I wanted the dishwasher to be the last sound of the day

Dear Delyara, Not the television. Not another conversation. Not one more question shouted down the stairs. Not my own thoughts chasing tomorrow around the bedroom. Just the dishwasher. There is something about that steady low sound that feels emotionally neutral in a way human noise often doesn’t. It asks nothing, reveals nothing, carries no undertone, needs no answer. Last night, when the kitchen was finally closed and the machine started up, I actually felt my whole body soften. I think that’s because by the end of some days, I don’t want stimulation. I want non-demanding company. A sound that stays near without entering me. I stood there for a few seconds longer than necessary with my hand on the counter, listening to it, before I turned the light off.