It was Saturday morning, Thanksgiving and Black Friday had passed, and preparations for the holiday had begun in Long Beach and nationwide. Patrisha Jackson finished waking up from her sleep and made breakfast and coffee. Patrisha was fifty-five years old and was initially born in Somalia. Her skin was ebony, her eyes were black, and her black hair was curly and lustrous and put in a ponytail. Her face had a sense of softness covering the toughness deep within. Patrisha was slightly overweight but stood tall, almost reaching six feet tall.

Patrisha finished cooking her breakfast and took a few bites until her phone rang. When looking at the caller ID, she was surprised to see who it was: Maeve's mother. "Good morning, Laoise. I'm surprised you would call early in the morning."

"Good morning, Patrisha. I'm sorry for calling so early, but I wanted to ask if you received any call from Maeve?"

Patrisha was slightly surprised. She knew Maeve was going out with Stephen since he might have proposed. Maeve would have called her, but she didn't, and if Laoise had called to find out about her daughter, then something was wrong. "No, I haven't. I know that she and Stephen went out on Wednesday and she didn't call me all day yesterday. Didn't you two have Thanksgiving together?"

"No. She didn't arrive at my house or call. We also usually shop on Black Friday, but we didn't go. I'm getting worried." Laoise was silent for a moment and sighed. "I was hoping that this wasn't the case, but I have a feeling that something happened with Stephen."

"That would make sense. Maeve had yet to call me whether or not he proposed. D-Do you think that something may have happened?"

"I can't shake off the possibility. Patrisha, I wanted to ask if you could check up on her. I am at the hospital for a doctor's appointment. I will go to her once I'm out."

"Sure thing, Laoise. I'll head there once I'm done with my breakfast." The women hung up, and Patrisha sighed as she looked at her breakfast. She wolfed breakfast and dressed in simple light blue pants, a plain dark blue t-shirt, and a gray jacket. After her conversation with Laoise, concern overwhelmed her. Patrisha and Maeve were co-teachers in the same school; Patrisha was also Maeve's mentor when she began her teacher training. Once Maeve earned her credential and became co-teachers, they became good friends and would rely on each other.

Patrisha left her home, got in her 2011 Toyota Camry, and drove to Maeve's place. The drive felt like an eternity; the older woman prayed that Maeve was safe. Upon arrival, Patrisha parked her car on the street in front of the house that Maeve rented from an elderly couple who lived in Mexico. She walked toward the small dark green house and knocked on the wooden door. She waited for a response, but there was none. Patrisha knocked again. "Maeve, it's me! Please open the door! Your Ma is worried sick about you!" Again, there was yet to be a response. Patrisha refused to idle and wait. She got the extra key Maeve gave her in case of emergencies and opened the door.

Once inside, the lights were off, and the house was still clean and neat, but the kitchen was slightly in disarray since there were boxes of Chinese takeout and bags from Burger King. A sound came from Maeve's room. Patrisha walked toward Maeve's room, where the door was slightly open. "M-Maeve, hun?" Patrisha knocked on the door. "I know you're in there, Maeve. I'm coming in." The older woman slowly opened the door; Maeve was in bed watching television. Maeve was still in her pajamas; her red hair was messy. Her eyes looked dead and emotionless as they looked straight at the television. On each side of her bed were cabinets with sodas, water bottles, and plates of half-eaten food. "Oh, Maeve." Patrisha slowly entered and sat on the corner of Maeve's bed. She looked at the television and noticed that Legally Blonde was on air. "It didn't go well, did it, hun?"

Maeve lay on the bed motionless and said, "He lied to me..."

"How?"

"He lost his feelings for me two years ago but stayed." Maeve looked away from Patrisha. "All that time I wasted with a man who lost his feelings. I-I had hopes and dreams with him, but it was for nothing. I have nothing anymore."

Patrisha felt terrible for her friend. Maeve always spoke highly and kindly about Stephen. The older woman met him several times, and he seemed respectful, but she noticed something off about him; she didn't want to involve herself in Maeve's life. She slowly put her hand over Maeve's right foot and gave it a gentle pat. "I understand it feels that way. Trust me, I know. I felt that when Jai'la died, I thought that my life was over. However, life moves on, and one must keep on living. There is always hope and opportunities."

Maeve slowly looked at Patrisha as she bit her lower lip. She remembered how distraught her friend was when her wife passed away. Patrisha was inconsolable and went into a state of depression. Maeve never left her side and motivated her to get therapy. "Is that what you believed after your wife died?"

"Yes and no. However, I had to keep on going since Jai'la would have wanted me to. She wouldn't accept me using her death as an excuse not to live. I realized that I'm not alone in this world. I found new love with the kids I work with and my friends. I have a purpose, and I know you do too." Patrisha moved on closer until she was next to Maeve. "You're young, and this is only a stepping stone in your life that you can learn from. There are other paths you can go on." An idea came to her. "Tell you what, take a week off."

Maeve was surprised. "But Thanksgiving break is about to end! I can't ask for another week off!."

"Who cares? You still have sick days off that you haven't used, so use them. You need more time for yourself and don't worry about the class. I will get our usual substitute. Besides, Christmas will soon be upon us, and there are events you can go to. I heard there's an app called, 'Friends & More' where adults can meet up as groups and go to fun events."

