A neighbor jumped into the pool as we were treading and talking this afternoon. She ignored us and found her own space nearby to swim back and forth the short way, a choice I totally got and respected. As she swam, though, she made little noises, somewhere between a hum and a grunt, that were quiet but audible to us. We were still in the pool when she finished her workout and departed the pool, and as she walked into the locker room, I made a snarky remark to Heidi about the noises.
Before she could reply, I laughed and apologized. "That was super unkind of me," I shook my head. "I don't know why I said that."
"Well," Heidi replied, "it was unexpected and noticeable."
I shrugged. "So what, though?"
"You didn't say anything mean to her," Heidi pointed out, and I agreed.
As we floated, I thought of a friend and former colleague who quite often used to inform me that I was making little noises when we ate together at lunch. I knew her well enough to apologize, confess I was lost in my own thoughts, and then give her a little grief right back. "But if your goal was to make me uncomfortable? You succeeded!"
She usually rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I thought you would want to know!"
Did I, though?
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