Hidden

One fine day, I went over to a friend's house to play games. We're not kids or anything, just grownups who like to play board games. I'm waiting for the rest of the group to show up, sitting on the couch as Jeff and Gillian talk about their day. It is at this point that I start to appreciate the private world that Jeff and Gillian share. There is a universe of experience that they have in common; they can communicate with code words and gestures. Sometimes, walking down the street, you manage a glimpse into a hidden garden or patio if people leave their door open. Quietly listening to them, I realized that this was the same sort of thing, a tiny sliver of that vibrant secret life that goes on behind the walls of everyone's home.