“I don’t like to talk to people unless they’ll be interested”
Naomi and I are both the youngest in our families. I knew from a very young age that no one wanted to hear what I had to say, so I learned to talk to myself, a habit I still enjoy. Naomi is different. She doesn’t care if anyone’s interested. Her words bombard me like tiny ping-pong balls — they don’t hurt, but they can be annoying.
But now Naomi has stopped talking, and the silence is so worrisome that I take her to the emergency room.
Her appendix has burst. She needs an operation, armfuls of antibiotics, and pints of painkillers. Seeing her wan and silent in a hospital bed, I feel an affection that’s missing when I’m listening to her chatter.
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