Jack looks at me and says: “I thought we had an unspoken agreement never to speak of that.”
ME: Huh? An unspoken agreement never to speak about what?
JACK: What you just spoke of. What were you just speaking of?
ME: When?
JACK: Just now.
ME: I was asking you what we had an unspoken agreement about.
JACK: No, no. Before that.
ME: I don’t remember.
JACK: How can you not remember?
ME: I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think it was that important so I didn’t pay much attention.
JACK: You’re not serious! Are you telling me you don’t pay attention to what you say?
ME: Well, I am pretty laid back, not like you, always on edge. So yes, sometimes I am just in the moment answering and talking about what ever we were talking about and not really retaining it for the future, just living for the now. Can’t hold a grudge if you don’t remember.
JACK: Oh I can’t stand that! That’s what’s the matter with our society: no respect for the past, no memory of anything.
ME: Hey wait a minute! You know that’s how I live and that it’s a fundamental part of me. We agreed not to argue about it.
JACK: We did? I don’t remember.
ME: Ah hah!
JACK: Ah hah what?
ME: You didn’t remember just like I didn’t remember.
JACK: So what? And anyway, if you are ah hahing me, it’s like holding a grudge.
ME: Hold on. You started this by saying we had an unspoken agreement not to speak of something and I couldn’t remember it.
JACK: Well I don’t want to talk about it.
ME: How will I know what I am not supposed to talk about if you don’t tell me?! Besides how did you know we had an unspoken agreement?
JACK: I knew we had an unspoken agreement never to speak of it because we never spoke of it. Why would we never speak of it unless we had an unspoken agreement not to do it?
ME: That makes no sense. If it was unspoken, that means I never agreed to anything. There are a million things we haven’t spoken of yet but we never agreed not to speak of them. I’ve never spoken to you about … Give me a second, I’m sure there’s something. Ok, we’ve never spoken about my great grandfather.
JACK: What can you tell me about your great grandfather?
ME: Nothing. Nobody ever told me anything about him either.
JACK: Was that on your father’s or you mother’s side? And on their mothers’ or fathers’ sides?
ME: Actually, I don’t know anything about any of them.
JACK: So how could you speak of them anyway? That’s ridiculous. You always come up with ridiculous examples.
ME: I could have told you that no one had ever told me about my great grandfathers and now I have.
JACK: You know there’s something fishy about your argument.
ME: What?
JACK: Well if you always live in the moment and you don’t remember what you said, how can you be sure what you’ve never talked about with me?
ME: Hmm, let me work on that. But I definitely don’t remember what I said that you think we had an unspoken agreement never to speak about.
JACK: Actually, now I don’t remember either but if you agree, we’ll never speak of this again.
ME: I’m not going to say I agree but if I never talk of this whole incident again you will know we have an unspoken agreement never to speak of it.
JACK: Just a moment! That’s exactly what you said the last time!
ME: I did? Whatever it was, can we agree just to forget it?
JACK: Agreed. I always liked spoken agreements better anyway.
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