Listening intently

Ashwin Goyal

Jun 1, 2024

"You know, I was thinking of painting the ceiling purple," she said from the kitchen.

"Uh-huh," he murmured.

"Also, I signed us up for a mission to Mars. We leave next Tuesday."

"Sure, sure," he nodded.

"Oh, and I invited the Queen over for tea tomorrow. Hope that’s alright."

"Yeah, absolutely," he said, never taking his hands off the controller.

Being recognized

"I can offer you free food. And maybe convince them to let you work from home on Saturdays. I can give you gift cards, maybe even make you Employee of the Month. You'll get a prime parking spot for a week. Perhaps a company-sponsored gym membership?"

Ordering for a group

Someone yelled, “Let’s just get pizza.” “Okay, pizza it is,” they agreed. “No onions on mine,” one person said. “No onions? That’s the best part!” someone protested. “If there’s no onions, I’m not having pizza,” another declared.