Who Plays Cricket?

Story Sent in by Alfred:

Dinner with Laurie was like a meal with someone who had read too many articles about NSA snooping. It started when I asked her an innocuous question about her job. I forgot exactly what it was. Something like, "What's the toughest part about being a scuba instructor?"

She said, "I can't answer that. It's a personal question."

"It is?"

"Yeah."

I changed tactics. "Okay, so your profile said you play cricket. That's an unusual pastime for an American, isn't it? What got you into that?"

Again, she said, "I'd rather not talk about it. It's private."

"How you got into cricket?"

"Yeah."

I thought I'd ask something less personal. "What's your favorite food?"

She chittered out some nervous laughter and said, "Let's just stop with the personal questions, okay?"

My turn to nervously laugh. "I'd just like to know more about you."

"Why?" she snapped.

I thought for a moment, then said, "You're right. I guess I don't."

"Thank you," she said, sounding as grateful as could be.

It's not that we didn't talk for the rest of dinner. She basically mentioned things she had seen in the news and listened as I discussed my opinion of them. Her opinions? She either didn't have any or was too reluctant to share them with such a shady character as myself. Who knows? I might have used her own thoughts against her.

Of course, I wasn't planning on asking her out again. But after a couple of days had gone by, she wrote me an email to ask me how I was and to inquire as to whether or not I wanted to go to a concert with her the following weekend.

My response? "Those questions are way too personal. I can't answer them."