Listening ears

Sometimes when we talk, Ryan does this thing. This thing where you can tell that there’s no one at the other end of the communication channel, where you feel like you can start saying anything and he’ll nod or say “uh huh.” (Full disclosure: this is something I do too. But I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about Ryan.) Normally this gets on my nerves. However, when he tries to respond as if he’d been listening all the time, he’ll usually say things that end up making me laugh.

Here’s the most recent example. I was telling him a mundane story about how I’d forgotten to do something. I could tell he was starting to zone, so I wrapped up the story by saying, “So, I’m kind of retarded.”

He responds in an understanding tone, “Yeah, I can tell.”