I Walked Into the Room Anyway

Dear Delyara, I was scared to go in. I went in. That’s the whole story. And also not the whole story. Because the body can do so much resisting before a single small act of courage. Sweat, overthinking, inner negotiation, worst-case scenarios, rehearsed exits, imagined humiliation — all of that happened before I took one ordinary step into one ordinary room. People saw me arrive. They didn’t see the war before arrival. But I know it happened. And I know I walked in anyway.