Johnny has had increasingly bad ("profound," the audiologist said) deafness for quite some time now. Everyone who knows him has been hollering at him to do something. Finally, he did, & what a difference. To have a conversation where I don't have to repeat &/or scream everything I say is a relief to both of us. Even though it was entirely for the purpose of being heard, he took it that I was yelling at him & I felt he was ignoring me. In just half an hour we were happier than we have been in ages. I can't see them even though I know they're there, that's how discreet they are. The world opens up.
He said, What's that noise? And it was the microwave, which shows how deaf he'd gotten.