Monday, April 25, 2011

Week 2

I will leave an opening for you guys to start again... I'll be ready tomorrow!

3 comments:

  1. Wow! This is definitely taking a different turn. I always thought I was openminded and I still am accepting people for who they are, however, I am uncomfortable with the intimacy of gay life. I have several in-law family members that are gay and their friends. Wonderful people but I don't want to know about their private lives. When they kiss each other, it just seems weird to me. So I just see the human being and not their lifestyle.

    Zoe is a wonderful person doing much good with her music therapy. She has an innate sense of how to deal with each "patient". Vanessa is also a unique individual with many gifts. However, she is pushing Zoe into letting others know that she is in a gay relationship as when she was upset when Zoe introduced her as a "friend" or when Max was in the store and Zoe didn't know how to introduce VAnessa. Rather, she just let Max think that Vanessa is a girlfriend and they were shopping together but not as a gay relationship. So Vanessa calls her on it and Zoe, much to her credit, does go out and admit it to her mother and Max, then others when she gets "married" to Vanessa.

    I think Zoe because of what she has gone through likes the comfortable relationship of just being herself and not having to reinvent herself for Max. I can relate to that as I always wonder how U. Mark will take any news that I think he won't like so I carefully try to work out how I can introduce that news without upsetting him. It took me by surprise at how fast everything went with them getting married.

    Max's reaction to Zoe's news is not surprising to me. After being with someone, you think you know them pretty well and then you get this new side that you aren't prepared for. He took comfort in his church and the community of people within it. It did rescue him from his alcohol addiction. Now he wants to "save" Zoe and she resented it. But I understand that he wants what he thinks is best for her. It's just not what she wants.

    Now the business of kids. You see it all the time in the news with Rosie O'Donnel and her gay partner adopting kids or Elton John and his partner adopting a child. I don't doubt that they are good parents. Any human being is capable of loving another. Zoe wanting to use her frozen embreos doesn't seem a stretch as it is part of her. Getting Max to agree will be a stumbling block cause it is also a part of him and believing that homosexuality is "wrong" in the Bible, he will have a difficult time processing this request. Am curious how he will resolve this.

    I like reading about the human reactions to situations but find that at times I am uncomfortable with the intimacy of Zoe and Vanessa's relationship. However, I do like them both.

    So I am curious on your reactions to what is going on so far Jennifer and Ingrid. Please post quickly. I will continue on. Do have to go online to hear the music, though. Am curious about the songs.

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  2. I feel the same way you do Aunt Joyce... however I feel that way about all relationship. I feel that people can do whatever they want behind close doors... but I am not a big PDA fan... I don't like seeing a man and a woman, or a man and a man, or a woman and woman being all lovey dovey... I never was a big PDA fan, and I don't know why.

    I feel like we only live once and we deserve to be happy with who we are with. In this case Zoe thought it was Max, but the stress of the marriage and baby took it's tool... once the divorce was final she took solice in Vanessa. It all started as a friendship, and then emerged as a romantic relationship. I was very surprised how at ease Zoe seemed to be with her transition.

    It's interesting to see both ends of the spectrum of people's viewpoints on same sex relationships. Max and his new found religion, and how judgemental (and probably hurt at the same time)... and then at the same end, how, after the initial shock, Zoe's mom seemed very accepting and even embraced Zoe's relationship.

    Also, on the baby... I really hope it works this time for Zoe. I don't think she will be able to handle the devestation of another loss. Once Vanessa brought up the baby, all of a sudden that is all Zoe is thinking about. I feel like the reason Vanessa and Zoe got along so well in the beginning is because Vanessa was a nice distraction to Zoe's baby issues... but now all of those will come storming back. We will see if Zoe and Vanessa are able to have a baby, and if not, will their relationship be able to withhold, unlike Zoe and Max's.

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  3. It was a bit surprising to me that Zoe is a lesbian but then as I read more I guess it just seems as if that the relationship between her and Vanessa makes sense. Zoe still, in spite of all her medical problems wants a child, especially a child that has her genes, DNA, with him/her. I was a bit perturbed though that Vanessa was anxious for Zoe to admit to people that she is gay...good for Zoe's mother that after a bit, she accepted her relationship. After all, Zoe's mom did like Vanessa even before the announcement of their relationship.

    Max definitely took the standard and not unreasonable route of being in shock. He is hurt, can't understand if Zoe was a bit 'gay' while they were married or if it just came to the forefront with all the pregnancy problems. Good for Max, I guess, that he took his brother's religion as a way to 'accept' him and how he feels versus the bottle. Hopefully he doesn't feel that with his new found religious fervor that he can change Zoe 'back' to being straight. Interesting how he gravitated toward his brother and sister while when he was with Zoe, he felt they were a bit fanatical. Wonder how Max will react to Zoe still wanting to have a baby with Vanessa - will his 'faith' look down on this possibility, will he feel that he has to have a say in this development.

    I hope for Zoe's sake that Vanessa will not disappoint her with this venture (that Zoe still wants to have a child), that she will stand by her even if Max decides that the embryos are his as well and that he wants to have them for himself so they can be raised in a traditional family setting. Will Vanessa be a reasonable support for Zoe even in court if there is a big battle for the embryo?

    What about Max's relationship with his brother and sister-in-law, now that he is closely linked to them with the religion and being in their home? How much of an influence is Pastor Clive going to be on Max?

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