Silence for My Golden Sister
Language: en
I was born with a lot to say. My younger sister, Sophie, was born terrified of the sound of her own voice. Because of her severe social anxiety and speech impediment, my family adopted a single, unwavering doctrine: Any word she was willing to speak mattered more than anything else. The first time I felt it, we were at the dinner table. I had just announced that I’d won first place in the state public speaking championship. My mother had barely opened her mouth to ask about it when Sophie whispered that she wanted a glass of water. Immediately, the entire family swarmed her. "Look at our…