legacy

Chapter 18 - Before the Camera Rolled

We viewed the footage with Lena rather than showing it to Maya. The date matched a Friday I'd flown to Oklahoma City. Tiffany stood in our bright dining room arranging flowers as two clients waited in the hallway.

Maya entered carrying a bucket. "Can I call my dad?" she asked.

"After we finish," Tiffany said.

"You said that yesterday."

Tiffany looked toward the camera. "Greg is busy. I keep this house running. If he wanted to know the details, he could ask."

That last sentence was the ugliest truth.

In the footage, Maya quietly put down the bucket and began wiping a chair. Tiffany didn't strike her or shout. She merely moved the goalposts every time Maya got close to finishing. The adults waiting outside saw only a polished house. The camera caught the small negotiations that made it possible.

Monica supplied the original files and invoices to the investigators reviewing the matter. Good Order's clients canceled their remaining sessions. Tiffany's attorney agreed to take down material featuring Maya while the disputes continued and withdrew the claim that I had expressly approved her participation. Questions about financial reimbursements and misrepresentations remained for the adults to resolve.

I asked Lena if that counted as winning.

"Not for Maya," she said. "She never asked to be the subject of a case."

That evening I watched Maya practice violin at Ruth's. She lost her place twice, made a face at the music, and started over. Nobody counted mistakes or set a timer.

Halfway through, she lowered the bow.

"Dad, if I mess up at the concert, will you still come?"

May you like

"Yes."

She studied me. "Even if I'm not good?"

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