You did listen." He sat back, nodding his head. "Okay, then. Now tell me what you really thought."" I told you. It was interesting."" Interesting," he said, "is not a word."" Since when?"" It's a placeholder. Something you use when you don't want to say something else." He leaned a little closer to me. "Look, if you're worried about my feelings, don't be. You can say whatever you want. I won't be offended."" I did. Furthermore, I liked it."" Tell the truth. Say something. Anything. Just spit it out."" I—" I began, then stopped myself. Maybe it was the fact that he was so clearly on to me. Or my sudden awareness of how rarely I was honest. Either way, I broke. "I… I didn't like it," I said. He slapped his leg. "I knew it! You know, for someone who lies a lot, you're not very good at it." This was a good thing. Or not? I wasn't sure. "I'm not a liar," I said." Right. You're nice," he said." What's wrong with nice?"" Nothing. Except it usually involves not telling the truth," he replied. "Now. Tell me what you really thought.

Just Listen