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[original] theory of omission
Saturday, November 13th, 2021 06:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hyojungsstheory of omission
938 words
“You can’t tell someone something they didn’t want to know and then disclaim an opinion,” Amy said.
“So what do you think?” Amy asked him, when they’d turned the corner around the crabapple tree in the main quad, which they’d already passed twice before.
“Well, you kind of have to choose your own course of action at this point,” Alex said, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck. “I can’t tell you what’s right, there’s no objective answer.”
“You can’t tell someone something they didn’t want to know and then disclaim an opinion,” Amy said.
Alex looked at her. “You’re telling me you didn’t want to know?”
“Obviously I deserved to know but would never seek out knowledge that would ruin my life,” she answered. There was a cigarette butt on the path and she ground it out with the tip of her boot, even though it was long extinguished.
“That’s dramatic, maybe,” he said, watching her twist her foot in a horribly ugly fashion.
“Has anyone ever told you something like this about one of your exes?”
“No,” he said. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Amy said. “Just be understanding about the fact that I’m going through it.”
“But I did the right thing, then?”
“I can’t tell you what’s right,” she parroted at him.
“That’s fair,” he said, in a very unvalidating way.
“Men are all kind of terrible, huh?” she said to the empty quad. No one answered but some sparrows flew up and away out of the bare trees as if to leave her statement completely without association.
Alex looked like he didn’t know what to say, which was almost worse than if he’d defended himself. He wasn’t the main target anyway but it was still kind of infuriating.
“I hate men,” she announced, and continued walking. Thankfully she heard steps behind her and her heart stopped beating so fast. She didn’t know what she would have done if he hadn’t followed.
They walked in silence for two minutes, tracing the same path they’d taken the first two times. Amy’s car was parked on the other side of the lake where parking was free and Alex had a pass, so there was no clear indication of when or where exactly they were going to break out of the loop.
“I have to read The Sun Also Rises for class,” Alex said eventually.
“Didn’t you have to read that in high school?” Amy asked. “I did.”
“I have to read it again,” he said, making the point. “I don’t think it’s all bad. I can learn from it. He’s a good writer.” Alex was always trying to get something out of whatever he did even when it sounded like absolute torture, which is probably why he was good at everything under the sun and Amy was literally talentless, and cursed to only meet boyfriends who cared less about her self-worth than their own ephemeral desire.
“Hemingway seems like a awful person, though,” Amy said. “I hate that we don’t talk about that. I hate that I have to learn everything myself.”
“You spend too much time on Wikipedia,” he said. “Anyway, morality is subjective.”
“You say that,” Amy said, voice accusatory, “and yet you felt somewhere in your heart that I needed to know three years of your best friend’s history, and he probably swore you to secrecy after he met me.”
“First of all, it’s icky to hear you call him my best friend,” Alex said. “I don’t know that I’d call him that anymore. And we’re friends now,” he continued, looking Amy in the eyes. “We’re good friends.” Amy couldn’t explain why that stung so much.
“But that means you thought it was bad,” she pressed. “And you won’t tell me to break up with him?”
“Well he hasn’t done anything,” Alex said. “Recently. I can’t— like, it’s not so bad that I can really say that. I thought you needed to know so you could make your own choice.”
“That puts me in a terrible position,” Amy said, stopping before the intersection to press the walk signal button. The light had just turned red on them. “Now if I confront him I’m the bad guy. I wish you’d just tell me what to do. That’s common courtesy.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex told her. She couldn’t look at him, which was awful because again she was afraid that if she didn’t acknowledge it he would leave too.
“You couldn’t have said it before he asked me out,” she said.
“We weren’t that close,” he said. “I was scared that you’d take it badly, like I was intentionally trying to get between you, or, jealous, or something.” Alex was single and had been through the entire duration of their relationship.
“Do you still think that was the right choice?”
Alex watched the pothole on the road as a car sped by and splashed water all the way to the curb. “Now I wish I had told you, but yeah, I don’t see how I would have,” he said. “I didn’t do it for a reason.”
“Well this fucking sucks,” she said. “I hate it here.”
Alex hesitated. “I’m—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry, also,” Amy added, and Alex stopped talking. “I’m so mad at you. But really... I’m thankful to you. I’m thankful for you. Because you understand. But I’m also so mad.”
And he looked so apologetic. “Whatever I can do, I’ll try my best,” Alex said, leading them across the road. “I’ll buy you a drink.” He was looking ahead and couldn’t see Amy’s face which was a good thing because she was going to get emotional if he was any nicer about it. It was really unfair what standards her heart had.
