Mike was waiting for me when I walked into the coffee shop
we’d decided to meet at. He had two cups of coffee sitting on the table. I sat
down and prepared myself for a very unhappy conversation.
“Can we just get this over with?” I blurted out.
“What do you mean?” Mike asked.
“I know you’re breaking up with me. You can just say it, I
won’t make a scene.”
Mike gave me a half smile.
“Do you want to break up?” He asked.
“Is this a trick question?” I asked suspiciously.
“Faith, I just wanted to talk about what happened and see
where we wanted to go from there.”
“Oh.” I felt relieved but also embarrassed.
Mike scooted a coffee cup in my direction and I took it.
“I owe you an apology,” He started, “I should have defended
you. Maggie crossed a line and I talked to her about it. She wanted me to give
you this.”
He handed me a sealed envelope. I looked at him with
confusion.
“I haven’t read it. But Maggie wrote it to you and she said
it’s an apology for how she treated you. She and Jamie and the kids left a few
days after Christmas so she couldn’t give it to you in person.”
I took the envelope and looked at the neat cursive on the
front that spelled out my name.
“I should have told you about the tension between Maggie and
I.” I said.
“Faith, I knew it was there, I just didn’t want to deal with
it. And I’m really sorry for that. I should have stepped in long before the
argument in the kitchen took place. I should have been more present…I should
have been there for you like you were for me.”
Mike looked sad and tired. He’d gone through so much in the
last month. I took his hand.
“I just want you to understand that I don’t expect you to
put me before your family. So I get it, Mike, but I also appreciate your
apology. You’ve been dealing with so much and I want to apologize for just
adding to that with this whole situation.”
Mike and I looked at each other and smiled sadly.
“I’m really lucky to have you in my life, Faith. Most
girlfriends probably would have bailed but you dove right in and offered support
to me AND to my family. I talked to Sarah and Claire and explained to them that
Maggie was wrong about the kind of person you are and that they shouldn’t let
what happened ruin the way they felt about you before. I care about you and I
want you to feel comfortable around my family.”
“Thank you.” I said. I was touched.
“So,” Mike took in a shaky breath, “what do you want to do
about us? Do you want to end things or should we stay together?”
I smiled.
“I don’t want to break up.”
When I walked into the coffee shop earlier, I never thought
Mike and I would come out as a couple. Things had gone better than I had ever
thought but as we walked around in a nearby park I felt pangs of guilt over
what had transpired the night before with Brad. Now that Mike and I are no
longer on our break I don’t know what to do; I feel so conflicted and I regret
everything that happened even more than I did last night.
Should I tell Mike what happened while we were on our break
or will that just cause unnecessary tension between us while we’re trying to
recover from almost breaking up? I don’t know what to do.
And this is why I think what she did with Brad was silly. She still wanted Mike. It wasn't about whether Mike or Brad deserved her or didn't. I think Mike treated her poorly, and that he was unfair to Faith. Neither was it about whether Faith had the 'right' to move on or not; or whether what she did was cheating or it was not cheating because they were already on a break.
ReplyDeleteFaith didn't deal directly with what she wanted or how she felt. She could have demanded the answers/respect she deserves from Mike but she kind of just withered away by merely stewing in her confusion. I have nothing against her being hurt or angry. I just wish she was more direct about it and that she treated herself with more compassion. I don't think the focus should be on how Mike/Brad/Sean treat her, but how she treats herself. I say this because she seems to make decisions that she ends up regretting or that hurts her.
Mike effed up but his mum also just passed away. I don't think he gets a free pass of his actions, but a little understanding can't hurt (the same way Faith's bad week is understood). I wonder if we would feel the same way if Mike handled the situation the same way Faith has if it had been Faith that was in the grieving process.
Also, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. This is similar to the situation with Randy and Sean. Randy didn't deserve that. Since she has chosen to stay with Mike, isn't that going to hurt Brad? Don't his feelings count too? Though they were on a break/or had already broken up, I don't think it would be the craziest thing if Mike gets hurt when he finds out about her and Brad.
In the end, I believe this has more to do with Faith vs Faith than it has to do with her and anyone else. She loves a man. He hurts her. She wants answers/him to call back and apologize. Doesn't get it (yet). Sleeps with someone whom she knows has been "waiting for her" and she doesn't feel the same way about. Gets back together with the man she loves. Doesn't know what to do with her guilt. She could have made better choices that don't hurt someone she loves (who is going though a very difficult time himself) or someone who has feelings for her (Brad), and end in her feeling guilty (ultimately, hurting herself).
I get it Faith was hurt. But that does make it okay when she hurts others? I am not blaming Faith, but I think she should be held accountable for her actions. If her actions are understandable because she has been going through a tough time, that applies for everyone else too (esp. Mike). By focusing only on Faith we forget that the other characters have their own stories and feelings too. They aren't robots.
S. - I agree. My comment about the previous post wasn't a judgment, it was more disappointment in the idea that she's made a lot of progress in making mature decisions and seemed to be leaving behind the self-destructive decision-making she'd done in the past when something went wrong with a man. I'd have been less disapointed if she screwed Brad AFTER she knew her relationship was over with Mike.
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