ship. shipmate. self.

She said nothing for at least a minute. At first I thought she was thinking and she would continue. Then I thought she was waiting for me to say something. I had nothing to say, so I kept silent. I often felt that our silences were charged with more meaning than some of the things we had actually said. I wondered if her silences had been intentional. She then took a deep breath and said, “I think all that might have left a much deeper scar. A wound—one that could have become permanent.” After a beat she shut her notebook, capped her pen, and added, “The safety announcement on planes? Do you recall? Put on your own oxygen mask first before helping others?”