Maya (Woulfe) and her stepfather (Chris Epic) dance slowly together in front of their home’s patio doors. They are about to kiss, when a sound at the front door is heard, and stepfather says: “It’s your mother”.
He orders her: “Go to your room. Pretend you were in there the whole time”. “Why?”, she asks. “Because I said so”, he replies curtly. “I don’t want to”, she says. “Maya, do you have any idea what she would do if she caught us like this?”, he asks. “We weren’t doing anything wrong. You were just showing me a dance”, she insists. “Your mother won’t see it like that”, he retorts. “What do you mean?”, she asks. “It doesn’t matter. Leave”, he says abruptly. Maya goes out of the room, leaving stepfather gazing outside.
Later, Maya has her ear pressed against her bedroom door, listening. She goes over to her bed, clad in pajamas. There’s a loud knock on her door, and stepfather enters, announcing: “She’s gone”. “What did she say?”, Maya asks. “It doesn’t matter”, he replies. “Tell me”, she insists. “She doesn’t make any sense. She’s crazy. She just doesn’t understand”, he says, sitting down on the bed, facing away from Maya.
“She tries to pervert everything that I do. If I knew it was going to be like this, I never would have married her”, he states ruefully. “Just forget it”, Maya says. “It’s not right the way she treats you -you’re her daughter, for Christ’s sake! Aw, I can’t give her any more ammunition to hurt you”, he says. “What did you say?”, she asks. “What would I do without you?”, he asks. “Die, probably”, she jokes. “Probably”, he agrees.
“No, really. I’m grown. Tell me what she said”, Maya insists.”I don’t want to hurt you. I’ve done enough to fuck up your life”, stepfather confesses. “I’ve survived 20 years on this planet with her. I think I can take it”, Maya contends. “Fuck! That makes it worse. I wish I could have been there to protect you. How long has it been since we met?”, he asks. “A year, almost a year and a half”, she answers. “It feels like a lifetime”, he avers.
“Like we’re soulmates?”, Maya asks. “Something like that”, he replies. She puts her hand on his and says again: “Tell me please”. “She’s convinced that you have seduced me”, stepfather says. “But it’s not like that!”, Maya exclaims. “She’s convinced. She says she’s going to divorce me and I’ll never get to see you again”, he says. “She can’t do that!”, Maya insists. “She can make it difficult”, he points out. “I hate her, I hate her, I hate her!”, Maya declares.
“What we even have isn’t dirty. She’s the one who is”, Maya says. “She’s convinced that I’ve taken advantage of her little baby”, he says. “I thought I seduced you”, Maya mocks. “Her story’s all over the place. She just wanted to hurt me”, he complains. “It’s not like that. You never did anything wrong”, she says. “I know, baby”, he agrees. “She’s just jealous. She’s always been jealous”, Maya says. Stepfather motions to shush her.
“She’s not home. She cant’ hear us”, Maya insists. “Someone else might”, he counters. “She’s not coming back. She wants to make you suffer. You know she doesn’t mean it”, Maya asserts. “That’s not why I’m upset”, he says. “What’s wrong?”, she asks. “What if she is right?”, he asks. “What do you mean?”, she asks. “I do have feelings for you. I think about you all the time”, he confesses. “You think about me?”, she asks.
He nods Yes. “It’s not…I don’t…me, us”, he stammers. “I don’t understand”, she says. “You trust me, right?”, he asks. She nods Yes. “All that soulmate stuff, the touching, the trust that exists between us”, he says. Putting his hand on hers he continues: “It just doesn’t feel like the normal relationship between a stepfather and a stepdaughter”, he explains. “It’s special”, she whispers. “It’s the most special thing in the world, Maya”, he says, continuing: “It’s more special than anything I could have ever imagined”.
“I feel it too”, Maya says. “It’s not right though, Maya”, he insists. “But I love you”, she insists. “I love you too”, he responds. “Who cares what she thinks!”, Maya exclaims. “It’s not right, Maya”, he reiterates. “It’s what I want”, she insists. “Don’t let an old man like me ruin your life”, he says ruefully. “I don’t want somebody else”, she says. “You will -I don’t know if I can take that”, he says, heart on sleeve. “I can’t lose you”, she whispers.
“We can’t do this”, stepfather says, and he gets up off the bed, heading for the door. Maya rushes over and closes her door before he can reach it. They lean over and kiss. She starts to remove her top, but he stops her, saying: “Don’t”. “Don’t you want me?”, she asks. “Of course”, he replies. “Then why don’t you?”. “It’s not right, Maya, and you need to find a boy your own age”, he says. “You’re the only one I need”, she insists, and they kiss again. “I’ll never love anyone like I love you”, he admits. She places his hand on her breast, and they kiss once more. Watch the taboo romance unfold…
