August 17th 2007
"I dream of you every night and day."
"You dream during the day too?"
"Oh yes, that's known as daydreaming."
"Oh really? Since when?"
"Since when what?"
"Have you been daydreaming?"
"Oh since a long time."
"So I am not the only one you daydream about eh?"
"Oh these days, you are the one."
"And who's second in line?"
"There's no second."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really."
"Going by your track record, that is a statement difficult to digest."
"Going by your track record, that should not be."
"Why? What makes you say so?"
"Because you always believe what I tell you."
"Oh ho ho ho. That's the impression I give you."
"So you-"
"Yes yes I try to believe."
"And how successful have you been in these attempts?"
"Not quite Senor, not quite."
"Why why?"
"Because you see your track record does not quite let me try hard enough."
"Why why?"
"What why why? You told me you dream about me during the day-"
"-And night too."
"Yes, but I am not around when that happens."
"Now what does that mean?"
"I mean I haven't seen your dreams!"
"Seen my dreams! Seen my dreams! How will you see my dreams? They are My dreams. Not yours!"
"Exactly!"
"So, what's your point?"
"I haven't see those dreams."
"Oh you mean you don't dream about me?"
"No" danced on the woman's lips, but she told it to go sit and await its turn. Letting him hear a no would invite another rapid fire round.
"Yes" then asked for a chance to use her lips. But no, if she let it do so, she would have said yes and saying yes would not have helped either.
So the woman said, "I don't know."
"That's not an answer. That's buying time not to answer."
"Not to answer? But I did answer you know."
"I know those I don't know answers. They are really not answers."
"Then what are they?"
"Sentences."
"Yes, and a sentence CAN be an answer."
"But this sentence is a meaningless answer."
"But it's an answer all the same."
"Of course, it might be an answer. But it's not the one my question was interested in hearing."
"Oh your question has a mind of its own! It chooses its answers! How extraordinary!"
"Yes, so it needs an extraordinary answer."
"And what was your question now?"
"Do you dream of me? Yes or no?"
The question was objective. The woman had no direct escape. Her answer had to be direct.
"No," she said.
"No?"
"No," she repeated, "I do not dream of you."
"I don't understand why you say so."
"Two dates do not a dream production make."
"Then I wonder how the production caught hold of my dream machinery!"
"Look I'm sorry if that was rude. But I thought I had rather tell you the truth."
"Yes yes," he said.
"You're right," he added after a minute and then pretended to run short of words.
So Silence came and sat between them. She never had anything to say, but loved to keep them company when their conversation crashed into awkward territory. The woman welcomed her but did not expect her to sit there for a full 15 minutes. She began to hate her and "Are you okay?" she asked. Silence took the hint and walked off. And "Oh yes" walked out of his mouth.
"Well, you can always ask me other questions too."
"Oh yes" hit her ears yet again.
"Really! You can."
"I don't know what to else to ask you."
"Oh come now. You are quite an expert at this. You are an expert at questions."
"But not at predicting their answers."
"Ha ha ha! Well, I cannot predict your questions too you know."
"Yes, but you can shoot them down pretty well."
"That," she said, as a smile blinked onto her lips, "I can."
"I hate being shot like that you know."
"I hate to miss such shots."
"Really? Why didn't you tell me before? I would have spent a whole day coming up with questions you can shoot down."
"Are you being sarcy?"
'No, I am being honest."
"Honestly sarcastic eh?"
"Hehe. Well, yes."
"Ahh, see? I think I can read you a little now."
"Really? What else can you read?"
"Books, textbooks, encyclopaedias-"
"No no I mean what else do you read from my face?"
"Oh I wonder whether I am that good a reader."
"Well, whatever you read was correct.. so far."
"Really?"
"Yes, really," he said as he turned towards her, "So tell me what do you read now?"
"Now?" she repeated as she read his eyes, glanced through his lips, and skimmed through his hair.
"Yes yes. Tell me tell me Mademoiselle Gypsy. What do you see in there?"
"I see a lot of impatience."
"No no, that's not what I want you to see."
"Umm, I see a lot of eagerness."
"Oh yes, sure. That there is. What else? What else?"
"Umm umm, I see a lot of need."
"Oh yes oh yes.What else? What else?"
"Oh yes, I see you are impatient and eager to get home."
"Really? How did you see that? I did not put it there. Did you?"
"Yes, I did," she said smiling, "for I need to get home dear."
He sighed, remembered to smile, and was a gentleman as he took her home.
