I zoned out while she told a story about something or another. When I came to, she said “OK?” I’ve placed her in suspended animation while I consult the experts of the SDMB on what to say next.
If I say “What?” she’ll know I wasn’t listening. That might cause trouble, depending on the subject matter. If I say “OK,” I can keep up the ruse, but I might accidentally sign myself up for a house chore, an unbounded horror familiar to all husbands.
So vote on what reply I should use when I unfreeze time.
Yeah, admit you weren’t paying attention. If you have to lie to save face, you could go for something like “Sorry - I was lost in thought about the idea of taking you to a 5 star hotel for your birthday” (or similar).
And don’t kid yourself Chessic Sense, if the wife wants you to “volunteer” for some housework, you know you’re not getting out of it, regardless of how you answer.
It’s rare that I don’t pay enough attention to be able to ask some question about the context. Frankly, I think both my wife and I are pretty good about actually listening to each other.
But when I do miss something, I just back up to the last part of the conversation I was following. Or I’ll phrase it as a clarification of something. I’m terrible with names, so I can often use something like “Wait, is this the Linda from church or the Linda from work?”
Say “What?” or outrightly admit you weren’t listening.
But here’s the important thing: Whenever she she tells a story about something or another, you must always consistently do this. This may get you into some agua caliente at first, but after a while she will come to expect it. That is the ideal state of affairs you are seeking to establish.
