Duct Tape

“You should go home,” says The Hubster from the other room.

I wait a few moments. No other verbal communication follows. I peek around the corner to see to whom or what Steve is speaking to. As an Aspie, he can be subject to sudden verbal eruptions mimicking characters on TV, or in a book. He could have had a ‘thought leak’ (my term of endearment for him talking out loud to himself), or he could be speaking to our dogs (of which he does quite often).

As I peer into our livingroom, I assert that A) that The Hubster is completely alone, B) he is not on his phone, C) we are both home, and D) the TV is off and he is not reading.

Hmmm.

“Sweetie, are you talking to me?” I quizzically ask.

Steve looks around, startled.

“What?” he booms. “What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything!”

I then check to see if the stereo is on. It is not.

“I heard you say “You should go home” I respond. “Who were you talking to?”

“I didn’t say anything!” Hubby is now agitated.

“Yes, Sweetie, you did!”

“No I didn’t!” comes a thunderous response.

*Sigh*

A part of Steve’s Aspie traits include mild dyslexia. He often mixes things up. He will think he has spoken when he hasn’t, and vice versa. He will mix words up, especially pronouns. Yesterday, after I had noticed his pants were dirty, he told me that he had worn them several times now and that ‘we’ should put them in the wash. When I responded that I was not responsible for putting his clothing away or in the wash, he insisted that he had said “I”.

He had not.

A ‘discussion’ ensued in which he insisted that I ‘always’ hear things wrong. He said that I ‘always’ say that I am right and that he is ‘wrong’. He denied ever mixing things up.

He basically denied his Aspergers.

Granted, I occasionally don’t hear correctly, and yes sometimes get an incomplete or garbled message, especially when I'm not concentrating fully on the speaker. I would not say, however, that I am always right, nor that I am ‘always’ wrong either.

I do tend to talk too much for Steve. Aspies need short, direct questions and statements. They seem to focus on one or two words that can have multiple meanings and forget to listen to the rest of the words, thus getting very ‘mixed’ messages.

There are definitely times I wish I had a roll of duct tape handy.

And I’m sure that Steve feels the same way, lol.