In response to some recent social media posts - I thought I'd pen a response. Some emotion compelled Lauren and Brad to express whatever they were feeling through a shared physical intimacy. They could have shared a laugh, a revealing, bonding conversation, even an extended hug, but they didn't. They kissed. They allowed themselves to be drawn across a line they were both well aware existed.
And it is not as though they're unattached teenagers that might have arguably done it for fun, entertainment or adventure. They are parents and friends who are deeply committed and connected to their families and their shared community. They know the potential costs and ramifications.
So the question is: was it 'just a moment' as Lauren explains it: a moment they fell into due to the complexity and strangeness of the overwhelming shared emotions and emotional exhaustion they were experiencing in searching for a daughter they never knew they had?
Or is it a residue, a symptom, a clue of something deeper, something unspoken, perhaps unacknowledged that has lived on quietly in darker places of the heart, a love that was cut short in their youth, but has remained alive and yearns to grow, asleep, dormant, but has now awoken?
This is what Matt and Terese don't know and this is why they are tormented and frustrated.
Terese and Matt want to believe it was 'just the moment' and 'just a kiss'. As reasonable adults with full life experiences, that, they could understand and forgive.
But what if it's the latter? What if, having lied about the kiss, they're lying about other things? And what if even Brad and Lauren don't really know for sure themselves and are simply trying to convince themselves of a more comfortable truth because it aligns more easily with their present life and all they've come to believe they love and value?
Yes it is 'just a kiss': a small, simple act, that in other circumstances could mean almost nothing. But given the backstory, the shared daughter, that they live across the street, that they're all committed parents in loving family bonds, this 'kiss' has potentially life altering ramifications that could upend or even destroy the lives of those personally connected. It could taint the memories of a lifetime shared and rip apart the dreams and hopes of a shared future.
If all the parties could 'know' for sure what the truth is then it might all resolve quite easily. But the 'truth' is murky, elusive and difficult to pin down and trust has been broken, confidence lost and such things - as we all know - are built precious brick by brick and are not mended easily or quickly.
Just a kiss ... it rarely ever is.
Thanks for watching! j🌞
What are your thoughts on the Matt/Lauren/Brad storyline? Leave a comment!