"I dream of you every night and day."
"You dream during the day too?"
"Oh yes, that's known as daydreaming."
"Oh really? Since when?"
"Since when what?"
"Have you been daydreaming?"
"Oh since a long time."
"So I am not the only one you daydream about eh?"
"Oh these days, you are the one."
"And who's second in line?"
"There's no second."
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really."
"Going by your track record, that is a statement difficult to digest."
"Going by your track record, that should not be."
"Why? What makes you say so?"
"Because you always believe what I tell you."
"Oh ho ho ho. That's the impression I give you."
"So you-"
"Yes yes I try to believe."
"And how successful have you been in these attempts?"
"Not quite Senor, not quite."
"Why why?"
"Because you see your track record does not quite let me try hard enough."
"Why why?"
"What why why? You told me you dream about me during the day-"
"-And night too."
"Yes, but I am not around when that happens."
"Now what does that mean?"
"I mean I haven't seen your dreams!"
"Seen my dreams! Seen my dreams! How will you see my dreams? They are My dreams. Not yours!"
"Exactly!"
"So, what's your point?"
"I haven't see those dreams."
"Oh you mean you don't dream about me?"
"No" danced on the woman's lips, but she told it to go sit and await its turn. Letting him hear a no would invite another rapid fire round.
"Yes" then asked for a chance to use her lips. But no, if she let it do so, she would have said yes and saying yes would not have helped either.
So the woman said, "I don't know."
"That's not an answer. That's buying time not to answer."
"Not to answer? But I did answer you know."
"I know those I don't know answers. They are really not answers."
"Then what are they?"
"Sentences."
"Yes, and a sentence CAN be an answer."
"But this sentence is a meaningless answer."
"But it's an answer all the same."
"Of course, it might be an answer. But it's not the one my question was interested in hearing."
"Oh your question has a mind of its own! It chooses its answers! How extraordinary!"
"Yes, so it needs an extraordinary answer."
"And what was your question now?"
"Do you dream of me? Yes or no?"
The question was objective. The woman had no direct escape. Her answer had to be direct.
"No," she said.
"No?"
"No," she repeated, "I do not dream of you."
"I don't understand why you say so."
"Two dates do not a dream production make."
"Then I wonder how the production caught hold of my dream machinery!"
"Look I'm sorry if that was rude. But I thought I had rather tell you the truth."
"Yes yes," he said.
"You're right," he added after a minute and then pretended to run short of words.
So Silence came and sat between them. She never had anything to say, but loved to keep them company when their conversation crashed into awkward territory. The woman welcomed her but did not expect her to sit there for a full 15 minutes. She began to hate her and "Are you okay?" she asked. Silence took the hint and walked off. And "Oh yes" walked out of his mouth.
"Well, you can always ask me other questions too."
"Oh yes" hit her ears yet again.
"Really! You can."
"I don't know what to else to ask you."
"Oh come now. You are quite an expert at this. You are an expert at questions."
"But not at predicting their answers."
"Ha ha ha! Well, I cannot predict your questions too you know."
"Yes, but you can shoot them down pretty well."
"That," she said, as a smile blinked onto her lips, "I can."
"I hate being shot like that you know."
"I hate to miss such shots."
"Really? Why didn't you tell me before? I would have spent a whole day coming up with questions you can shoot down."
"Are you being sarcy?"
'No, I am being honest."
"Honestly sarcastic eh?"
"Hehe. Well, yes."
"Ahh, see? I think I can read you a little now."
"Really? What else can you read?"
"Books, textbooks, encyclopaedias-"
"No no I mean what else do you read from my face?"
"Oh I wonder whether I am that good a reader."
"Well, whatever you read was correct.. so far."
"Really?"
"Yes, really," he said as he turned towards her, "So tell me what do you read now?"
"Now?" she repeated as she read his eyes, glanced through his lips, and skimmed through his hair.
"Yes yes. Tell me tell me Mademoiselle Gypsy. What do you see in there?"
"I see a lot of impatience."
"No no, that's not what I want you to see."
"Umm, I see a lot of eagerness."
"Oh yes, sure. That there is. What else? What else?"
"Umm umm, I see a lot of need."
"Oh yes oh yes.What else? What else?"
"Oh yes, I see you are impatient and eager to get home."
"Really? How did you see that? I did not put it there. Did you?"
"Yes, I did," she said smiling, "for I need to get home dear."
He sighed, remembered to smile, and was a gentleman as he took her home.
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