But everything changed when Maya was fourteen years old.
David was driving home from a concert on a rainy night. Another car ran a red light and hit David's car. David was taken to the hospital, but the doctors could not save him. He died three days later.
Maya's world fell apart. Her father was not just her parent; he was her teacher, her friend, her musical partner. Without him, Maya felt lost.
Sarah was heartbroken, too. She had loved David more than anything. She could not eat or sleep. She could not work. She spent all day crying and looking at pictures of David.
The family had some money saved, but it was not enough. David's medical bills were very expensive. The funeral cost a lot of money, too. Sarah had to sell many of their things to pay the bills.
Maya tried to keep going to the conservatory, but it was hard. Every time she played piano, she thought about her father. Every song reminded her of him. Sometimes she would start crying in the middle of practicing.
Sarah started taking medicine to help her feel better, but the medicine made her sleepy and confused. Sometimes she would forget to buy food. Sometimes she would forget to pay the bills.
Maya tried to take care of her mother. She would cook simple meals and clean the house. She would remind Sarah to take her medicine and to go to her doctor appointments. But Maya was only fourteen; she did not know how to take care of an adult.
Things got worse and worse. Sarah lost her job because she missed too many days. They could not pay the rent for their big house; they had to move to a small apartment. Maya had to leave the conservatory because they could not pay the tuition. She went to a regular public school instead. The music program there was not very good; Maya felt like she was losing her musical training.
In the small apartment, there was no room for their big piano. Sarah had to sell it to pay for food and rent. When the men came to take the piano away, Maya cried for hours. It felt like they were taking away the last piece of her father.
Sarah's medicine stopped working. She became very sad and angry. She started drinking alcohol to make the sadness go away, but the alcohol made everything worse.
When Maya was fifteen, Sarah lost their apartment. They had to live in a shelter for homeless families. The shelter was crowded and noisy. Maya could not practice music there; she could not even do her homework properly.