I Replied “Sure” When I Meant “Please Not Tonight”

Dear Delyara, The message was simple. A favour. A normal request. Nothing outrageous. And because I am very well-trained in being accommodating before honest, I wrote “Sure” almost automatically, then sat there looking at my own reply with immediate resentment. Not only at the person. At myself. Because I knew the truth. I did not want one more thing. I did not have emotional room for one more thing. And still, the faster reflex in me was not honesty. It was usefulness. That’s a hard thing to admit. It’s also one of the truest things about my life.