73 - In Pursuit

Although Maia continued to have her recurring dreams of Samael, she still couldn’t think of a way to make her dream of having him come true. How could she find her soulmate when she had no idea where to even start looking for him? For now, she saw no other option than to take comfort in the belief that they would be together again someday. Maia didn’t especially like the idea of having to wait, or to consider all the time without a partner that still left her, but for now it didn’t seem she had a choice. And she wondered if perhaps Samael would be her ultimate reward when she finally completed the baby challenge. Would that hope alone help sustain her throughout all the years that lay ahead?

In regards to her challenge, Maia was advancing, albeit more slowly than she would like. But her pregnancy by Kale was progressing, and soon it was time for her toddler fairies to age to children.

Happy birthday Kieran!

Happy birthday Keegan!

Maia enjoyed watching her children play together.

Her kids weren't the only ones growing up, and Diana aged up into an adult cat.

Diana enjoyed stalking her toys and was also entranced by the fish in the aquarium.

And when Maia went into labor, her family grew even larger. She had triplets!

Welcome Maddox!

Welcome Chance!

And welcome Felicity!

And then it was time for Thad and Layla to have their teen birthdays.

Happy birthday Thaddeus!

Happy birthday Layla!

Thad made his IF Dusty real, while Layla brought her IF Mischief to life.

And Maia taught the four of them to drive.

Now that Maia had more free time with a lighter schedule and older kids who could watch the babies, she took up jogging again.  She usually went out at night when it was cooler, with Diana in pursuit.

The cat would often run off to chase after small animals during Maia’s jogs, but always found her way home later. Diana frequently caught desert rodents, lizards and snakes on her hunting trips and presented them as gifts to Maia.

On one of her nightly runs, Maia found herself much further out in the desert than she normally went, and she stopped to admire the starlit sky as she took a brief rest.

The sound of an approaching vehicle broke the stillness of the desert night, and Maia warily stepped back as a vehicle pulled over to the side of the road.

“Need a lift?” the stranger offered.

“No, I’m just out for a jog and just stopped for a little break.  Thanks for the offer though,” Maia answered.

“Well, have a good one!” the driver called out as he drove away.

The next night, Maia went jogging out in the same secluded area and noticed the car that had stopped for her the previous night pulled off the road and parked in the hard pack dirt.

Diana ran ahead to sniff the tires curiously, and Maia followed her up towards the vehicle, where the man was sitting, staring at the sky and listening to the radio.

Diana grew bored and ran off to chase after something in the weeds, leaving Maia to make conversation with the man who had noticed her and gotten out of the car.

“So... come here often?” Maia said with a nervous chuckle. “Or were you just hoping to see me again?”

The man grinned.  “Just hoping!” he said with a laugh.  “But seriously, this is a pretty good place to just sit and think.”

“It is beautiful,” Maia agreed. “Are you new to Lucky Palms then?”

“I am.  I’m Trevor Dalton, by the way.”

Maia introduced herself as well.  “So what brings you to L.P., Mr. Dalton?”

“Call me Trevor.  And nothing really; I’m just passing through.  I enjoy travelling and prefer to see the world rather than settle down in just one place. I’ll probably be back on the road in a day or two.  What about you?”

“Oh, you know... hopes of a better future, I guess. And dreams,” Maia said.

“Dreams, huh?  What kind of dreams?”

“Impossible ones, apparently,” Maia said with a rueful smile.

“Sounds like love troubles. Wanna talk about it?  Sometimes talking about your problems with a complete stranger can be helpful...”

Strangely enough, Maia did want to talk to him about her frustrations concerning Samael.  She had a feeling that Trevor wasn’t the judgmental sort, and even if he was, well, he’d be leaving town soon and she’d likely never see him again, so what did it matter if he thought she was crazy? Besides, someone not closely involved with her or her situation might be able to see things much more clearly. And spending time with an attractive man wasn’t exactly a hardship either...

So Maia spoke while Trevor listened. She told him everything she could remember about her dream, just as she had told Shravan.

“I don’t know who or what caused the fire that separated us, but I do know he’s my soulmate. The problem is I have no way of finding him again, because we've never even met in this life! And that’s why I’ve been considering just trying to let go of that dream, at least for now,” she concluded. 

