Myka was doing groceries, cart half full at the moment – and where a child would normally sit, her smallest dog, Gizmo, lay comfortably. She had him registered as an emotionally support animal, mostly because Gizmo had anxiety if Myka left the house without him. Which she understood, considering what he had been through. She had turned down the next aisle, idly just going through each one, as she was in no rush, when she saw the other woman. She recognized her from the restaurant she went two frequently enough, though something was different today; the woman smelled differently. She watched as the woman dropped whatever was being held, and as soon as Myka watched the other slam hands to her ears, Myka knew what was happening; she experienced the very thing, though probably more intensely.
Calmly, Myka pushed her cart towards the woman, taking her bag from it, and kneeling in front of the other. She put her hands over the others’ own, and looked her in the eyes. “It’s okay.” She spoke softly, pulling one of Mel’s hands away from her ears. Myka then began drawing a figure eight continuously into the palm of Mel’s hand; over and over again. “Listen.. concentrate on the sound this makes only.” The only way she had been able to sleep when it happened to her, was drawing figure eights on her pillow until exhaustion took her. “You do it.”
Going into her bag, Myka pulled out a spare set of the same headphones she wore, turning them on, and choosing the settings. They didn’t pay music, but for four hundred dollars a pair, they blocked everything out but ambient noises; car horns, fire alarms, etc. Even then, it wasn’t anything overwhelming. It certainly blocked out the annoying hum of electricity. If the woman was saying something, she couldn’t hear it, considering she wasn’t paying attention. Instead, she just made sure the connecting cord was behind Mel’s neck, and she put the headphones into her ears gently. Now, they would of blocked about every sound out, which was Myka’s preference, but probably not the other woman’s. Still, it was probably better at the moment, than the overwhelming sounds.
@melodydavenport









