On Wednesday afternoon I was getting ready to leave my office when I heard a light knock on the door. I glanced at my appointment book, thinking I had overlooked someone. I had purposely not scheduled anyone after four o’clock that day so that I could get home early for a change. God, I hoped it wasn’t a walk-in.
I debated whether I should open the door or wait for the knocking to stop, but, as usual, my strong sense of responsibility won out. When I opened the door, I found Juanita standing there waiting.
“Juanita, what a nice surprise,” I explained in disbelief. “Come in. I haven’t seen you in months. How are you?”
“Hi, Ms. Martínez,” Juanita replied, stepping inside my office. “Sorry I didn’t call first. I was walking by and I felt like seeing you.”
“How nice. Have a seat. I’ve missed talking with you.”
“Yeah, me too,” Juanita said, sitting down at the far end of the couch. “I wanted to come see you this summer, but I went to work with my dad in the fields, so I didn’t have time.”
“How are your mom and dad doing?”
“Oh, they’re real good. They always say to tell you hi.”
“And how’s school coming along this year? Every now and then I talk to Sam Turner and he always asks for you.”
My thoughts drifted back to the previous year. It had been a long battle, but Sam and I had succeeded in getting Juanita reinstated in school. I would be forever grateful to Sam. If he hadn’t donated his services as an attorney, we would have never convinced the school board to let Juanita return to school.
“It’s real good, Ms. Martínez,” Juanita answered. “I’m just so glad to be back. I never want to get kicked out again.”
“Good girl. And don’t forget, Sam and I want an invitation to your graduation next year.”
“I won’t forget, Ms. Martínez,” Juanita promised.
“Are you still seeing Rudy?” I asked.
Juanita blushed. “Yeah, we’re still going out.”
“Well, just remember to be careful, okay? Remember everything we talked about.”
“I will. You don’t have to worry about me no more, Ms. Martínez.”
“Good.”
The room filled with silence as I waited for Juanita to speak. All of a sudden, she sat straight up and started pulling nervously on the hem of her short skirt. I sensed that she had come here to talk about something that was bothering her.
“How is everything else going?” I asked Juanita gently.
Juanita looked up at me with her dark oval-shaped eyes. She hesitated for a moment and then blurted out, “Well, I kinda wanted to see you ‘cause I needed some advice about something.”
Good. We were finally getting somewhere. “Sure, Juanita. Can you tell me what it’s all about?”
“Well, it’s about Maya. She used to be my best friend, but now she’s acting all hot. She doesn’t want to talk to me no more. And she never comes to my house. She started hanging out with these creeps, some heavy-metal guys. I’m really worried about her.”
I wished I could tell Juanita about my recent conversation with Sonia, but I knew that I couldn’t. I had to act as if I knew nothing about Maya’s recent behavior change.
“Have you tried talking with Maya, asking her if something is bothering her?”
“Yeah, we’ve all tried. Rina, Tommy, even Tyrone. Tyrone used to be her boyfriend. But she won’t talk to him no more. She keeps ignoring all of us. She won’t even eat lunch with us no more.”
Juanita’s eyes were filling with tears and I could tell that Maya’s behavior was hurting her deeply.
I reached over and patted her hand. “It sounds to me like something is bothering Maya, for her to act so differently. I’m sure she doesn’t mean to hurt you, Juanita. Sometimes things happen to people and they have a hard time coping with their new feelings. Many times they end up hurting the people closest to them without even knowing it.”
“Well, what do. you think I should do, Ms. Martínez?” Juanita asked hopefully. “I really miss Maya.”
“The best thing you can do is continue to be Maya’s friend even if it looks as if she doesn’t care. When people are hurting inside, they need all the love and support they can get, and it sounds to me like Maya is hurting.”
“I was kinda wondering if maybe you could talk to her, Ms. Martínez. You helped me so much last year with the fight and everything.”
“Juanita, Maya has to want to come and see me. We can’t force her. She needs to want to be helped.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Juanita said. “I’ll keep trying to talk with her. Maybe I can get through to her.”
“Maya is very fortunate to have a good friend like you, Juanita,” I said, getting up from my desk. “And now, I better get home before Frank calls the state police. Can I give you a ride home?”
“Sure, Ms. Martínez,” Juanita said, standing up. “And thanks for everything.”
Later that evening, I dialed Sonia’s number.
“Hello,” Sonia answered, sounding tired and distant.
“Sonia, it’s Sandy. I hadn’t heard from you so I thought I’d check back to see how things were going with Maya.”
“Thanks, Sandy. I was getting ready to call you. I’ve tried and tried to convince Maya to go and talk with you, but she won’t listen to me. She insists that she doesn’t need a ‘shrink,’ as she put it. I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
“I was afraid that would happen, Sonia. Maybe she needs some more time to sort things out. Maya is a smart girl. I’m sure she’ll come around eventually. But what about yourself? Did you make that appointment?”
“Yes, I did. And I’m so glad that I did because it really helps talking to someone about the divorce.”
“I knew it would help.”
“But it’s not me I’m worried about,” Sonia quickly added. “It’s Maya. She’s shutting me out completely and I feel like we’ve become strangers.”
“Be patient with her, Sonia. She’s going through a lot of emotional changes right now.”
“I know. It’s just that we’ve always been so close.”
“Well, as I said, Maya has a lot to sort out right now. Don’t give up on her. Give her some time. But, meanwhile, take care of yourself. And remember, if and when Maya is ready to talk, I’ll be here waiting.”
“Thanks, Sandy. I didn’t mean to dump all of this on you.”
“Are you kidding?” I teased. “Isn’t that what comadres are for?”
I heard Sonia laugh in the background and I had a sudden feeling of relief. “Well, time to go. I promised Frank I wouldn’t be on the phone all night.”
“Thanks for everything, Sandy,” Sonia repeated as I hung up the receiver.