To Speak, or Not

     My last blog post was about approaching what we have to say in a way that invites dialogue and healthy interaction. The comments posted there have prompted me to share a paragraph from my novel "Shadowbox" that I'm now writing.
     In this scene, the protagonist Jen, who has recently become homeless, learns that she will be hired for the job she is interviewing for only if she agrees to never speak. Here is her thinking on this matter:
     "Yet this idea of not speaking wasn’t new to me. I’d considered it before. I’d always suspected my reasons for speaking were all wrong. I was often aware of talking because someone expected me to say something. Sometimes I spoke to impress people or make them like me. And I knew I often made up excuses, little mini-lies or outright lies, to keep from having to commit to doing something I didn’t want to do. And I’d already gone through so much in my life that I couldn’t admit to or talk to anyone about, I’d be grateful to never again have to answer a personal question. I even wondered how many trusting friends I’d buried over the years in the avalanche of my opinions and judgments they hadn’t asked for. That was one very bad habit not-speaking would end. But not speaking at all, ever. . . ?
     "The General’s eyebrows were raised above soft, hopeful eyes waiting for my answer. I had to think some more. Speaking was my main line of defense—at least I thought that might be true. Would the General be on hand to protect me? I’d never know if I didn’t give him the chance. Either I was willing to commit to this bizarre job situation and its scary rule, or I’d have to go back to my car for a cold night’s sleep and an unknown future. Did I really have a viable choice? Could I live without ever speaking?"
    Sorry, readers, but I'll have to leave you hanging about her decision and the consequences. She has taken on a life of her own, and her decisions and behavior continue to surprise me!