❝In which two people call up a helpline in order to find someone just as broken as they are. ❞
"Does...does it bother you that my dad's in prison for murder?"
"Well, judging by the fact that I moved away from America to get away from the memory of a...
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"Hey...um...is the same girl that called a couple of minutes ago?"
"Yeah. It...it is."
"Oh thank all things holy. I wasn't entirely sure how this thing worked. I mean, I was half certain that if I called back the same number I might get a different person."
"No...no. It's still me. I...I'm sorry for hanging up on you before. It was just a little-"
"Overwhelming?"
"Yeah...I guess you could say that. I...I'm not really used to people talking a whole lot. They kinda sorta go silent as soon as I walk into a room."
"Well, you're definitely not going to get that from me. I talk so much that most of the time people just wish I'd shut the hell up."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. I don't know what it is. Once I start I just can't seem to stop. Something about silence just really irritates me."
"You don't find silence peaceful?"
"No way. I just find it really awkward."
"But what if the person you're talking to would prefer to sit in silence?"
"Well, then they'll have to deal with it because I can't stand silence. I can't possibly see how someone can find silence peaceful. It's just plain awful. Just sitting there avoiding eye contact. Absolutely god-damned awful."
