family group

I'm part of a family WhatsApp group, where everyone shares updates and photos, the usual familial chatter, but what I find interesting is what's not being said, the silences and the gaps, the way people avoid certain topics, the way the conversation will suddenly shift when someone mentions something sensitive, the way the laughter and the jokes will fill the void, the way the words will dance around the truth, the way the group will collectively avoid the elephant in the room, the unspoken rules and the unwritten codes, the way we all know what not to say, the way we all know how to navigate the minefield, the way the group will sometimes erupt into a flurry of messages, the way the words will spill out, the way the emotions will simmer just below the surface, the way the group will slowly return to its usual rhythm, the way the silence will descend once more.