I don’t give a fuck about traffic, but every single day it seems like someone insists on talking about it. With me.
Here is a recent conversation:
Them: Did you ride the bus last Friday?
Me: Ummm…yeah.
Them: Did your bus take Freeway A or Freeway B?
Me: I don’t know, I was asleep.
Them: Well they closed Exit X on Freeway B. Traffic was horrible.
Me: Ummm…ok.
What am I supposed to do with that information? Who gives a fuck about traffic that happened in the fucking past? I explained that I was asleep. This isn’t the first time I’ve explained to this person that I either sleep or read on the bus. I wouldn't know if the bus driver took surface streets or hitched a ride in the back of a semi like we were fucking Knight Rider. Besides, traffic is the bus driver’s problem. That’s why I pay for a bus pass - to be able to let go of bullshit like traffic. Being aware of it or fretting over it changes absolutely nothing. When I drive, then traffic is my problem, but I still don’t want to talk about traffic that happened days ago.
What I’m simply saying is that you don’t have to fill silence with chatter. If we find ourselves in the same place at the same time silence is perfectly acceptable. Acting otherwise only does us both a disservice. It makes you sound inane and I get a headache trying to hold a passive expression on my face instead of it morphing into one where I’m looking at you like I don’t understand why you are fucking talking.
