Recovery

I'd Do Anything To Hear Someone Else Cry Again

I remember the first time I ever heard him cry. It was about two years ago. We were talking on the phone and I was standing outside looking at the stars when it happened. He saw an old picture of his dog and suddenly the small absence of words was filled with silent sobs. Soon the sobs grew and they grew to the point where he could barely speak, but I listened. I listened to the cracks and the uneven breaths I listened to the struggle for words and the sadness in his inability to clearly describe what happened. He was apologizing. Saying that he must be entirely weak to be crying over a dog on the phone with his girlfriend. But I said nothing. You see, on my end, tears were silently rolling down my cheeks. He didn't know, but I needed this. I needed to hear his wracking sobs and his silence as he gathered enough breath to speak, all because of a dog he once had. I needed to know someone could feel this way too.