Why Do We Have to Say the Customary “Hey!” to People Every Day
Rachel, my teammate, came to the office, walked past my desk, and sat next to me in the cubicle. She looked at me as I looked at her. It was a bit early for her liking to be in the office. It was 10 a.m. She didn’t want to be there. She couldn’t even fake it. I wouldn’t blame her. It was Monday. You’re wholeheartedly excused if you can’t fake it on Monday. It’s an unwritten rule.
As we kept looking at each other for a few microseconds, there came the tricky part. The tricky part? Who is going to say the fake greeting word first — “Hey!” What could possibly be so tricky about it? I was already sitting there in our office. I came before her. That counts for something, surely.
I’m not going to tell her “Hey!” first. She should tell me. It’s an unwritten rule. Then I’ll tell her “Hey!” back. I kept looking at her because I didn’t want her to think I was ignoring her upcoming “Hey!”. That would be rude. I’m not rude. I can’t be rude. I once tried to be rude. Rude doesn’t suit me.
She kept looking at me because she was waiting for me to say “Hey!” first. She was messing with the wrong person. She was getting nothing from me. In fact, if I said “Hey!” first, that would…
