I Heard the Washing Machine End and Pretended I Didn’t

Dear Delyara, I was sitting on the sofa and I heard it clearly, but I stayed exactly where I was. Not because I didn’t know what came next. I knew too well. Open the door. Shake the clothes. Hang them up. Start thinking about what still needs ironing. Notice what is missing. Remember what needs washing again. For once, I didn’t move straight away. That small refusal felt bigger than it should have. Because sometimes the deepest tiredness is not physical. It is the tiredness of always being the one who responds first. The washing waited. Nothing terrible happened. I needed that proof more than I realised.