Chapter 10 - PAULA'S OWN RECORD
Then Linda produced Paula’s messages.
Not flattering.
PAULA to friend:
If Linda calls me one more time about preschool snacks, I’m going to lose it.
Another:
Sometimes I wish we could move across the country and not tell her where.
Another:
I hate how much Mia loves going there because Linda acts like she won.
Paula closed her eyes.
She had written them.
Private frustration.
Lauren used them to argue Paula viewed Mia’s bond with Linda competitively too.
Paula wanted to deny it.
Then stopped.
She had.
Not always.
But sometimes.
The family had become a triangle:
Linda felt replaced by Paula.
Paula felt judged by Linda.
Andrew tried to avoid choosing.
Mia became the proof each woman used that she mattered.
Rachel said:
“The strongest thing you can do is admit the ugly part that is true.”
Paula nodded.
She told the evaluator:
“Yes. I resented their closeness sometimes.”
Then:
“But I never wanted Mia to stop loving her grandmother.”
That distinction mattered.
May you like
Paula was not perfect.
She was still the parent.
