She stayed on the phone and let me say the ugly version

Dear Delyara, I told her the ugly version — that I felt used, tired, lonely, and ashamed of how badly I’d been coping with something I thought I should have handled better by now. I expected, at some point, for her to interrupt it with perspective or reassurance or some bright sentence that would tidy it too soon. She didn’t. She stayed there with me while I sounded unpolished and human and not especially inspiring. That meant everything. Some people say they’re there for you and then subtly guide you back toward being easier to listen to. She didn’t. She let me stay real.