Returning to The Trailer Park

Author's Note: Hey everyone, I'm here with a one-shot featuring some elements from the Boy Meets World highlighting certain moments from the show and two certain characters. You will see who I'm talking about in a bit, hopefully to those that have seen both Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World know the characters, if not, well...This is a BIT of an intro to those characters. Hopefully you enjoy this story and the moment Maya has with Shawn and Katy.

It has been years since Shawn has returned to the trailer park where he once called him with his father: Chet. Ever since Chet's death due to a heart attack, Shawn felt no obligation to return. However, since his marriage to Katy and now officially having a daughter in his life in Maya, Shawn felt the need to return one last time, to at least teach Maya a lesson. The three got in his truck and alongside Maya to nobody's surprise, was Riley. Her best friend.

They first had to go back to Philadelphia and after another 40 minutes on the road, they had found the trailer park. The trailer park still look beaten down as he remembered from when he was younger. The place still gave him a sense of awareness he needed to have for the people he cared about. The memories began to flood into his mind, from the time he and his half-brother Jack had to clean out Chet's trailer, to the time that Cory and Shawn had a "brilliant" plan to host Thanksgiving dinner at the trailer park. Although faced with criticism from the other residents, it was with the help of Morgan, Frankie and Frankie's little brother that people in the trailer park began to understand the meaning of Thanksgiving. It was a time the kids ended up teaching the adults about thanksgiving.

"How do you feel, honey?" Katy asked her husband as the two held hands together as they got out of the truck.

"I don't know, I got mixed feelings here I guess. But, there's a lesson I want Maya to learn here." Shawn assured his wife. Just then he remembered the times how Maya was skeptical about her mother and Shawn getting married when she was in high school, he knew that Maya endured her own tragedies not having a full-time father like most kids. But Shawn completely understood her situation. Chet wasn't around as much as Shawn wanted. Combine that with Velma leaving the family when he and Cory were in high school didn't make things better.

"Ok, dad. What are we doing here?" Maya asked as she took in her surroundings of dirt, little grass, and trailers.

"What are you doing here, Shawn?" A large figure emerged from one of the trailers.

"Frankie Stechino?" Shawn asked trying to see if his memory has served him well.

"Yeah, how've you been?" Frankie said as the two embraced having not seen each other in years.

"I'm doing good now, Frankie. How are you?" Shawn said having seen that Frankie has slimmed down a little sicne the last time he remembered him.

"Well, I'm a writer for a website: Hit The Road." Shawn began until he was cut off.

"Yeah I go on that site sometimes. You're great at your job, Shawn. You did a great piece of writing about things to do and places to crash while in New York." Frankie complimented him.

"Thanks Frankie!" Shawn said cracking a smile on his face.

"Is this your wife, and your daughters?" Frankie asked.

"Well, the beautiful woman there, is my wife." Shawn said introducing Katy as Katy walked up to Frankie as they shook hands.

"And this beautiful little girl, is my daughter: Maya." Shawn said as Maya shook hands with the big man.

"Holy crap, you're huge!" Maya said in awe having seen big men before but none as big as Frankie.

"And that goofball is her best friend. Riley Matthews." Shawn said introducing Riley as Riley too shook hands with Frankie.

"Is this Eric's daughter?" Frankie wondered before asking Shawn.

"No! No! No! Oh please, if Eric had a kid, we're all doomed!" Shawn feared knowing that Eric was already a senator for the state of New York.

"Fair enough, he already does hold power nobody else would've expected him to have!" Frankie agreed with Shawn.

"How's your dad, Frankie?" Shawn asked having not seen Frankie's father in ages. Frankie's father was a Professional Wrestler who at the time was wrestling for the World Wrestling Federation, which would eventually become World Wrestling Entertainment. He was a former World Champion and weighed in at around 450lbs. He was the man they called: Vader.

"Dad is on the road again." Frankie bluntly told him as he kept his head down.

"Still can't believe he's still wrestling!" Shawn told the gentle giant. Shawn still remembered well his scheme with Cory to be at two places at once. On one side, he had to be at Topanga's Sweet Sixteen Birthday Party but also at the same time, they both with in Vader's corner with Frankie to help Frankie get closer to his father. Vader was facing Jake "The Snake" Roberts where the winner would be the number one contender for the WWF Championship and challenge: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels.

It was silent for a little while as Shawn remembered Vader and the flawed plan as he and Cory ran 20 kilometers back and forth and remembered finding an empty hall with just Topanga having the TV on. Topanga asked, "How was the match?"

It was at that specific moment they knew they were busted. But they succeeded in helping Frankie get closer to his father. To make it up to her, Cory and Topanga had her Sweet Sixteen Dance with Cory in the middle an empty arena and an empty wrestling ring while he and Frankie looked on in the crowd eating popcorn.

