I Swallowed the Wrong Bite and Nearly Burst Into Tears

Dear Delyara, It wasn’t dangerous. Just awkward. One wrong swallow at the table, one sudden cough, one second of panic in the body. And right behind it, tears. Not because I was choking. Because I was that close. That’s how it is some days. The body is already carrying so much invisible pressure that one tiny shock makes the whole system wobble as if it has been waiting all day for permission to fall apart over something that would look absurd from the outside. I drank water. Recovered. Kept eating. No one would know how close I felt to crying over one bite of food. Still, I think many women would understand instantly.