lisa does carla a disservice.
in fact, she does her more than one. she does this by believing whatâs easyâthat carla is a tourist and that sheâs not proud enough and that she wants to hide away. because really, even after everything, isnât all of that easier to believe than the truth? that carla would choose her and love her despite her failings and fuck-ups?
lisa swain cannot get out of her own way. self-destruction and self-sabotage come as natural as breathing to her. and for three years she has been so focused on her own fear, her own grief, her own pain that she is now completely incapable of taking people at their word. add to that her glaring inability to ever be Wrong and you get baseless accusals. misuse of power. no credit where creditâs due.
now, if she could step outside of herself for a minute, lisa might realize the gravity of what carlaâs saying. because the whole blooming point of it all is that carla is well-used to the whispers and stares. sheâs used to being misunderstood. what sheâs not used to is wanting to protect other people from it. what sheâs not used to is being seen. what sheâs not used to is shucking off her tough exterior to finally admit to herselfâand the people she lovesâthat there is more. that despite her big gob and confident air, she really doesnât know herself as well as she thought she did. and thatâs about more than sexuality. itâs about more than âdenialâ.
so she doubts herself. she apologizes. she lets lisaâs pride fester until she feels an undue sense of guilt creep in right next to the love and the hope and the want.
and itâs a conscious choice she makes: to look at this stubborn, pig-headed idiot and want herâto see the best of her and the worst of her and choose both. and no, itâs not pretty. itâs not easy. itâs not even right. in fact, itâs fucking uncomfortable. but itâs that discomfort that will make them both better if they let itâif only they can learn when to push back and when to listen and when to believe the best. and things like that take time. knowing yourself takes time. admitting youâre wrong takes time.
but with love, that time will come.