Monday morning, Maya woke to the sound of banging.
Not in her room. In the walls. The pipes. Someone was working on the boiler.
She dressed quickly and went downstairs. The basement door was open. She could hear voices. Mr. Chen and someone else.
She walked down the concrete steps. The basement smelled of oil and damp concrete. The boiler was an old metal beast, covered in rust and duct tape.
Mr. Chen stood next to it, holding a wrench. Next to him was a man she didn't recognize. Late twenties. Bald. Wearing a grey jumpsuit.
"Maya," Mr. Chen said. "This is Dimitri. The landlord sent him to look at the boiler."
Dimitri didn't look up. He was staring at a pressure gauge. "The system is old. Needs replacement."
"Can you fix it?" Maya asked.
"Temporarily. Maybe a week. Maybe less." He turned a valve. Water hissed. "The landlord won't pay for a new one. Too expensive."
"So what do we do?"
"You complain. You call the city. You make his life difficult." Dimitri shrugged. "That's what everyone else does."
He worked for another hour. When he left, the heat was back on. But the banging in the pipes was worse.
Mr. Chen shook his head. "It's a band-aid. Nothing more."
"Then we document," Maya said. She took photos of the boiler. The rust. The duct tape. The pressure gauge.
Then she went back upstairs.
---
At 10 AM, she visited Mrs. Patterson.
The old woman was in her room. The window was open. The brick wall was still there.
"You look better," Mrs. Patterson said.
"I'm not. I'm just more tired."
"Same thing sometimes."
Maya sat on the edge of the bed. She told Mrs. Patterson about the boiler. The letter. The signatures.
"You're doing too much alone," Mrs. Patterson said.
"I have Mr. Chen. And Marco. And Jasmine."
"That's four people. You need twelve."
"I know."
Mrs. Patterson reached for her hand. "What about the boy? The one from the basement?"
"Leo."
"Yes. Leo. Is he helping?"
"He's helping."
"Then let him help more."
Maya didn't respond.
Mrs. Patterson squeezed her fingers. "You're stubborn. Like me. That's good. But stubborn people break if they don't lean on someone."
Maya looked at the brick wall. "I don't know how to lean."
"You're doing it right now. You're here. You're talking to me. That's leaning."
"I guess."
"Don't guess. Know."
---
Maya left at noon. She walked to the subway. The train was crowded. She stood holding a pole.
Her phone buzzed.
Leo: How is she?
Same. She told me to lean on you.
A pause.
You can, he wrote.
I don't know how.
Neither do I. But we can figure it out together.
She stared at the screen. Together.
She liked that word.
---
At 2 PM, she went to the basement.
Leo's basement. The door was unlocked. She knocked once, then opened it.
He was sitting on the mattress, drawing. He looked up when she came in.
"You're here," he said.
"I'm here."
She sat on the floor across from him. The concrete was cold. The mini-fridge hummed.
"I've been thinking about what you said," she said. "About small wins."
"And?"
"I want to fix the mailbox. The lock is broken. Anyone can take our mail."
Leo set down his pencil. "That's a good small win."
"Will you help?"
"Of course."
They went upstairs. The lobby was empty. The mailbox was a metal box attached to the wall. The lock was rusted. A screwdriver could open it.
Leo examined it. "I can fix this. I need a new lock. There's a hardware store on Nostrand."
"I'll pay."
"You don't have to."
"You're helping. I'm paying."
He looked at her. Then he nodded.
---
They walked to the hardware store together.
The day was cold. The wind cut through Maya's jacket. Leo walked beside her, hands in his pockets.
The store was small and crowded. A man behind the counter was helping another customer. They waited.
Leo picked out a lock. Heavy. Silver. "This one is good. Hard to pick."
Maya paid. Twelve dollars. She had it in cash.
On the way back, they passed the bodega. Leo stopped.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
"Not really."
"You should eat."
"You're not my mother."
"No. But I'm your..." He paused. "I don't know what I am."
She looked at him. "You're Leo. That's enough."
He almost smiled. They kept walking.
---
Back in the lobby, Leo installed the new lock. It took twenty minutes. Maya held the flashlight while he worked.
When he finished, he tested it. The key turned smoothly. The lock held.
"Small win," he said.
"Small win."
She looked at the mailbox. It wasn't much. But it was something.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome."
They stood in the lobby. The light was steady. No flickering.
"I should go," Leo said. "I have to check on the boiler in my building. Mr. Haddad says it's making noise."
"Okay."
He walked to the door. Then he stopped.
"Maya."
"Yeah."
"Tomorrow. The roof. 7 PM. I want to show you something."
"What?"
"It's a surprise."
She nodded. "Okay."
He left.