Do Tell

It was the blush that gave it all away. Everyone has tells. Your body will give away your secrets every time. Some tells are very small and you would only notice them if you were looking directly at someone. Did you know your eyes dilate when you see someone you love? That’s one you have to be watching for to notice. 

Then there are the tells that aren’t really true. People believe you know someone is lying if they look up and to the right when they are talking to you. But if they look up and to the left they are telling the truth. Neither of those is actually true. People tend to look up when they are trying to remember a word, or a part of a story, it’s almost like they are looking in to their brains, searching. But it isn’t a lying tell. There isn’t a universal lying tell. You have to know the individual to know their tell. And there are tells for everything. Good news. Bad news. Lies. Truth. Your body is constantly giving away your deepest secrets. The good thing is that most people don’t notice.

Her mother was a professional poker player. She and her sisters were raised on learning people’s tells. The clues they gave away without knowing it. When they were bluffing. When they were holding a perfect hand. This was important to know when playing poker and they discovered early on that you could use that same knowledge away from the poker table as well.

The first thing they did when they were younger was figure out each other’s lying tells. When Julie lied she quickly crossed and uncrossed the pinkie of her right hand under the ring finger. It was fast. You had to be watching for it. Almost a twitch. But she literally crossed her fingers when she lied. Sarah touched her nose. Maybe to see if it was growing? But a glancing touch. Even when she became aware of it and tried to stop doing it her hand would lift and then go back down. So you knew she was lying.

 Her own tell was harder to see. She rubbed her toes together. Big toe against the toe next to it. What would that toe be, the index toe? Why do fingers each get their own names but not toes? But that was her tell. Very few people had figured it out. If she had any others nobody had let her know. That was also the secret of tells. You didn’t want anyone to know that you had figured theirs out. It wouldn’t do you any good then.

When she had started dating her husband her sister Julie had been the first one to know she was in love with him. They had gone on a double date to a dance club. When they sat down at the table after dancing Carl had reached over and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, briefly brushing her cheek when he did. Later that night Julie said, “It’s all over for you. You love him.” She and Carl hadn’t been dating long enough for that step to have been made. She told Julie no way, not yet, it was still too soon (her big toe rubbing against the next one) and Julie said, “When he tucked your hair back you closed your eyes. You love him.” The closed eyes when he brushed her cheek had given her away. She had a love tell.

A few months later when she was ready to say the words out loud she had remembered that night. The feel of his hand brushing her cheek and her eyes closed again. Yes. She was in love with him. She even loved that she had discovered his lying tell in what she thought was the best sort of way. She had asked if he wanted to go to the opera with her and he said, “I love the opera” then tugged his left earlobe. He did not love the opera. But he had wanted to seem cultured and did want to spend the time with her.

 She was ready to say the words that Julie had known were true months ago. “I love you.” No toes rubbing together. His eyes dilated, “I love you too.” No earlobe tug. It had been a good start to a wonderful life.

She was standing in his office. Remembering that touch. Remembering those days.  Her hand went to her cheek and she closed her eyes. Smiled. They were heading to Las Vegas for the weekend to watch her mother compete in a Master’s Tournament. Julie and her husband were flying out with them and Sarah and her latest girlfriend would meet them there.  She and Julie were excited to meet the new girl. And to see if Sarah closed her eyes when she touched her.  It was beyond time that she settle down.

He was running late. It wasn’t that unusual for him to be running late. She wasn’t even worried about it just yet. She always baked a little extra time in to their schedules to make sure they weren’t late. Or at least she did now. Years of experience had taught her that was best. She checked her watch again, they were still fine.

A few minutes later Carl and a young woman she hadn’t met before walked in to the office. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know I’m late!” He kissed her on the cheek. “Jim had extra questions for me after the meeting broke up.” He tugged his ear.

She held out her hand to the woman standing behind him, “Hi, I’m Emily, you must be Andrea?” The intern looked at Emily then at Carl and blushed. “Yes, yes. Sorry. I’m Andrea. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s nice to meet you.”

Emily said, “Nice to meet you too.” Her big toe rubbing against the one next to it.