Cross Talk

While sitting across the table eating egg-rolls and listening to a friend’s husband describe the complexities of coupling wires, I was struck by the term “cross talk”. My attention shifted from his descriptions to thoughts of many discussions over a lifetime which I would identify as cross talk. 

     My recently retired husband and I spend a great deal more time together during the day than ever before having conversations that I could classify as cross talk. He will be half listening to the television and reading the newspaper when I will decide to ask him a question. His answer will often have nothing to do with my question, and I will have no clue what he is talking about. Any attempt to clarify is often the start of an unnecessary argument which devolves  into complaints about my hearing aids, his lack of attentiveness, my poor timing or his fast listening. ( He prides himself in being such a fast listener that he is often finished listening before others, like me, have finished talking).  I have learned not to take this personally, and have revised the timing of my important conversations. 

     Oftentimes, I find us cross talking when I am just in my own world and have a random thought I need to share. The mismatched answer that I get doesn’t even matter much of the time, because sometimes it is just nice to hear the sound of his voice.