Text One. “Polite Conversation”

“Polite Conversation”

Vocabulary: a neighbour surgery to step out to suspect sarcastic either…or round spirit neither…nor conclusion an enquiry suitable occasion to save time to mix up to avoid at all costs to take for granted to be knocked down

Today on my home for lunch, I met one of my neighbours in the lift. “How are you?” he asked. As I had just spent four hours waiting to get into the dentist’s surgery, I smiled and said, “Terrible, thank you.” The man returned the smile, said, “That’s nice,” and stepped out of the life on the seventh floor.

At first, I suspected that the man had either misunderstood me or was being sarcastic. On my way to the office I passed the postman on his afternoon round. He waved and called across the street, “How are you?” “I’m going to kill myself,” I shouted back. “That’s the right spirit!”

Now then, neither the man in the lift nor the postman has anything against me, as far as I know. I reached this conclusion: If you are well enough to be on your feet and talking, everybody takes for granted that there is nothing wrong with you. When they ask you how you are, the last thing in the world they want is an answer. They are just making ‘polite conversation’.

My secretary didn’t even know I had been to the dentist’s. “How was it at the doctor’s?” she asked. “I’ll be dead in a week,” I explained putting a brave smile on my face. “Glad to hear it. I don’t know what we’d do in the office without you.”

There is no way to reply to polite enquiries about your health. Nobody really wants to know. You can save a lot of time by learning the following conversations by heart. They are suitable for every occasion.

If Somebody is Looking Well	If Somebody is Looking Ill
How are you today? Glad to hear that. That’s the spirit! Lucky you! Nice seeing you again.	You do look ill. How are you? Really? Too bad. Keep smiling! Take care!

Actually, it doesn’t really matter if you mix up these two lists. The main thing to remember is this: Avoid at all costs actually listening to the other person. You may become involved in a long boring conversation, and that is very dangerous.

The other day, I managed to hear the following conversation on the Underground.

- Mike! Is that really you? I haven’t seen you for ages.

- No, I’ve been in hospital for six months.

- Glad to hear that. I hope the wife’s well, too.

- She was knocked down by a bus yesterday.

- Oh, she’s a lucky girl. Children okay?

- I lost the baby in the zoo this morning. The girl’s in prison.

- Wonderful kids you’ve got. You’ll have to come round with the whole family one evening.

- They’ve all run away. There is only me left.

- Yes, we just have to get together again some day soon.

- I said I was the only one left and I hate you.

- That’s the spirit. Call me at the office. Here’s my card.

- I’m going to kill myself.

- Take care now! Next week maybe?