Corny Conversations

IS: “How is this experience going to add to your CV value?”

Me: “I wanted to do this for the change it offered from my routine corporate job, not particularly for CV value.”

IS: “You must be getting paid a lot more than you are being now, no?”

Me: “Yes.”

IS: “You still wanted to do this, in spite of the pay cut?”

Me: “Yes. Pay was not a deciding factor.”

IS: “Pay was not a deciding factor? So would you have worked for free?”

Me: “That depends.”

IS: “Depends on what?”

Me: “On me.”

IS (startled): “Of course. So you had personal reasons to return to Patna, I guess?”

Me: “You could put it that way.”

IS (with a glance at the wall clock): “Ah! The clock is ticking.”

Me (not sure about what the equivocal statement meant): “Oh! I’m sorry. Don’t let me hold you up. I didn’t know you had a meeting.”

IS: “No, no. No meeting. I meant the clock is ticking for you. Getting married, having kids and all that.”

Me (a little nonplussed at why she had to look at the wall clock when she was actually referring to my biological clock, but soon regaining composure): “And all what?”

IS: “All that. Marriage and kids.”

Me: “But you said getting married, having kids and all that. What was the all that you were referring to?”

IS: “Arre baba marriage and kids only.”

Me: “But you said all that. I thought you meant something more.”

IS: “Nothing more. I just said it like that.”

Me: “Like what?”

IS (slightly annoyed): “Please, why are you talking like this? You are asking stupid, irrelevant questions.”

Me (smiling): “Exactly my emotions and exactly my question.”

The lady searched for words but did not manage to create a coherent statement. 

And I realized that I enjoy the act of making people speechless more than I should. 

People. Sometimes, they just don't get you.

To think that I was starting to become a milder version of myself! Huh!