“I don’t know,” she sighed. “It’s like I’m aware of the frames of my glasses.”
“What?”
“Y’know how most of the time you don’t even know you’re wearing them?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, I know they’re there.” She stared at the television even though it wasn’t on.
“Hon, are you okay?” I laid a hand gently on her arm, afraid I might startle her. I had never seen her like this.
Sighing, she slipped her fingers under her glasses, rubbed her eyes. “I don’t know. Something…” She dropped her hands, continued to stare at the television. “Something just feels off somehow.”
“How do you mean? Did you take your meds today?”
“Yeah, but I still had a panic attack.”
“How…?” I looked at her, seeking a sign of the panic. There was none. She was breathing slowly and there weren’t any beads of sweat on her forehead. She saw me looking.
“I said ‘had’ not ‘having.’” Caught, I looked away.
“I feel tired and want to sleep,” she offered, “but at the same time I want to be awake. I don’t know where to be. I don’t know how to be.”
The emphasis concerned me. I said nothing, a silent prompt for more.
She said nothing.
Minutes passed. “I don’t feel human,” she whispered.
“How can you not…?”
“Nothing is right. Everything is off. Slanted somehow.” She looked at me. “Y’know?”
I did know. Very well. “I do.”
She smiled the smallest of smiles, resumed starring at the television. “It’s why I married you,” she told the television. “You get me.”
For the Scriptic prompt exchange this week, Diane gave me this prompt: (S)he had a good point, but (s)he was terrible at making it..
I gave Wendryn this prompt: Write whatever comes to mind from the words: “There is nothing”
Um, I’m sure I’m not the only one to feel so, but it’s like you had a bug in my living room the other night, glasses being ‘worn’ instead of worn and all…great little piece of dialog, thank you
Love the dialogue, it flows very smoothly.
The dialog was very natural, and your descriptions spot on. My son has anxiety attacks, and I have a good idea of how “off” he feels sometimes. Well done.
Agreed. You rock at dialog. It’s really natural, and definitely realistic in expressing the struggle of panic disorder. Nice job, Cap’n. :-p
Nicely done. Your dialogue flows quite well!
Great dialogue. I love how the husband is able to sit through the silences and not offer solutions. I love how she describes the feeling as being “off”. Nice post.
It’s not about the husband not offering solutions, it’s about him just listening and prompting for her to talk it out.
Great dialogue. And such an interesting response to your prompt.
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