Maeve was thoughtful and massaged her eyes. She didn't know if meeting new people was worth it, but staying home another week wouldn't help her endure the heartbreak. "I-I guess you're right. I'm still not in the right state of mind."

"There you go. Oh, and call your momma. She's worried sick about you. How about this? We will all have a nice belated Thanksgiving dinner. Afterward, we will have a late shopping spree. I will not take 'no' for an answer."

Maeve chuckled softly. She felt slightly motivated and was grateful for her best friend. "Alright, that sounds nice." The young woman went to Patrisha and hugged her. The older woman smiled and hugged her back. Maeve got out of bed and showered warmly. Once she had finished showering and changing, a knock was on the door. Maeve was about to stand to open it, but Patrisha went to the living room and opened the door.

On the other side was an older woman who looked to be in her early to mid-sixties. Her light grayish hair was in an elegant bun with some strands coming out. Her eyes were light blue, and her skin was slightly pale, making her shine. There were slight wrinkles and age spots, but there was slight makeup that tried to cover them. Her lips were thin and light pink, but pink lips gloss made them shine and plumper. The older woman's thin appearance made it seem like she hardly ate, but her clothes made her look lively. "Oh, Laoise, thank goodness you came."

The women hugged, and Laoise entered the house as she put her bag on a nearby sofa. "Patrisha, I tried coming as fast as I could, but my...appointment took longer than I thought. I appreciate you coming here. How is Maeve?"

Patrisha sighed while putting her hands on her waist. "At first, Maeve looked bad. It seems Stephen didn't propose after all; he left her."

The women walked toward Maeve's room, where they saw her in the mirror, putting on some earrings. When Maeve saw her mother's reflection, she bit her lower lip and closed her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to look at her mother.

Laoise knew Maeve was embarrassed and heartbroken; she walked behind her daughter and hugged her. "It's alright, Maeve. There's no need to be embarrassed. We all have to go through heartbreak once in our lives."

Her mother's hugs diminished her embarrassment. "Y-You told me that if a man doesn't propose after being together for a couple of years, something isn't right. I ignored you and chose to be blinded by the truth. I-I let this happen. I let myself get hurt."

"You were in love, Maeve. Love makes us blind, but love can give us hope." Laoise motioned her daughter to turn to her. "There is no shortcut to love, Maeve. Love can lead to many paths; it can be short, long, tranquil, or destructive." The young woman felt a tear dripping down her left eye. "You will meet the one who will see what you see."

Patrisha stood by the door and watched the mother and daughter take their moment. She eventually cleared her throat, making the duo look at her. "Well, I wanted to see if you ladies want to cook something for our belated Thanksgiving dinner or if we should order something."

"C-Can we cook something? I need to do something to get out of my negative thoughts."

The older women agreed and went to the kitchen, where some meat was defrosted since it was in the refrigerator instead of the freezer. It was decided to cook Irish dishes; Patrisha learned some recipes since Maeve taught her a few things here and there. It took two and half hours to cook: Irish stew, soda bread, boiled bacon with cabbage, and black and white pudding. The plates of food were put on the table; Laoise and Patrisha poured themselves pink wine. Maeve got herself a raspberry tea.

The women sat at the table and served themselves the food they wanted. "Now, let's say what we are thankful for. I'll go first." Patrisha smiled as she looked at her friends. "I am thankful to be here with both of you. If I hadn't, I don't know if I would have made it." Maeve and Laoise looked at Patrisha with softness. "Anyway, who's next?"

Maeve motioned her mother to go next; Laoise looked at the stew and sighed. "I'm thankful for having you both in my life. Life has been difficult, especially since my husband passed away. I know there will be difficult times ahead, but I can overcome anything with you two."

Then, it was Maeve's turn. She considered what to say and eventually came up with the idea: "Like you two, I'm grateful to have my friends and family helping me through these difficult times. I'm also thankful for deciding to attempt a new beginning."

"Well said, Maeve. Now let's have our fill and then we'll go to the mall and find some deals for the holidays. Decorations tend to start after Thanksgiving ends!"

Patrisha and Laoise ate and discussed Christmas decorations. Maeve slowly ate her stew, her father's favorite. When her father was mentioned, Maeve couldn't help but feel saddened. Christmas was his favorite holiday. He dreamed they would someday visit Ireland, his birth country, and spend Christmas there. However, he passed away before making his dream a reality.

"I have to push myself forward." The young woman went to Google and researched the Friends & More app that Patrisha told her about. She downloaded the app and created an account, which then asked for her usual information and interests. Her interests included books, concerts, food tasting, flowers, etc. When she completed her profile and questions, the app showed her lists of upcoming events.

"What are you looking at, Maeve?" asked Laoise.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I downloaded an app that Patrisha told me about. I-I thought it would be nice to try it out."

"That's the spirit, Maeve. I'm proud that you are taking the first steps toward starting over. You will use your sick days, right?"

Maeve nodded. "Might as well. I hardly go out on my own; it would be nice to meet other people." She continued to eat her stew and other bits of food while speaking to Patrisha and her mother. However, there were times when Maeve glanced at her phone; she hoped for some holiday miracle.