tea, voice, invisibility

You spoke very little, drank very little tea, as the tea level remained the same in your cup. You hardly touched anything I ordered, so I ate most of it. But you liked tea. You spoke so little and with such a small voice, I had to lean over to make out what you were saying, so I gave up and started on my rice. Then, little by little, your utterances came to me in short crispy doses, and I realized by not trying so hard to listen, I began to hear what you were trying to say.