The Argument – Part III “Mya & Brit”

Now, Mya and Brit are a story all to themselves. A lesbian couple navigating the world of everyday life as if they alone exist within it. Neither deeply political nor champions of any particular issue that swirls about the LGBT community, they choose to move through life as one, assimilating the world into one shared experience – as a couple in love.

Let’s start with Brit, real name Candice. With soft blue eyes and reddish-brown hair that seems to sport the duality of looking both unkempt yet stylish, Brit knew from an early age that she would always be drawn to women. As a young girl, she would find herself developing deep crushes on friends (girls) or daydreaming of spending her life with someone of the same sex. In fact, if asked, she would tell you that she couldn’t recall a moment in her life when she felt attracted to a man. Loving women, being attracted to them, wasn’t a choice for her, no more than being born female was.

Originally from Bracknell, England, she is the byproduct of parents who fell in love during their days of working as diplomats. Her father, an American, worked most of his life as a foreign affairs officer for the U.S. State Department, and her mother, a Briton, spent her early days as a political savant in service of Her Majesty. Their union brought forth Candice, who became known as “Brit”, because of her accent, during her high school years at Sidwell Friends – a school for the children of the ultra-privileged and political elite. Even though Brit grew up in a world where kids whipped Bimmers around affluent neighborhoods and attended parties with security details in tow, she always remained grounded in the simpler things that life conjured up – like the joy of her mom’s cooking, the tranquility of evenings spent reading comic books with her dad, or the warmth of genuine friendship. Enter Mya.

Mya, who proudly refers to herself as an Afro-Latina. Her father, Black, and her mother, both Black and Puerto Rican, Mya grew up in the upper middle-class neighborhood of Chevy Chase, Maryland. With both her parents being lawyers, it was no surprise that she would also find herself making a living as a top lawyer for one of the most prestigious law firms in Washington DC – Whittaker & Zinn.

Tall, with even brown skin and hair that had the ability to be styled in a curly afro one day or braided in tight cornrows the next. To Mya, her hair was everything, an outward representation of the internal and deeply personal view she has of herself. A view that, at times, could be in direct opposition to her actions. Heads up, this fun fact comes into play during “The Argument,” so you might want to take notes. Just saying.

Back to Mya… Unlike Brit, being a lesbian for Mya was a choice. Having been in relationships with both men and women, Mya found her connections with women to be more fulfilling or in keeping with the way she expresses herself. It’s not that she didn’t like men or find them attractive; very much to the contrary – she did. However, her experiences with women were more suited to her likes and less about her, well, dislikes, and for Mya, it was really that simple.

However, Mya kept one secret from Clarke, and that secret would spark the first salvo of the emotional war that, as I mentioned before, would come to be known as “The Argument”…

Mya and Brit met while they were both attending Sidwell Friends. Though they ran in different circles, they would eventually connect during a field trip to the White House. Needless to say, Sidwell Friends enjoyed privileges that other, less prominent schools did not. Anyway, it was during that trip when their connection first sparked. For Brit, the feeling was instantaneous, but for Mya, it was more a curiosity. Up until that moment, Brit had not revealed her sexuality to anyone, though her parents both knew. Mya had already explored the advantages, as well as disadvantages, of being with both sexes, and as a result, she decided to remain sexually open – having the pleasure of enjoying both options. The weekend after that field trip, they found themselves alone at Mya’s home while her parents were away. Without getting into all the details, the moment proved to be something that would shape who they would eventually become, well at least for Brit.

Their relationship came to an end after they graduated, with Mya off to attend college at Georgetown and then law school, also at Georgetown, and Brit off to study Public Policy at Stanford University. Years passed, but eventually, they would reconnect again in Washington DC, where they would become a couple.

Now that I have laid out the characters, I feel it necessary to add a few more details, specifically about Mya, as she would prove to be an integral part of this story.

It was at Georgetown that she would meet and become close friends with Clarke. Strictly friends, Mya and Clarke would often confide in one another, sharing their deepest thoughts, fears, hopes, and anything and everything they felt the urge to express. However, Mya kept one secret from Clarke, and that secret would spark the first salvo of the emotional war that, as I mentioned before, would come to be known as “The Argument” between Gideon and Clarke.

“Check back for Part IV of The Argument – “Mya’s Secret”…