Love, Hate and Other Filters

Maya wakes up to find a note from Sofia reminding Maya to eat breakfast. She feels guilty for deceiving her mother about the swimming lesson, but she still plans to go through with it. Maya puts on a red bikini and feels self-conscious, so she dons a red sleeveless dress as a cover-up. Phil arrives to pick up Maya for the swimming lesson. They get into Phil’s car, and he takes her to a forest preserve. He shows Maya an abandoned cottage; it has no window panes, and Phil mentions that he likes to spend time in the cottage: “Sometimes I wish I lived there” (77). Maya assumes that he wishes he lived there with Lisa and imagines them sharing cozy evenings by the fireplace.

The preserve also has a pond, where Phil created his own beach with a few wheelbarrows of sand. He takes off his shirt, and Maya wonders how she can be seen in her bikini. She asks Phil to turn around while she takes off her dress. Phil begins the lesson by teaching Maya how to float; he teases Maya by taking his hand off her back. She is so frightened that she grabs his neck.