I’ve Been Quiet

I didn’t know I had a lisp. Not until I was 15 and a boy I liked teased me about it. Once he pointed it out, I stopped talking as much. I immediately asked my parents about it. They said they knew it was there, but didn’t think it was a big deal. They thought I would outgrow it. This was, actually, one of the great things about my parents. They shrugged off what other people saw as deficiencies in me. Or fiercely protected me against a system they knew cared nothing about the promise of a young ...