[VOICE A — DEEP WARM MALE ONLY] You're right. I wasn't there. So I won't tell you what happened. I'll tell you what happened after. She's a loving woman who thinks she's hard to love. A beautiful soul who somehow thinks she's not enough. She's got a voice but she's scared of what happens when it's heard. She'll spend an hour finding courage then apologize for every word. She prepares for anger that I never even had. Sometimes when I get quiet she asks me if I'm mad. I'm not. But somebody taught her silence means something bad is coming. And whatever happened back then... she's still running from it now. [VOICE B — ROUGH COLD MALE ONLY] So what do you want from me? You want me to say I'm sorry? You want me to tell you everything was all my fault? She's with you now. I'm out of her life. Whatever you're dealing with ain't my problem anymore. [VOICE A — DEEP WARM MALE ONLY] That's exactly why I'm here. Because you think it ended when you walked out that door. It didn't. I'm living with things I had nothing to do with. And I'm not complaining. I love her. I'll sit beside her as long as it takes for her to understand she doesn't have to be afraid of me. But one day... you're gonna love somebody else. And that's the part I came here to talk about. Because if you don't understand what happened here... you're gonna do it again. Different woman. Different house. Different arguments. Same fear. You'll call her sensitive when she finally breaks. You'll call her difficult when she stops doing everything your way. You'll tell yourself she's the problem. And she'll start believing you. Then maybe years from now some other man will be sitting beside her trying to understand why saying "I love you" makes her nervous. Why she apologizes when she cries. Why she asks permission to have an opinion. Why she thinks his bad mood must somehow be her fault. And he'll wonder... who taught her that? [VOICE B — ROUGH COLD MALE ONLY] So now you're here to teach me how to love? [VOICE A — DEEP WARM MALE ONLY] No. I'm here to tell you what yours looked like from the other side. What you do with that is up to you. Maybe you think I'm full of shit. Maybe the second I leave you'll convince yourself I'm just another guy who only heard her side. Fine. But maybe... the next time a woman you love gets quiet around you... you'll remember this conversation. Maybe when she starts choosing every word carefully, instead of thinking, "Here we go again," you'll ask yourself why she doesn't feel safe enough to just say it. Maybe when you're angry you'll remember anger doesn't give you ownership of somebody else's voice. Maybe when she says "no" you won't treat it like rejection. Maybe when she tells you something hurt... you'll listen before you defend yourself. That's why I'm here. [FINAL VERSE — VOICE A ONLY] As for her? She's gonna be okay. Not because of me. Because that woman has more strength inside her than she knows what to do with yet. I'm just lucky enough to be standing beside her while she finds it. But whoever comes after her in your life... I won't know her. I won't be there when your voice gets louder and hers gets smaller. I won't be there to tell her she isn't crazy. I won't be there to tell her everything isn't her fault. So I'm telling you. Now. Before there has to be another her. [OUTRO — VOICE B ONLY, quiet] You really think I did that to her? [VOICE A — DEEP WARM MALE ONLY] I think you should ask yourself why you're more afraid of that answer than I am. [Silence] [VOICE A — spoken] Don't do it to the next one.
