I thought everyone noticed what I noticed.
In an office job once, I overheard a manager on the phone. She was normally calm and steady, but this time her tone was sharp. Irritated. Something was off.
I started paying attention immediately. Listening closer. Looking around the room to see if anyone else had picked up on it. No one reacted. No one even looked up.
I couldn’t understand how. It felt obvious to me.
Later, I found out the person she was talking to had refused to do something she asked. They were fired that same day.
This wasn’t unusual for me. I noticed the shifts before anything was said out loud. Before anything happened. I just didn’t realize other people weren’t noticing it.
I thought this was just survival. Something I learned in my home life.
I didn’t question it. I assumed that’s where it came from.
But later, I started to realize it wasn’t just something I learned. It was something I already did.