Volume 1 p8 Meeting at the Courts part 2
It is 10 AM. A multi-Gen family is all Maya knows; she loves it. Her grandfather lives with them, along with her older sister and baby, Maya’s beautiful niece. Maya does miss her grandmother, Arya. She was her emotional rock. Her grandmother was the one person she could talk to, the one person who would listen. Arya came to America from India as a child with her family. Maya and Arya had a special relationship. The rest of the family followed in their grandfather's footsteps, inheriting a business mindset. Maya and Arya were more in touch with their emotions than the pursuit of money. Many of their conversations centered on how it is okay to feel and how it is OK to have emotions as you live your life. The two shared a passion for reading people and how they expressed emotions. People-watching was a favorite pastime of theirs.
Meditation is something Arya passed on to Maya. Maya uses these techniques while completing her Pilates workouts. The workout is a big part of her day. Maya loves to use the weekend to unwind from the stress that has built up during the week. Her Saturday workouts are an essential part of the process. She goes to Walton Park when the weather permits, specifically Pickleball Court number 3. That is her spot. Her dad was taking her today. Tossing her bag into the back seat and then climbing into the passenger seat, Maya got her ready for their friendly father-daughter battle over the radio. They used rock-paper-scissors, with the best of three games, to determine who got to pick the music. Maya won the first set; her dad won the last two, so it was country music, KNMO. Her dad is not a huge fan of country music but enjoys all the community updates and news.
Maya looked out her window, checking the front door to ensure they had closed it. The door to their white two-story house was closed. The house was small, considering it had a second story. Every available room outside the kitchen and front room was a bedroom for someone. The house was full of people, love, and noise, but it was home. Her dad pulled his Subaru Ascent away from the curb on Adams St., then made a quick left onto Sycamore. Living on the corner of the block had plenty of advantages. Having two sides of the house available for parking was one of the reasons they bought the house. Turning onto Ash brings the McDonald's sign into view. It sat beside the historic Carnegie building. Seven big black Escalades catch Maya’s eye as they pass the parking lot of the Carnegie office complex. A mixture of green military uniforms and men in black suits with sunglasses is walking through the parking lot. “That is an odd collection of people, turning to her dad. Isn’t that just a set of offices for lawyers and accountants?” Maya asked. “Yes, it is. There must be something big going on if the government is involved.” He responded. Maya turns and takes one more look as they drive through the green light. Sitting back in her seat, she watches as the city passes by the car windows—the police station on her left, Cedar Street, and the square on her right. Seeing the library reminds her that she needs to get some books to read for Sunday. Maya loves to slip out the upstairs window and lie on the balcony as she escapes into her literacy fantasy world. As they pass Hickory Street, Maya looks for the football stadium lights by the high school. A few minutes later, they turned left onto Atlantic Street, followed by a quick right after passing the city pool into the parking lot between the pool and pickleball courts.
When her dad swings the car around, Maya hops out, grabs her bag, and reminds him to pick her up in two hours. He nods as she says goodbye and begins the slow walk to Court 3. Looking around, she is happy that this park area is empty. It is much easier to relax when no one is around. Stepping through the gate on the east end of the courts, Maya makes her way to the net post, where she hangs her bag. Pulling out her Air Pods case, she puts them in and lets the music work magic. It is a good day for exercising; the sun is bright, quickly warms her skin, and the breeze keeps Maya from getting too warm. This adds significantly to the relaxed mood she is seeking.
Ten minutes into her workout, the first negative arrives when a truck parks in the parking lot next to the court she is on. Maya turns slightly so she can keep an eye on them. They begin to unload boxes of some type, maybe cases. As the person places the first box on the ground, a hum fills the air, bringing Maya’s workout to a halt. She grabs the sides of her head, the pain searing through her skull like a lightning bolt bouncing all around. After a few seconds, the pain begins to reside but continues, just less traumatic. It is as if her brain is starting to control the pain levels. “What is causing that hum and this intense pain?” Maya says out loud. Maya can now tell the person with the boxes is a female. Her mind is now split into three directions, trying to figure out where the hum is coming from, watching the lady to see her connection to the hum. Something in the boxes must be the cause; the timing between the hum starting and their arrival is too much of a coincidence to ignore. Now standing, Maya watches her carry each case to the basketball court. She is waiting to see what exits those cases. What type of machine could cause all of this to happen? Maya thinks to herself.
Once the mystery lady has carried all their cases to the basketball court, they lean against the basketball goal. Maya scans the area as she walks over to the fence surrounding the court, looking for clues and connections to help her understand what is happening. Surely, there is an obvious explanation if it does not explain the searing pain in her head. Maya’s peripheral vision detects movement to her left. She glances back toward the court; the lady has moved toward Maya. Her heart begins to quicken as concern over the lady approaching her escalates. Words are spoken, but they are too soft to hear. Is it the hum or the pain that prevents her from hearing? Maya thinks to herself. Maya glances toward the women once again. Instantly, the pain, along with the hum, increases. Maya falls to her knees while covering her ears. “Make it stop,” Maya screams. The intensity of the pain causes Maya to fade in and fade briefly. Colors flash in her mind, and red, blue, and green flares cascade through her mind. Fighting the intense pain, she thinks of her grandmother. She hears her say, “Focus. Breathe. You are not alone.” Maya nods her head as if her Arya was there. She fights the pain as she tries to gain control of her senses,
Maya can see the person run to the fence. “Hang on, I am coming in,” she says. Maya watches her as she runs along the north end of the fence. She turns the sharp corner and races to the gate entrance. Maya rolls over to sit down; seeing the person approach, she weakly tries to back away, but the fence prevents her from getting far. Terrified, tears begin to roll down Maya’s cheek. The tears are caused by the mighty waves of pain rolling through her head, combined with her escalating fear of what is happening.
The stranger races over to Maya. She stops a few feet away. Seeing the pain on Maya’s face, she kneels, saying, “My name is Kailyn; I am here to help you. Kailyn looks into her eyes, trying to comfort her if possible. We hear a hum of some type that no one else can hear. It seems to be affecting you more than me. I am here to help you if I can.” Maya, still scared, nods her head but keeps her distance. Kailyn continues, “I cannot take the pain away, but I can tell you that you are not alone. We will figure this out and get you the help you need if you let me.” Kailyn reaches out her hand softly, patiently. She allows Maya to decide for herself. Maya looks at her hand, then back to her face. She reaches out her hand slowly, ready to pull it back at the first sign of betrayal. Her hand reaches Kailyn’s; she allows Kailyn to take hers. Kailyn pulls her up into a deep hug. She whispers, “I got you; we will figure this out together.” Kailyn helps her walk across the court.
As they walk, the roar in Maya’s head softens to a gentle vibration.
Behind the ladies, off to their left, two lights, one yellow, one purple, peek from behind the trees.
