The View From Lake Como

Jess goes to dinner with Farah Adeel, and they bond over their religious similarities. Farah reveals that she transitioned from a man to a woman 11 years ago. She didn’t feel immediate relief after her transition, and it took time for her to become the woman she always wanted to be. This is what took Farah to London, where she lives unless she’s visiting Italy. It hurts to be estranged from her family but pretending to be someone else was worse.

Jess works on her next journal entry. She reflects on when she was 19, and Louie and Lil were on their way over for the first time in years. Jess worked for Louie on the weekends, and she would sneak over to visit whenever her mother put him on the Island. She felt like a “secret agent,” carrying information back and forth between the sides, hoping for peace.

Laura tells Jess that she must get rid of Smokey or she’ll have to find somewhere else to live. Jess loves her apartment, but she loves the cat more. Later that afternoon, Angelo knocks on Jess’s door because his mother is struggling to breathe. Jess recognizes the signs of a panic attack and gets the woman a bag to breathe in.