No one would describe her as chatty. Fun? Yes. Friendly? Absolutely. But she’s not one with the need to fill open spaces with her words—although it probably would be welcomed because her central North Carolina accent is as charming as all get out.
When a person’s rambling comes to a stop, she takes the moment most would use to get a word in to just…pause. She usually smiles. A nod—she’s just making sure you’re finished. That moment can build you up or completely undo you. Maybe both.
Sometimes you’re not finished and keep going. Sometimes you are, and after that pause you get a gentle but eye-opening wallop of truth. It’s not unlike what I imagine being smacked in the face with a big magnolia blossom would feel like.
I wonder if she knows how much power she carries—and wields—in that pause. All because she makes the decision not to talk.
Valerie Catrow 