We both have a lot of talking and listening to do, and we think that would be a good place to start.”

Maeve gave her mom a hug. “Thanks for telling me,” she said.

Maeve felt ready now to deal with whatever happened. She loved both of her parents with all her heart, and she knew that they loved her too.

And in the end, wasn't that what really mattered?

P
retty good party, Maeve,” Katani said, helping herself to more potato chips and dip. She looked around the Tower with appreciation. “I like the streamers and the balloons. It kind of feels like a birthday without the birthday, if you know what I mean.”

“Exactly,” Maeve said. “That's exactly the way it SHOULD feel.”

“Remember when we were chasing Beckham around under Avery's dining room table?” Isabel giggled. “That was hilarious!”

“Hey,” Avery said, excited. “I didn't tell you guys what Mr. Jameson said. He called my mom and told her that he had a wonderful time at the dinner party. Mostly thanks to Beckham! He thinks Beckham would make a great mascot for Talbot Academy. He also told her that he liked our ‘spirit.' He said—how did he put it—that we represent the strong-willed girls of the early twenty-first century.”

“Wow.” Everyone was impressed.

“So does that mean your mom isn't mad?” Katani asked.

Avery shook her head. “Nope. She thought it was pretty funny, too. Though she IS making me help pay for some of the broken glasses out of my allowance.” Avery flipped her yo-yo. “She even said we could talk about me getting a little furry something. Maybe. IF she isn't allergic to it. Have any of you guys ever heard of a chinchilla? They are the cutest little things—and they're cousins of guinea pigs!”

“Uh-oh,” Maeve said. “Watch out, world!”

“So, Maeve,” Isabel said, propping herself up on one elbow. “What ever happened with Dillon? Did he forgive you for making him leave the basketball game early?”

Maeve smiled. “Funny you should ask,” she said lightly. “He just emailed me today and asked if I wanted to see a movie with him.” Her eyes sparkled. “He actually asked if I wanted to see the FIRST HALF of a movie. But I think he was just kidding.”

“What'd you say?” Charlotte demanded.

Maeve flipped back her hair. “What do you think?” she demanded. When everyone looked at her expectantly, she filled in the rest. “I told him that I have to ask my parents first and that I'd buy the tickets!” she added with a rueful smile.

Everyone laughed, and Maeve jumped to her feet.

“Okay, girls. You may wonder why I've gathered you all here together,” she said, walking over to one end of the Tower to face them. She pretended that she was holding a microphone and talking into it.

“Welcome to the Reruns!” she said. “Tonight we're showing ‘The Rerun of Maeve Kaplan-Taylor's Award Ceremony'—in which Maeve finally gets it right, and thanks her friends for everything they did and are still doing to help her!”

She paused dramatically, passing out an envelope to each girl. “OPEN,” she commanded in her best impersonation of an emcee's voice.

Everyone opened their envelopes. Inside were beautiful certificates, creamy white with gold trim.

“So what I want to say,” Maeve said, clearing her throat, “is thank you. Thanks for helping to make the blanket project such an amazing success. And thank you for helping me through these past few weeks and for being such great friends. And thank you for understanding even when I blew it and told you guys something that wasn't true. Most of all, thanks for being my best friends in the world!”

Everyone clapped like crazy, and the girls fought to take turns jumping up to the “pretend” microphone to give their own versions of acceptance speeches. Eventually, that turned into playing charades, and that turned into Twenty Questions, and that turned into Truth or Dare, and finally it was almost midnight and Charlotte's father was knocking on the door to the Tower, telling them that they HAD to go to sleep.

The girls opened their sleeping bags up and put them in a circle, heads facing in.

“G'night,” Charlotte whispered, beginning to nod off.

“G'night,” Isabel murmured.

Maeve had a sudden, overwhelming feeling of contentment. She loved being here. It felt like everything was truly okay again.

“You know what?” she said, snuggling into her sleeping bag. “You guys are the best friends on earth!”

M
aeve was the one who came up with the plan to go to Irving's the next day.

“It's because of your Swedish Fish obsession,” Katani teased her.

But everyone guessed that Maeve was really still trying to make it up to all of them.

“Come on, you guys. It's my treat today,” she insisted, pulling a wad of one-dollar bills from her pocket. “I emptied my piggy bank.” She giggled. “Or should I say, my GUINEA piggy bank. And I found some old money I made from baby-sitting for Sam last month.” She gazed ruefully at the dollar bills. “'Course, if I'd known I had this, I would've spent it already…But it's much better this way,” she added hastily, linking arms with Katani and Charlotte. Avery and Isabel fell into step beside them, and soon the five girls were chattering away as they walked from the park toward Irving's, the tiny candy and gift store near school. The girls loved it for two reasons: the best
penny candy anywhere, and the store's proprietor, Ethel Weiss.

“Ethel's kind of like the resident grandmother around here, don't you think?” Katani asked as they drew near to the store.

“Or great-grandmother,” Charlotte suggested. “My mother told me that she's been here for over sixty-five years,” Avery said. Ethel was a friend to almost every kid who went to Abigail Adams—as well as their younger brothers and sisters. Sometimes Maeve thought Ethel knew her almost as well as her own parents did. After all, she and Ethel went way back. Maeve had been coming to her store since she was in second grade. The girls loved everything about the store—the crowded aisles, the wonderful array of sweets and candies, and the sight of Ethel herself manning the cash register.

Today, Irving's was crowded as always. But the Beacon Street Girls made their way inside, waving hello to Ethel, who came forward to greet them with a wave and a big smile.

“Okay, girls,” Ethel said, pulling up a stool and letting herself sit for a moment. “What can I get for you today? I know what THIS one wants,” she added, eyes twinkling as she looked at Maeve. She reached for a bag of Swedish Fish, and Maeve giggled.

Soon everyone was finding candy, and Ethel started to ring up their purchases.

“I'm paying,” Maeve said proudly, taking out her money.

Ethel looked at her quizzically.

“I owe them,” Maeve said simply. “I kinda let them down about something important.”

Ethel's bright eyes took in the other girls. “Candy is nice,” she said simply, “but sometimes a good, old-fashioned apology is good, too, Maeve.”

“She already did,” Katani smiled, putting her arm around Maeve. “To be honest, I think she really just wanted to
get us in here so she could get a Swedish Fish fix.”

Ethel laughed. “Maeve, you always do the right thing in the end.”

Several minutes later, the girls had left the store, trading candy with each other and hanging around outside the shop for a few minutes before each headed in her own direction. “Ethel's amazing,” Katani said, shaking her head.

“She's not afraid to say it like it is,” Avery added.

Maeve nodded. “It's like she takes care of all of us. We're all like her grandkids. I love that.” She blushed again. “Even if it means getting in trouble…again!”

“Hey, speaking of trouble,” Avery said, “I just found out that I'm getting stuck being a ref for that fourth-grade soccer team I was telling you about the other day—the ones with the crazy soccer parents?”

“Ouch,” Katani said. “You mean that mom who always yells no matter what call you make?”

“The very one,” Avery said with a sigh. “Maybe I better go talk to Ethel again. I need some advice about diplomacy. Or a full suit of armor to protect me from those parents.”

Everyone laughed.

“I'm not too worried,” Charlotte said affectionately. “If anyone can stand their ground, you can, Avery Madden.”

Maeve popped the last Swedish Fish into her mouth. She felt better than she had in a long, long time. Okay, she'd made some stupid mistakes lately, really stupid mistakes, but thank heavens, her family and her friends had stood by her. She had learned that when she trusted herself and listened to her own heart, she could stand up to anything.