When I see my reflection in the subway window, I have even less to say to my husband.
On the subway to work, I replay the brief exchange I had with my husband and decide not to start a conversation today either.
Scenes
- I swallow my words on the way to work. — After my morning conversations with my husband grew shorter, I saw my reflection in the subway window and didn’t start a conversation today either.
- Our conversations grew shorter at home first. — After we exchange only the words we need at the table, I keep from speaking first on the way to work too.
- Holding back words spills into the rest of the day. — When I don’t speak first at home, I start typing a check-in to my husband on the subway, then erase it.
- Today, write down how you feel instead of saying it. — If you jot down one line in your phone’s notes about what you wanted to say to your husband, you can see what’s been holding you back.
- You don’t have to decide what to say tomorrow yet. — If the words you wrote down are still on your mind tomorrow, you can think about what you’d like to talk about with your husband then.
Stories by Dalbit
- Dalbit
- When a notification comes in, my shoulders tense up first.
- On payday, I want to ask how you are first
- When I think of my child’s report card, I end up grading myself too.
- After hearing about my friend, my own day feels small.
- Even in the salon mirror, the silence between me and my husband follows me.
- Folding laundry, I start worrying about my child again
- In the family chat, it’s always Mom who speaks
- When the elevator doors close, I want a moment alone.