Trevor shook his head. “Now that’s something I would never do.  I found my bliss in traveling and I live my dream every day; I can’t imagine considering giving that up for any reason.  I believe in freedom and the pursuit of happiness—chasing your dreams is what living is about!  I go after what I want whenever I can... so if I were you, I'd hold on to that dream and figure out a way to make it possible.” 

“But how can I?  Samael could be anywhere! And I can’t just drop my family and my responsibilities while I go seeking what I might never find.  It’s too big of a risk to trust in my luck to carry me through.”

“Well, what if I gave you some of my luck?” Trevor said, and he handed Maia a gold coin embossed with a four leaf clover.

Maia laughed.  “Your lucky coin? I don’t see how that’s going to help me!  And don’t you need your own luck?”

“Nah, I’ve got plenty more where that came from! Besides, that coin has magic in it, if you believe the legend.”

“What legend?”

“I can’t believe you live here and have never heard the legend of the Lucky Palms wishing well!” Trevor exclaimed. 

He went on to tell Maia a story of three brothers who traveled across the desert in a search for ancient treasure. They had run out of water and were perishing of thirst, but luckily they found an oasis with a well in the center of it. They were grateful just to have water again, but what they didn’t know was that the well was inhabited by wish-granting fairies, and when a coin fell into the well from the pocket of the eldest of the brothers as he drank from it, the fairies appeared to him and granted him his wish for wealth, showering him with gold. The middle brother then threw a coin into the well and wished for power. He was magically transported to his hometown and made mayor.   The youngest followed suit and wished for his true love, and the fairies brought forth his soulmate whom he married and began a family with. 

“It was the youngest brother that founded Lucky Palms,” Trevor explained, “and the wishing well survives to this day in the center of town; it’s recognized as a historic landmark.  And that coin I gave you is supposedly one of the gold pieces from the eldest brother’s stash—and still imbued with fairy magic!”

Maia was stunned speechless for a moment. All she could do was stare at the coin she now held.  Could it be true? Was it possible the well could bring her soulmate to her as it had done for the youngest of the brothers in the legend? She was afraid to believe it, but, oh! What if she really could have Samael back again?!

Maia threw herself into Trevor’s arms and startled him with a kiss.

“Umm... Maia?  I’m not your Prince Charming, remember? You’re supposed to throw that coin in the well and make a wish, not go kissing the frog that gave it to you!” Trevor said as he laughed.

Maia blushed. “I know!  I mean... not that I’m agreeing you’re a frog!  You’re very attractive, after all, and I wouldn’t mind… actually I would really like to... uh...”  Maia cut herself off, feeling quite flustered. “I would really like to stop babbling,” she muttered under her breath.

Trevor laughed harder.  “I’d really like to ‘uh’ with you too!” He said before turning serious.  “But I’m not Samael. And I don’t want to take on a relationship; no matter what happens, I won’t be staying...”

“I know you won’t be, and that’s okay,” Maia said, equally serious.  “And I know you’re not my Mr. Right... but you could be my Mr. Right Now... maybe?”

“Mr. Right Now?  As in afterwards, we go our separate ways with no strings attached?”

“No strings,” Maia confirmed.  “I have enough tangles in my life already!”

Trevor stared into Maia’s eyes.  “As much as I feel like I should be honorable about this and walk away, I just can’t say no.” And then Trevor pulled Maia into his arms and kissed her back, hard.

After their encounter, Trevor drove Maia back home and hugged her goodbye. 

“Goodbye, Maia. I hope you find your Sam,” he said. And he drove away.

Maia watched until the car was out of sight, silently musing to herself about how wonderful it would be to have a man not leave her for a change.  But, if she was lucky and the legend of the wishing well was true, she now held a possible solution in her hands...

Her thoughts were interrupted by Diana, who had just returned home and wanted to be let in.

“Oh, you would show up now, you silly cat! I swear, Diana, you’re nearly as bad as Shravan!” Maia laughingly scolded.

Diana cocked her head. Miao?  

Maia opened the door and the two of them went inside. She couldn’t stop smiling.  She had gotten lucky and likely had a new baby growing in her belly, and now she had a magic coin in her pocket that might make her dream a reality...