It's puzzling to Eduardo, both because it seems prompted by nothing and because it seems completely counterintuitive, so much so that he lifts his head a little, eyebrows raised, as if waiting for clarification. He hasn't lived through it, of course, can't speak for his mental state four years down the line, but based on what he's managed to pick up so far, the fact that they weren't speaking, and, of course, that he went through with the lawsuit, he finds it unlikely that he'd be suing Mark in one deposition and setting out to speak on Mark's behalf in another. What it would say about him that it would have happened inadvertently, even after everything that's happened, he doesn't know, but it's the only conclusion that can be drawn. In a way, it almost seems similar to what's happening here, in the juxtaposition of his initial reaction to seeing Mark on the couch with the fact that he's now sitting here having a beer with him, almost — not quite — like old times. (He isn't sure they'll ever reach that place again, what they once were, and he isn't sure if he wants to.) He has changed, but some things never do, never will.
If there's one thing to be gained from any of this, anyway, it's that Mark has to be making an effort. Eduardo has yet to discern if it's done more harm than good, based on the implications in a statement like that, but it's not like he can blame him for falling into old patterns. For his part, it's easier than it should be; it only stands to reason that the same would be true of Mark, that he would think it would help to point out what only emphasizes the flaws in their dynamic. (It's not all on Mark, after all. There's a reason why Eduardo is sitting here, why he's okay with the idea, if a little unsettled, rather than being outright bothered by it.) Eduardo can't discredit that, even if it means he is, in a way, proving Mark's point.
"Did I really?" he asks, the barest hint of amusement creeping into his voice, the corners of his mouth twitching in a small, wry smile. "God, I bet they must have hated that. I'm guessing that wasn't what I was supposed to be doing, right?"
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Date: 2011-05-21 12:16 am (UTC)If there's one thing to be gained from any of this, anyway, it's that Mark has to be making an effort. Eduardo has yet to discern if it's done more harm than good, based on the implications in a statement like that, but it's not like he can blame him for falling into old patterns. For his part, it's easier than it should be; it only stands to reason that the same would be true of Mark, that he would think it would help to point out what only emphasizes the flaws in their dynamic. (It's not all on Mark, after all. There's a reason why Eduardo is sitting here, why he's okay with the idea, if a little unsettled, rather than being outright bothered by it.) Eduardo can't discredit that, even if it means he is, in a way, proving Mark's point.
"Did I really?" he asks, the barest hint of amusement creeping into his voice, the corners of his mouth twitching in a small, wry smile. "God, I bet they must have hated that. I'm guessing that wasn't what I was supposed to be doing, right?"