You know that feeling when you don’t quite hear what someone said, so you reply with something generic, and hope it works out?

A few years ago I was working in a grocery store bakery. One of our breakrooms was down some stairs, and that’s also where we could go to get a bottle of water if we needed. So one day, I head down there just to get some water.

When I get in there, one of my coworkers, David, is sitting there. He greets me, but I don’t really hear him. Being in a hurry to get my water and get back to the counter, I reply, “Oh yeah?” That’s just something I say a lot, ya know? A polite way to acknowledge that I was spoken to while also potentially inviting more conversation. He doesn’t say anything else in my short time in there before I head back out.

Later that night, as I’m replaying the day in my head, I finally process what he said to me.

I’m glad you’re here. I hate spending my breaks alone.

Oh yeah? <leaves>

I must’ve looked like such an asshole!

He never said anything about it, but sometimes I still lie awake at night absolutely mortified.