178. An Odd Conversation

He has been talking to her for over an hour now. What began as nothing more than a simple conversation has gradually expanded into something else entirely.

The strange thing is that they seem to be talking past each other. He hadn’t noticed this before, but now it seems obvious. He makes a point about something and then she makes an entirely different point about something else. It’s as though they’re simply stating their separate opinions on the matter rather than actually conversing.

He wonders if she has also noticed this. He thinks she must have, for it seems unlikely she hasn’t. She is, after all, more perceptive than he is. And she’s smiling and animated, as though she’s thoroughly enjoying their talk. He is enjoying it too, or at least he was, before he noticed what was happening.

He wonders if he should alter his manner of speech to acknowledge her point before he says what he needs to say. Then there would at least be a place of agreement in the conversation, a centre for their shared thoughts to orbit. But maybe this is unnecessary.

He wonders if he should even be worrying about this. If she thought it was a problem, she certainly would have said something by now. Maybe the source of his concern is more that she doesn’t acknowledge the points he’s making. Maybe that’s causing him to feel insecure. But why should he be insecure? He doesn’t need her to tell him that his thoughts are valid. Nor does it seem like she needs his support.

So he decides to do nothing at all. He will allow the conversation to carry on as is. Neither of them will force the other to conform to their thoughts. Perhaps this is where their agreement is located, he realizes. For she must have gone through this same sequence of thoughts and reached the very same conclusion.

The truth then is that they are not separated. They are united, even though there is no obvious connection between their words. They have silently agreed that this is what their conversation will be, and now they can enjoy it. They can air their thoughts without judgments or counterarguments getting in the way. In the end, their talk is actually far more valuable than he imagined.