938 words
“You can’t tell someone something they didn’t want to know and then disclaim an opinion,” Amy said.
“So what do you think?” Amy asked him, when they’d turned the corner around the crabapple tree in the main quad, which they’d already passed twice before.
“Well, you kind of have to choose your own course of action at this point,” Alex said, wrapping his scarf tighter around his neck. “I can’t tell you what’s right, there’s no objective answer.”
“You can’t tell someone something they didn’t want to know and then disclaim an opinion,” Amy said.
Alex looked at her. “You’re telling me you didn’t want to know?”
“Obviously I deserved to know but would never seek out knowledge that would ruin my life,” she answered. There was a cigarette butt on the path and she ground it out with the tip of her boot, even though it was long extinguished.
“That’s dramatic, maybe,” he said, watching her twist her foot in a horribly ugly fashion.
“Has anyone ever told you something like this about one of your exes?”
“No,” he said. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Amy said. “Just be understanding about the fact that I’m going through it.”
“But I did the right thing, then?”
“I can’t tell you what’s right,” she parroted at him.
“That’s fair,” he said, in a very unvalidating way.
“Men are all kind of terrible, huh?” she said to the empty quad. No one answered but some sparrows flew up and away out of the bare trees as if to leave her statement completely without association.
Alex looked like he didn’t know what to say, which was almost worse than if he’d defended himself. He wasn’t the main target anyway but it was still kind of infuriating.
“I hate men,” she announced, and continued walking. Thankfully she heard steps behind her and her heart stopped beating so fast. She didn’t know what she would have done if he hadn’t followed.
They walked in silence for two minutes, tracing the same path they’d taken the first two times. Amy’s car was parked on the other side of the lake where parking was free and Alex had a pass, so there was no clear indication of when or where exactly they were going to break out of the loop.
“I have to read The Sun Also Rises for class,” Alex said eventually.
“Didn’t you have to read that in high school?” Amy asked. “I did.”
“I have to read it again,” he said, making the point. “I don’t think it’s all bad. I can learn from it. He’s a good writer.” Alex was always trying to get something out of whatever he did even when it sounded like absolute torture, which is probably why he was good at everything under the sun and Amy was literally talentless, and cursed to only meet boyfriends who cared less about her self-worth than their own ephemeral desire.
“Hemingway seems like a awful person, though,” Amy said. “I hate that we don’t talk about that. I hate that I have to learn everything myself.”
“You spend too much time on Wikipedia,” he said. “Anyway, morality is subjective.”
“You say that,” Amy said, voice accusatory, “and yet you felt somewhere in your heart that I needed to know three years of your best friend’s history, and he probably swore you to secrecy after he met me.”
“First of all, it’s icky to hear you call him my best friend,” Alex said. “I don’t know that I’d call him that anymore. And we’re friends now,” he continued, looking Amy in the eyes. “We’re good friends.” Amy couldn’t explain why that stung so much.
“But that means you thought it was bad,” she pressed. “And you won’t tell me to break up with him?”
“Well he hasn’t done anything,” Alex said. “Recently. I can’t— like, it’s not so bad that I can really say that. I thought you needed to know so you could make your own choice.”
“That puts me in a terrible position,” Amy said, stopping before the intersection to press the walk signal button. The light had just turned red on them. “Now if I confront him I’m the bad guy. I wish you’d just tell me what to do. That’s common courtesy.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex told her. She couldn’t look at him, which was awful because again she was afraid that if she didn’t acknowledge it he would leave too.
“You couldn’t have said it before he asked me out,” she said.
“We weren’t that close,” he said. “I was scared that you’d take it badly, like I was intentionally trying to get between you, or, jealous, or something.” Alex was single and had been through the entire duration of their relationship.
“Do you still think that was the right choice?”
Alex watched the pothole on the road as a car sped by and splashed water all the way to the curb. “Now I wish I had told you, but yeah, I don’t see how I would have,” he said. “I didn’t do it for a reason.”
“Well this fucking sucks,” she said. “I hate it here.”
Alex hesitated. “I’m—”
“Don’t say you’re sorry, also,” Amy added, and Alex stopped talking. “I’m so mad at you. But really... I’m thankful to you. I’m thankful for you. Because you understand. But I’m also so mad.”
And he looked so apologetic. “Whatever I can do, I’ll try my best,” Alex said, leading them across the road. “I’ll buy you a drink.” He was looking ahead and couldn’t see Amy’s face which was a good thing because she was going to get emotional if he was any nicer about it. It was really unfair what standards her heart had.