I was thrilled when, an hour ago, a bit of business came my way that required me to stop into Silent Man’s office (Ha! I thought. Just let him try to get away!) and ask him a very specific business-related question which required an answer.

Victory, I felt, would be mine.

I knocked on his open door, and hovered in the doorway, waiting for the usual “Yes?”, “Come in,” or even the abrupt “What is it?” Instead I got his usual silence.

Fine.

I continued towards his desk, paused at a respectful distance, and asked him for the e-mail address of an outside contractor. My question hung in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time, until Silent Man finally said, to his computer screen, “I just e-mailed it to you.”

“Thanks,” I said, smiling even more brightly than usual, in an effort to lead by example. Silent Man refused to look up from his computer.

I think it highly unlikely this silence is a product of a crush and far more probable it is born of an irrational hatred.