"Listen Frankie, is it ok if I show Maya and Riley around the trailer park? I wanna show her where I grew up." Shawn asked Frankie.

"Sure thing Shawn, don't worry. The trailer park isn't as dangerous as it once was." Frankie assured Shawn of the positive change in the trailer park. Frankie and Shawn lead the way with Katy by Shawn's side as Riley and Maya trailed close behind them. As they began to walk around, Shawn, Katy and, Frankie would chat about Shawn's troubles from when he was younger. Maya and Riley just gasped.

"Man, and I thought apartments were small!" Maya said hanging her mouth open.

"How do these people live!" Riley exclaimed having never been to a trailer park before in her life and is intimidated by the surroundings around her.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine!" Shawn assured his neice having grown up in this environment.

Frankie lead Shawn and his family to his trailer where they found Frankie's younger brother: Herman there.

"Herman, can you get our guests something to drink?" Frankie asked his brother

"Sure! What would you guys like?" Herman asked as he got some glasses ready.

"I'll have Iced Tea please." Riley said in a happy tone.

"I'll have what she's having." Maya responded while Herman got them their drinks and gave it to them.

"So, what brings you back to the trailer park?" Frankie asked as he took a seat on his black couch.

"Well, I was just showing my wife, my daughter and, my niece where I came from." Shawn answered.

"Dad, why is it important to bring us here?" Maya asked taking a sip of her Iced Tea.

"The reason I've brought you two here is because, no matter how far you go in life and wherever life takes you, you gotta remember where you come from. You could have a rough start in life, but if you are willing to put in the work and see life in a good way, you can build a good life for yourself Maya." Shawn lectured to his daughter hoping that she saw the lesson.

"But why Philly? And why a trailer park?" Maya asked him.

"Because, we want you to have a better life than we did by your age. You already have a good foundation in good people in your life like, the Matthews Family, the Minkus Family, Janitor Harley if ever and, you have us." Katy told her daughter as she linked arms with her new husband.

Maya is no stranger to the adversity that Katy face when Maya was growing up since she wasn't around as much as she wanted to because she was working. But Maya understood why her mother was away as she worked at the diner. But no matter what, Maya always had Riley as the two best friends had another sip of their drinks. Riley could only look to Maya understanding Shawn's message to them, after hearing many stories from his childhood with Cory and Topanga, she has heard many stories of the infamous duo of Cory and Shawn from Cory being brought home by the Police for getting drunk with Shawn for urinating on a Police Car, to Mr. Turner's Motorcycle accident. She has heard everything and she sees what Katy and Shawn are trying to tell Maya.

"Put it like this Maya, you know how to play poker right?" Shawn asked Maya as he brought out a deck of cards in his back pocket.

"Oh wow! You learned something from Matthews, didn't you?" Maya asked being sarcastically impressed with how Shawn randomly had a deck of cards with him.

"Nope, I blame Feeny for this!" Shawn said as he shuffled the deck before he dealt two cards to Frankie, Riley, Maya and, Katy, all of the cards were face down.

"Ok, you know how to play Texas hold'em?" Shawn asked everyone. Frankie, Katy and, Maya raised their hands except for Riley.

"Of course your dad didn't teach you how to play!" Maya exclaimed.

"I'm not at the legal age to gamble Uncle Shawn!" Riley told her uncle as Shawn could only shake his head and sigh. Riley really was Cory's daughter remembering when they played poker in University as he still remembered vividly that Cory was called the Major for being engaged at that age.

"Ok so here's how it's gonna work, since we don't have poker chips here, we're gonna assume everyone is all in. So. I'm gonna draw five cards and reveal them to you. If you get a pair, that's cool, two is even better." Shawn explained the basic.

Maya took her cards in her hand and she was dealt a jack of spades and a 7 of spades. It was not a bad hand but not one to bet with. She couldn't see what Frankie, Katy or even Riley have but Riley was smiling, probably meant that she had a great hand.

"Ok, so does everyone know what they have? If so, don't tell us! That means you, baby Cory!' Shawn warned his niece as she began to give a dirty look to her uncle for scolding her again.

"I'm good." Frankie said putting his cards on the red coffee table where they were around.

"Same." Katy answered putting her cards down.

"I think I'm gonna win!" Riley said confidently.

"How bout you, baby girl?" Katy asked her daughter.

"I think i'm ok." Maya plainly told everyone in the room not having played a full hand besides watching it on TV.

"And the flop!" Shawn said as he burned three cards and put them at towards his left side as he flipped over three cards.

The three cards turned to be an 8 of spades, 10 of spades and, 3 of hearts. He burned a card putting it in the pile of burned cards before flipping over another card and putting the card beside the 3 of hearts, it was a jack of spades.

