8.08.2009

Another bizarre "conversation" playing Farkle of Facebook last night.

From the photo of my opponent I could see that she was probably very young. I decided I wasn't going to use the chat feature until she says, "What, aren't you going to talk?". So I say, "hi", and that's it. Then she wants to know why I don't want to talk to her. So I said something about my wrist hurting when I type, hoping she would take the hint and just let me play in silence. But then she says "that must hurt" or something like that, "I hurt my shoulder once. Have you ever hurt your shoulder? It really hurts."

So I said, "yes it does, my dear". Maybe I shouldn't have said "my dear", but it was completely innocent, I swear. I wouldn't have thought it would scare anyone (if that's what happened). I mean, come on, I don't care about your shoulder, right?

Next she asks me how old I am. I typed in the numbers 4 & 7, and nothing more. She responds, "I'm 15"...like I didn't know she was just a kid. I didn't know what to say so I typed the first thing that came into my head, "I have a son who is 14"..just trying to point out the age difference and actually hoping it would discourage her from chatting further.

I thought it was very strange, though, when she asked if he was single... I didn't have anything to say to that so I passed.

The game was progressing okay, I guess, though a bit slow because she was taking up too much time chatting. We were about neck and neck with each other at around the 5000 point mark when she says, "Don't you think this is awkward?" HUH??? Which is basically what I said. "You know what I mean," she continues, "you've got a son". Once again, HUH!!!!! So I reply, "I don't know any such thing...I'm just here trying to play a game."

A monumental breakdown in communication, caused, for all I know, by generational language confusion, prompted her to close the game... Which was just fine with me. I was more creeped out than she could ever have been, and that's no lie.

In retrospect I see the logic in her responce, though I honestly don't feel that I gave her cause for alarm. Better to be cautious with any stranger. But I hate to think that people would take me for a dirty old man just because I'm 47 and the person on the other end is only 15...I didn't match us up, in fact I think she was the one who intitiated the game and invited me. It creeped me out that she was so adamant about chatting. I didn't want to and should not have, even though the only reason I did was because I thought she was offended that I wasn't.

Oh well...I'll forget the whole thing soon. Which is why I wanted to make this post, so that one day I'll be able to look back and know that there are some things in life that are just going to make you scratch your head and say, "whatever".

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