The Firestarter: How a Lost Girl Changed Our Lives

Chapter 6

Lily and I sprawled on the couch, our eyes fixed on the Scrabble board that rested on the coffee table. Evan never bothered to join us. He loathed any kind of game that involved cards or boards. He was such a sourpuss sometimes, but he had his own traumas.

I loved Scrabble. It was more than a game. It was a test of words, of wit, of imagination. It was a game that stimulated your brain and enriched your language. It was a game that gave you a sense of achievement and pride.

I cringed at the metallic clangs that came from the kitchen. Evan was banging the pots around like a madman. Those noises grated on my nerves.

I glanced at the board. There it was: "QUIZ" on a triple word score. I grinned as I counted the points. My mother-in-law would have been impressed. She was a ruthless scrabble player.

Lily gazed at the board with a vacant expression. She was chomping her gum so loudly that I could hear it in my chest. My heart raced. My jaw clenched. I tried to block it out and concentrate on the game. "Your turn, Lily." "Uh-huh." She had a golden opportunity for a triple word score right in front of her. How could she miss it? She either didn't see it or didn't care.

I tapped my foot impatiently. "Hey, Lily, can you please chew more quietly?" Lily ignored me and placed the word "CAT" in a corner of the board. I raised my voice slightly. "Can you please chew more quietly?" A frown creased my forehead. I felt my muscles tighten.

Lily snapped her gum. Then I snapped. "Spit out your gum or get out of here!"

Lily gasped and looked at me with wide eyes. "What? Why are you being so mean?"

I bared my teeth and pointed my finger at her mouth. "I can't stand it when you chew like that. It makes me want to scream."

"Why? What's wrong with chewing gum?" Lily covered her mouth as she leaned back.

"It's not the gum, it's the sound. I have a condition called misophonia. It means I'm extremely sensitive to certain sounds, especially chewing. It makes me angry and anxious."

Lily smiled. "Oh, I know what that is. I have it too, but not as bad as you. Some sounds bother me, but not all of them. Like your foot tapping. Or clicking of pens. Or ticking of clocks. I can't sleep if there's a clock ticking."

"Really? You have misophonia too? How come you never told me?

"I don't know. I guess I was afraid you wouldn't believe me or understand me. I thought you would think I was weird or crazy."

"No, no, I wouldn't think that. I know how it feels to have misophonia. It's not your fault, it's not my fault either. It's just something we have to deal with."

"Yeah, I guess so. But how do we deal with it? How do we get along if we can't stand each other's sounds?"

"Well, we have to be respectful and considerate of each other. We have to communicate and compromise. We have to find ways to cope and adapt."

"Like what?"

"Like... wearing earplugs or headphones when we need some quiet time. Or listening to music or white noise to mask the sounds that bother us. Or chewing gum ourselves to distract ourselves from other people's chewing."

"Oh, I see. That makes sense."

"You know what else makes sense? Apologizing to each other. I'm sorry for yelling at you, Lily. I was just frustrated and stressed out. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I'm sorry too, Elise. I was just enjoying my gum and having fun. I didn't mean to annoy you."

"It's okay, Lily. I forgive you."

"I forgive you too, Elise."

We hugged and smiled. Evan must have heard. He came out of the kitchen.

"Hey, hey, what's this? A hug? That's wonderful! You two made up?"

"Yeah, we did. We had a misunderstanding, but we talked it out and we're good now."

"Yeah, we're good. We learned something new about each other and ourselves."

"That's great. I'm so proud of you both. You're amazing sisters."

"Thanks, Evan. You're an amazing husband."

"Thanks, Evan. You're an amazing... brother-in-law?"

Evan laughed. "Sure, why not? I'll take it."

Evan brought out the plates. "You know what else is amazing? Dinner. It's ready and it might be edible this time. Come on, let's go to the dining table find out."

"Sounds good to me. As long as you can eat without chewing." I said, only half joking.

Lily smiled.

"Here you go, ladies. Bon appetit!"

He served us our plates.

"So, how was your day today? Did you do anything fun or interesting?"