fluent in silence

“The broken are the more evolved.” ~ M. Night Shyamalan

 

“Oh, no. That coupon’s only good for regular white milk, not for low-fat.”

“Oh, okay…”

“Do you still want this?” The cashier waved the carton of 2% low-fat milk.

“Yes…” I nodded.

The rest of the merchandise was quickly scanned. “It’ll be $48.67.”

I swiped my card, which I had been holding in my hand, and punched the appropriate buttons. The cashier with a dour expression glanced at me, handing me the receipt.

“Thank you,” I flashed a plastered smile at her, looking over the self-checkout line longingly.

I do care what others think of me. This is a good thing. This means I haven’t given up.

My mom once told me a story about the time we moved from one side of the city to the other. When I returned home after the first day at the new kindergarten, I placed my bag on the table and let out a big sigh, she said. For her question of how the day went, I simply replied with a meek smile.

That girl who felt awkward in public has grown to be a believer of no-expectation-no-disappointment.