The Dangling Conversation

"We never talk anymore."
This is a phrase that hasn't been uttered with any level of sincerity between my wife and me. This was something I mentioned to her as we made our way from Oakland down to Alameda. We were on our way to see a movie. We were walking. We chose the hike over the ten minute drive. It took us a little more than an hour. And we talked to one another the whole way.
This is something we are very comfortable doing. The conversation that began in 1980 continues into this century with little or no sign of abating. What could we be talking about after nearly forty years? Nothing serious. Not for the most part, anyway. It should be noted that we are our own biggest fans. I figure that if I can amuse my wife, I am doing pretty well. She tends to feel the same challenge with me. As they say, "Amusing wife, amusing life."
All of this mutual appreciation doesn't always translate outside our little bubble. On one particular road trip, we began to toy with the notion of doing a production of Jesus Christ Superstar featuring the voices of Warner Brothers cartoon characters. Elmer Fudd as Pontius Pilate. Sylvester the cat as King Herod. The longer we mined this peculiar vein of musical parody, the harder we laughed. We could not wait to share our new comedy bit with our friends waiting at the end of the line.
They were not as amused.
We were stunned.
How could all this funny business not be the source of hilarity for everyone in our wake? Could it be that after all this time spent making funny between the two of us, we somehow find ourselves with an audience of one?
Happily, for us, this has not been the case at every turn. My wife and I can still relate to others outside our very close circle of intimates. We still get a few sideways looks when we get lost in our own little world. But it's nice to know we have a place where we can retreat, when we need. Which gives us another potential discussion for the next time we find ourselves walking across the county for one thing or another.