Just Let It Be

Fifteen

"Look, I know you're upset but you—" Carrie began, but had her words impeded by Stef. The two had stepped outside of the woman's office, a dire request of Stef's to discuss her unwanted guest.

"But nothing, Carrie!" The blonde replied, slightly raising her voice. "I made it very clear that I was not going to invite anyone. Why would you bring my Aunt Jodie here?!"

Carrie felt her chest tightening. "Listen, when Lena came—"

But, once again, her words were cut off by the angered woman who said, "Lena?! Wow, so she also had something to do with this?"

"Well, yes and no." Carrie replied, her eyes swam in uncertainty. "She kinda gave me the idea to want to invite Aunt Jodie...I am the one that actually invited her though." She then released profound breaths. "Stef, can you just please not be mad for once? Aunt Jodie mentioned not seeing you in three years. I thought maybe you'd be overjoyed...excited even."

Moving her body in disbelief, Stef allowed for her eyes to roll to the rear of her head. "Well, I'm not. I–I don't know how to feel. You know what kind of family I come from, therefore you knew why I didn't want to invite anyone!" Her right hand motioned towards the direction of the other woman's office. "Yet, my aunt is standing there in your office."

Carrie, growing insanely tired of Stef's energies, partially rose her voice while responding. "She's in there because I didn't think it'd hurt for her to just be here with you! It's been three long years since the last time you two spoke." After seeing the woman's eyes roll—again—Carrie released ponderous breaths, annoyed. "All I'm saying, Stef, is how many more years were you gonna just let slip by? Life is short, you know that!"

The blonde-haired woman couldn't help but to feel rage settling within the pores of her heated body. Truthfully, she wanted Family Week to already be over. She just wasn't ready to see any of her family yet, and that was okay.
"Well, regardless of what you might've thought, inviting my family was a decision I was supposed to make. Not you." She allowed for her pupils to fall upon the floor, memories of her family filled her mind. "Last time I even saw Aunt Jodie, things were out of place. And they're still out of place. What am I even supposed to say to her, Carrie?!"

Given permission for heavy breaths to emigrate from her physique, Carrie stepped just a tad bit closer to Stef. She placed the palm of one of her hands upon the woman's nearest shoulder and said, "Listen, Stef, I know of the things you've gone through with your family, okay? The highs, the lows—I'm aware of it all. And I also know that sometimes it seems the best way to deal with them is to not deal with them at all." She paused, in taking the moment. "But, after everything you've been through, they are still your family. You hurt them, they hurt you. I get it. But, you've gotta let go. You got to."

At an instant, tears formed within Stef's pupils. But, she refused to give them consent to fall. Of all the times she had let Carrie see her cry, she opposed letting it happen this go 'round. Solely because she knew the woman was right. She did need to let go of the damage her family had done.
"You uh...you are right about letting go and that much...but it is not your call. I have to let go on my terms, when I am ready." Stef was just getting ready to walk away from the moment, but before doing so she faced Carrie once more and said, "And, I know that when you do these kind of things—surprising people—you usually do it with pure intent. But, when I said I didn't want to invite anyone, I wish you had just let it be."