Max popped open one eye only to have his vision flooded with the underside of Maria’s rounded belly. He suppressed a long-suffering groan. Despite his repeated insistence that he be left alone Maria continued to make a nuisance of herself, determined so she said, “to save Max from himself.” But then he had plenty of reasons for feeling lower than dirt considering the fact that his wife had effectively shut him out of her life. Liz didn’t want to see him and she didn’t want to see Claudia. At first Max had been agonized by her request. He didn’t think she could possibly hurt him worse.

After he left her he had driven the streets blindly. Somehow he’d made it to Maria’s door. When she found him standing there she didn’t say anything. She only wrapped her arms around him, holding him close while he sobbed. When he was calm enough to tell her what happened she was quick to reassure him. “Oh, Liz just needs time,” she said, “Give her a few days.”

Max took her advise and a few days later he returned to Cedar Ridge, flowers in hand, determined to reconcile with his wife and repair their marriage. Her doctor met him in the lobby. He told Max that Liz felt that he was a hindrance to her recovery and that she’d requested that Max not be admitted to see her. For a long time Max sat in the lobby, the wilting flowers dangling from his fingertips. In that moment he felt effectively destroyed, helpless. He had no choice but to pick up the shattered remains of his life and attempt to move on.

That night Maria made him lasagna laced heavily with Tabasco. They’d eaten in silence. Max was grateful that Maria didn’t push to know what had happened at the clinic. After that night it went unspoken between them: Max would come over, Maria would cook. Sometimes there were variations in the night. Perhaps they’d watch a movie or play cards. Most definitely they’d make one another laugh. They sat together, watching their children play. Becoming friends….becoming close. The more time they spent together the happier they became and the more trivial the problems that they individually faced seemed.

In the weeks since Max had gone to see Liz, his pain had faded into a pleasant indifference. It wasn’t that he didn’t think of her, because he did, everyday. Nights were especially painful, he missed her so much. Her smell, her smile, the endearing way she had of conforming her body against his as she slept….the way they made love. However, now Max could reflect on those memories without the bitterness or anger that usually came with them. He was slowly learning to live again.

Max reluctantly pushed himself upright and returned Maria’s wide grin. “Not even your lasagna is bribe enough for me living through another one of your Lamaze classes. Why can’t you go to normal classes like everyone else?”

“Because I’m not everyone else,” Maria replied flippantly, sticking out her tongue, “Besides Jean Paul is a guru. He’s way before his time.”

“He’s a nutcase!” Max cracked blandly.

Maria knelt down beside him, taking his hand between her own. “Am I going to have to result to guilt tactics, Max?” Max’s expression remained unmoved. “Please, Max, don’t make me beg. You know I’m absolutely pathetic when I beg.”

“Who’s going to watch the kids, Maria?”

“Lydia.”

Max stared at her in confusion. “I thought you had fired Lydia. You said she was lazy and never showed up for work on time.”

“Well, do you remember when I told you that nannies were a dime a dozen?”

“Yeah?”

“I was really wrong.”

Max couldn’t help but laugh at her befuddled expression. In fact, Maria was always making him laugh. Sometimes she could make him laugh so hard he forgot all the reasons he was supposed to be sad. And Max suspected, although Maria had never actually said anything, that he made her feel the exact same way. The idea made Max happy. He liked to think that he and Maria were good for one another that they were helping each other heal. As the days wore on Max found himself feeling more and more grateful towards Maria, cherishing their friendship as something extremely dear to him.

He looked at her shining face, her wide grin and rolled his eyes in self-disgust. “Okay, okay, I’ll go! Just give me twenty minutes to throw on some clothes and get Claudia dressed.”

“I’ll take care of Claudia,” Maria volunteered cheerily.

Max gave her a sour look before stumbling through the bathroom door.

*********************************

“……you want to feel the air flowing over your body. You’re an airy, little butterfly….fly…fly…fly…fly!”

Max glanced around the Lamaze class in consternation as all the women in attendance made airplane arms and pretended they were flying, including Maria. Max then slid his gaze to the instructor., a short balding man with thick bifocal glasses. He wasn’t much to look at but the women in his class treated him like a god. Frankly, Max didn’t get it. What the hell did pretending to be a butterfly have to do with Lamaze breathing anyway? Max wasn’t an expert but he couldn’t imagine it was a whole lot.

Max ran his hands across Maria’s abdomen in small, soothing circles. Beneath his hands the baby gave three sharp thumps. Maria paused momentarily in her imitation of a butterfly to flash Max a smile. He smiled back and Maria leaned against him again, a butterfly once more. It wasn’t the first time he’d felt the baby kick. That first time had been awkward for them both. Max had felt a twinge of guilt to be sharing something so intimate with Maria. And yet he had been unspeakably grateful that she was willing to share something so intimate with him.

“So have you heard from Michael?”

At his question Maria heaved a disgusted sigh and dropped her arms. “You totally ruined my concentration.”

“It was just a question, Maria,” Max countered softly.

The look she gave him was a mixture of contrition and annoyance. “You know I haven’t, Max, not since before the funeral.”

“It’s just I can’t help but feel that Michael should be here sharing this with you, not me.”

“You don’t want to be here with me?”

“Maria, you know that’s not it-“

“Ms. DeLuca,” the instructor interrupted in a stern voice, “is there a problem? You’re not being a butterfly.”

“I’m just feeling a little uncomfortable,” Maria stammered, embarrassed to the core. Behind her, Max bit his lip to keep from laughing.

“Perhaps then you should take a breather…..outside, as to not disrupt the class further.”

Outside the classroom Max couldn’t suppress his chuckles. Maria socked him in the arm. “It’s not funny, Max! You’re going to get me kicked out of this class!”

“Maria, it would only be an improvement.” When she looked hurt by his words, Max sighed, “Maria, I’m sorry, I-“

“I know you don’t want to be here with me right now, Max.”

“What? No, Maria. I just want you to be happy.” He pulled her against him and gave her a firm hug. “Maria, you’re an amazing woman….you deserve a helluva lot better treatment than what you’re getting now.”

“I’m getting the best treatment possible right now, Max.” She looked up at him; her aqua eyes brightened with unshed tears. “You’re one of my best friends, Max, possibly the best.”

“Stop, you’re swelling my head,” Max teased, ducking his head to kiss her lightly on the lips. At the touch of her lips, however, Max felt stunned. The kiss was brief, meant to be one of brotherly affection, but the trill of electricity that shivered through Max’s body immobilized him when he brushed her soft lips with his own. And from the expression on Maria’s face she’d felt it, too.

Self-consciously, she shrugged out of his arms and forced a laugh. “I can’t believe that we got kicked out of class like a couple of school kids,” she said shakily, desperate to change the subject and put the kiss behind them. She didn’t want to discuss what had just happened or why she was shaking as a result of it. She didn’t even want to think about it.

Max accepted her invitation for escape with silent gratitude. He forced a smile. “Yeah, I’d say it was damned humiliating.”