"Now, the river card!" Shawn told everyone as he burned one more card before flipping the last card. It was the nine of spades!

"Ok on the count of three, show your cards." Shawn ordered as he counted to three.

"1...2...3!" Shawn counted as he saw everyone's cards.

Riley had a king of hearts and, king of clubs.

Frankie had a pair of nines as he had 8 of diamonds and a 9 of hearts.

Katy had a straight draw in having a 9 of clubs and a queen of diamonds.

"Maya wins!" Shawn told everyone.

"But how? I have the highest card in the deck!" Riley protested not knowing what just happened.

"Well, you would have won, IF we were playing 21. But this is poker. You only had a pair!" Shawn explained to his niece.

"Maya had a straight flush, young Riley." Frankie answered Riley's question. Riley looked confused even as she saw and studied Maya's cards.

"Ok, a straight flush is basically having five cards that are the same suit or symbol but also numerically keep increasing." Shawn said.

"In easy English, Uncle Shawn!" Riley demanded.

"Maya had a 7, 8, 9, 10 and, jack. That alone is a straight. BUT since they are all spades, it's a straight flush. The only thing that would beat that is the Royal Flush. so that means, a 10, Jack, Queen, King and, Ace together in the same suit." Shawn explained as it began to make sense for Riley.

Since Maya had a seven and jack of spades, she would just need the 8, 9 and, 10 of spades to appear to make the straight flush.

"So, what is the lesson in all of this, dad?" Maya asked.

"The lesson is that life deals you a hand of cards, you gotta observe if the risk is worth taking or not. If you do take that risk, you gotta know that with the stuff you have, is it worth the risk?" Shawn asked Maya.

"Well we were playing as if everyone was all in so I guess we have no choice in that." Maya replied to him.

"But the only reason players go all in is if they need to make the risk or they are eliminated from the game. Same thing with your mom. She told me that you guys were living on paycheck to paycheck, so it was like she was playing the game of life, all in. Everyday for years. Now, with everything that has happened over the last year or so, you guys don't have to live paycheck to paycheck now, we can have more financial security to help make sure your future only gets brighter and brighter. You have plenty of talent to showcase to the world Maya, I've seen some of your artwork. You got some amazing potential Maya. Live your dreams, be fearless. Be...You!" Shawn told his daughter hoping this lesson would inspire her.

"I guess now, I really have to pick it up in school huh?" Maya asked wondering if that was the direction Shawn and Katy were talking about. Shawn, Katy and even Riley nodded their heads.

"A solid education will take you far Maya. Popularity and slacking will only make the future that much tougher." Frankie told Maya having been a bully most of his high school life until he was no longer a student graduating from John Adams High alongside Cory, Shawn, Topanga, Angela, Joey and, Harley.

"Who knows, maybe you'll be the first in our family to make six figures in one year!" Katy said with optimism and hope seeing how much potential has especially in art.

"I don't know what the future holds for me guys, but everyday that I live from this moment on, I'll make sure I stay focused to do better for myself." Maya told everyone with determination. Maya was done with having holes in her apartment, being in a home that practically lives from paycheck to paycheck and now, it was time to make something of herself and build her future and she has the tools to do that with the great people in her life.

"Cheers to that!" Frankie said as he held a glass of iced tea as everyone had drinks in their hands as glasses clanked to a future that is beginning to build and a better Maya beginning to form. Everyone had dinner at the trailer park together as Shawn and Frankie went through their moments as teenagers while Katy and Maya laughed at some of the stories and past adventures Shawn would have with Cory. But as they were beginning to make their way back to New York, the poker lesson that Maya was given from Shawn, stayed with her.

"So, when we get home, you think you can teach me how to play pool?" Maya asked her father as Katy was driving.

"Whenever you want!" Shawn said with a smile on his face as he stared down the road and as he did, an image of his father: Chet came to him as they were on the highway. Chet was happy as he gave his son a thumbs up.

"You did good, boy. You're gonna be a very good father." Chet said as he again disappeared towards the unknown as Shawn could only smile even more knowing that he is making his father proud by being a good father to Maya and teaching her lessons in life that she will need in the future. He looked back as he saw Maya and Riley asleep now. He took out his phone as he took a picture of them. He loves Maya and Riley with all of his heart, a new day was dawning for Shawn too, fatherhood has come into the light for him as Katy held his hand.

"How did I do?" Shawn asked his wife while she kept her hands on the wheel.

"I think you did fantastic. Cory would be proud of you." Katy said as she kept driving.

"Thanks, babe. I love you!" Shawn professed to his wife as he kissed her right hand.

"I love you too, Shawn! Thank you for everything. You're a great father to Maya. And an even better husband to me." Katy told him as they smiled together feeling that their future was only going to get brighter from this day forward. They can't wait for what life has in store for them next, but no matter what, they will face it together.