Originally Posted on April 14, 2022

Sitting at the kitchen table, I gaze at the water beyond the balcony and city lights. An airplane blinks white and red in the black sky. I open up my laptop and place my index fingers on letters “F” and “J.” Then, I listen.

I hear clicks—some more high-pitched than others as my fingernails clash with the keys. I hear the roaring of rushing cars along roads eight stories below. I hear the buzzing of the fridge, the swishing of the dishwasher, and the chiming of my phone. Outside my apartment are whistles, barks, and voices in the night.

I hear the half-second-long ticks of the mouse as I press “File” and then “Save” to keep this page as a reminder of solo nights across the globe in my home-away-from home in the Middle East at the end of the week when I should be asleep.

But my thoughts lead me to the keyboard to listen to the sounds of writing.