An Unwanted Guest

by Shari Lapena

But one person can’t be responsible for another person’s happiness. She is responsible for her own. He can’t make her happy.

She didn’t exactly stick it under anyone’s nose and say, This is my engagement ring, isn’t it gorgeous? But she was constantly fluttering her perfectly manicured hands around, just begging people to notice it.

She can’t just throw everything aside and do what she wants so that she can be happy. Women don’t get to make fools of themselves like that. Society won’t let them. But men do it all the time.

She resents that she has to do the worrying for both of them. It always falls to her to do all the emotional work.

David knows better than to underestimate anyone. He knows that people are complicated; life is complicated.

Trauma changes people.

You have experienced some terrible things. Yes, she has. She would say, Because of this, your mind will sometimes play tricks on you.

When she leaves here and goes back out into the world, she will think of everyone she meets as having the potential for evil deep inside.