“new”
jess —
i met someone new.
i went back to england — first to katie’s, then to london for a bit, where i stayed on p’s couch. i was prepared to spend one night alone in the flat, but his flatmate came home. he put the kettle on.
six hour or so later, with bags of tea littering the sink, i’d met my first new, safe person.
in alison smith’s memoir, she talks about the ‘before people’ & the ‘after people’. there are people who knew you & met you or heard about you. these are the safe people, the people for whom an explanation is not required. i don’t have to give my elevator speech. they know. but there will always be new people, the people who will ask a seemingly innocent question without knowing how much weight it holds. step on the elevator, rise or fall, step out, walk away.
i will always evaluate these new people for a level of safety — theirs, not mine.
i think i’ve been spoiled by this new person, but it helps to know that not everyone is dangerous.
i love you.
