Shhhhh

When I got home Brat Boy was studying.  Unlike his sister who read with the TV on, the radio playing, and her cellphone on speaker, he studied in a quiet room.  I sat down next to him on the couch.

We didn’t say anything for the longest time, which was unusual for us.

“You OK Dad?” Brat Boy asked.  “You’re awful quiet.”

“You ever heard noise you weren’t really aware of until it stopped?”

“Sometimes the ventilation system at school would turn off and you’d be spooked by the quiet.  Like that?”

“Like that, except it’s the noise of everyday life.  The radio, the news, people hitting their car horns.  Noise that makes no sound like people screaming for attention on social media. Sometimes I don’t realize it’s getting to me until it’s gone.”

He smiled and went back to studying as I sat in the quiet.

Today I will absorb whatever peace and quiet I can find.

Dogged Determination ©2018 & 2019 by Ken Montrose

Dogged Determination is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/