I Said the Bigger Word to My Sister

Dear Delyara, I didn’t say “I’m stressed.” I didn’t say “I’m just in a weird place.” I said the bigger word, the truer one, the one I usually avoid because it makes things real too fast. My sister got quiet in the right way. Not scared. Not dismissive. Just present. Then she asked, “How long has it felt like that?” No one had asked me that. Not really. Not with the right tone. I told her the truth. And after I hung up, I stood in the pantry holding a box of crackers and cried because sometimes one accurate word opens a door you didn’t know you were trapped behind. That’s what it felt like.