Last Friday, as I stood waiting for an elevator, an elderly gentleman shuffled over and stood beside me. As I was headed "down" while most people typically head "up" in this building, I asked him if he was going up, thinking he might not have noticed which button was illuminated. He seemed to ignore me, and spotting a hearing aid in his ear, I repeated my question in a louder tone, while simultaneously making eye contact.

It turned out he was also riding to the lower floor, and when the elevator car arrived, he slowly moved forward. As I boarded, I thought we two were going to be the only occupants, but I could hear an animated voice, speaking clearly and loudly -- but to whom?  As it turned out, there was a woman already inside, tucked in a far corner, chatting on her phone.

What I found so interesting was the elderly gentleman's reaction to over-hearing the one-sided conversation. While he could clearly hear the woman talking (her volume was quite loud), I could not read his expression. I watched as he looked at her, oblivious to her audience, the volume at which she was speaking, and the private nature of her conversation, and then looked back at me. Back and forth, several times.

I finally caught his eye and gave him a wink and a grin, receiving a smile in return. We seemed to share a secret, namely, that our chatty companion's company left something to be desired, even for something as short as an elevator ride.