Night Whispers

Blogtober Short Story # 6

One thing I learned as a child, is that Trinidadian families are quite dysfunctional, but the energy to keep up the facade is never ending. Shame is powerful, it takes on a life of its own, it’s all consuming, because the goal is to present the picture of a perfect life that hides the truth. I was a voyer before I knew the meaning of the word, I hid in dark spaces, or stayed up well after everyone was sleeping and simply listened. The sounds of night, the secret giggles, the conversations meant for older ears only, intrigued my curious mind.

Adults tell the truth in the dark, maybe it’s because they aren’t looking at themselves or the person they are speaking with, but intimacy occurs in those wee hours, when the mosquitoes light humm along the ears have long passed, and the heart opens to vulnerability. In these moments secrets are whispered, softly, but as the sun begins to rise and the cocks crow, the shame of those secrets resume and daily life continues.

It’s those secrets that cause the anger to resurface and the triggers that allow resentment of your own children to fester like unlanced boils. Abusers never pay the price, that’s reserved for the next generation, those born of the ones who were left behind, raised by Tanty and Granny, only to arrive on the very shores of migration and face a fight with those that brought them into this world…..

Much love from the brown girl, sharing short stories for Blogtober! Keep writing, even if no one is reading ❤️

Nyri~The Unnerved Traveler