One Wonderful Week

I guess I should really be ashamed of myself, and I am, but I had a wonderful week. Sure, I get good days now and then. I can remember one in June of 1987, but seven days in a row is sort of miraculous.

The reason I say I should be ashamed is that this whole week of happiness came as a result of my girlfriend being sick. Nothing serious, just got a bad cold, which she quickly recovered from. It was the laryngitis that turned out to be something really special.

This was the first time since I have known her that she was entirely unable to speak. I don’t mean she was hoarse, I mean she could not make a sound, beyond an almost inaudible squeak, like an anemic mouse with emphysema. It was wonderful.

I said I was ashamed already, okay?

This changed everything. First of all, we could not talk on the phone. We were forced to use Yahoo Messenger and chat back and forth on our computers, and since I type a blazing 20 words per minute (with typos), this made for short conversations. In other words, we got to the meat right away. It was incredible.

“I go store way home.”

“OK.”

“MNF at 7, Vikes v. Skins. Pizza.”

“OK.”

No, I’m the one saying “OK.” She really loves football.

And guess what was the one thing we couldn’t do? That’s right: argue. Now you’re seeing my point, huh?

At home, it was even less wordy, since she had to write on one of those erasable refrigerator grocery list things. This kept our conversation to single words for the most part. Like cavemen with Sharpies.

It was tough, but I fought the overpowering urge to come home every night and say, “Well, tell me all about your day!”

But all good things come to an end, and after a week, her voice began to return. I had gone through a whole seven days without once hearing, “You never listen to anything I say.”

I have heard that several times since then, but I don’t mind. She had a lot of stored up words and plenty to say after being mute for a week. So I am working on being a good listener. And I must admit that “I love you” has more impact when it’s spoken than when it’s written on one of those refrigerator things in purple.

Still, it was a wonderful week. It might be good for our relationship to have a wordless vacation like this every few years, but unfortunately I can’t count on her getting laryngitis again.

So I’m taking up scuba. Did you know that you can go deaf for days if you don’t clear your ears properly when diving?.

©2010 Kona Lowell