What's up with one sided conversation ?

You ever find yourself being asked a question by someone and find the question to be answered by the same someone.

I have. Exactly what is anybody supposed to do in that case ? I don't know what to do, so I manage a goofy smile and try not to feel like I'm completely invisible. Trouble is, once you are used to this sort of thing, you are never sure if the answer to a question is expected to come from you or if the question is purely rhetorical in nature.

Let me explain. I used to work in Hyderabad and subsequently shifted back to Chennai. The first few days I was back in Chennai, we had relatives visiting. I open the door for them and they say, "You are in Chennai?".

As tempted as I was to say, "No. The midday sun has got you hallucinating", I didn't. I only managed that goofy smile I mentioned earlier. That's not the end of it. While I was still contemplating what I was supposed to tell them, they tell me this, "Your mom told us you had come back. Good that you are back".

That's when I realised there was no need to say anything. All I had to do was pretend like I gave a damn and people are happy. This is an empirically proven fact, might I add.

Sometimes one sided conversations are fun. It's like white noise. It's very peaceful. When you know that your involvement in a conversation is purely academic, gives you the time and the opportunity to just watch other people make a fool out of themselves.

It's like watching a movie. If only I had an extra large popcorn in hand.