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Progress Happens Slowly

What Happens When You Don't Laugh

By Marie BarrisPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 1 min read
Progress Happens Slowly
Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash

She didn’t laugh.

Not that she wanted to.

It wasn’t funny.

It wasn’t funny the first hundred times he’d said it either. But then, she’d known the role assigned to her.

Be easy and amused. Smile, chuckle, make eye contact, and show admiration for the display of wit and charm.

It had been a reflex, something taught a thousand times over.

This is how you act. This is what you do.

Make him feel good—or else.

He nudged her. “I said that’s so gay.”

Or else, she thought as she finally got up and walked away.

Microfiction

About the Creator

Marie Barris

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