Reading with emotion

As my tears finally dried up, my mind seemed much more at ease and an idea came to me.

"Is there anything that you used to do with your brother that you can't do now."

Rachel seemed pensive for a moment and then nodded toward the cupboards at the back of the room. Did she want me to look in? I went over and opened the cupboard. Inside, there were a lot of books – they weren't textbooks like the ones that I had at home they had smaller pages, but a greater thickness. They were fiction books.

We had to study one in English, one by Charles Dickens, but I never seemed to understand it. Especially how an author can mean so may things by a word as simple as 'the'.

I took one out at random. It was one by Charlotte Bronte. Since it wasn't on the top of the pile of books, there isn't much dust on it except at the edges.

"Rachel and her brother read together?"

"I can't really read, so he used to read to me."

"Rachel doesn't know how to read?"

"No, it's not that."

"Your eyesight is bad?"

"No, not quite. I have dyslexia."

I made a mental note to find a cure for dyslexia, but for the time being. "I will read to Rachel."

"O-ok." Rachel appeared rather taken aback. Perhaps, I should have asked for her permission. Maybe she doesn't want-. "I'd like that."

I started to read. When I finished the first sentence and looked up, I saw Rachel puff out her cheeks. Is she angry with me? It looked so cute that I just wanted to pinch her cheeks, but I restrained myself. I'm trying to get on her good side, remember?

"Linda, you're not putting any emotion into it."

"Emotion into reading?"

"I mean, you sound like a robot."

"Like a robot?"

"That's right, if you read like that, nobody will want to listen to you."

"Please, teach me, Rachel."

"Alright. Read out a sentence."

I read one out loud and she repeated it.

"Do you see the difference?"

"Sorry." I looked down at the book. Tears began to swell in my eyes. Even after wanting to help her, I couldn't do something so simple as read properly.

"Hey, there's no need to be down about it. I wasn't scolding, you."

"Please, let me try again."

"Sure, read the next sentence."

I read it, and she repeated it back to me. This time I listened carefully. "You're putting emphasis on certain words."

"And?"

"Slowing down for some parts and speeding up for others."

"Why?"

"I-I…" I don't know. Why would you go through so much effort? Just so you don't sound like a robot? Wait, that last thought, 'Just so you don't sound like a robot?'. That is a statement, but the way I said it in my mind, it sounded like a question. Because of how I spoke.

"You read it like you would speak."

"Excellent work, Linda." Rachel patted me in the head, and I felt myself blush. "You know, my brother always lectured me like this. Back then, I didn't understand why he liked doing it, but I kind of get the appeal now."