Early Saturday morning I’m sipping coffee and working on the laundry. The house is quiet and I’m humming a Phil Collins song to myself. One of the dogs is lying at my feet, his ear twitching occasionally to reassure me that he is still alive. My feet are moving of their own volition.
“No, I can’t dance, I can’t talk, only thaaang about me is the waaay I walk…” Toe, heel, toe, heel, swing, tap, swing go my feet.
Immediately there is a deep bass echo from the doorway of my laundry room.
“Only thaaang about me is the waaay I walk…”
I jumped about two feet straight in the air causing the dog to yelp and leap also. My coffee cup goes over into the sink, but as I had already emptied it, and it didn’t break, no harm, no foul.
“STEVE!” I blurt. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
“What?” says He. “Only thaaang about me is the waaay I walk…”
Fortunately the radio isn’t playing, as the Hubster is tone deaf. His bass voice is wonderful, a capella, but try to match an actual tune…
I say good morning to my husband, then try to kiss him around the jumping dogs, as our other one had followed him down. Though I try to catch hold of my now dancing mate, he is too intent on his echoing to stand still for a smooch.
Whether it’s in conversation, watching TV, or at the movies, Steve involuntarily echoes words or phrases out loud. It’s really irritating at times, especially in the movie theater.
Usually it’s something he’s not heard before, or something he, and usually only he, finds amusing. I refuse to watch Sponge Bob with him.
It is comforting to know that other Aspies will do this too. It can make a conversation difficult when my hubby echoes my words. (see blog on echolalia)
“Hey Honey, how was your day?” I ask as he comes in the door from work.
“How was your day?” he echoes.
“Nope, I asked you first,” I reply.
“I asked you first,” he echoes.
“Okay, never mind”, I retort as I walk away.
“Never mind,” comes the echo. No footsteps follow me, but I hear continued echoes of “never mind” filter through the house.
And, my friends, that is the rest of the story!
"The rest of the story..." echoes faintly.
"The rest of the story..." echoes faintly.
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