am I giving off an “I’m married” vibe?
This afternoon I attended a chamber music concert in which a friend of mine was the pianist. I happened to be sitting next to a casual acquaintance, and as we chatted during intermission, she asked, “So is your husband graduating this year?”
My husband? Hmm. “Well… I’m not married, so I don’t know! He might be graduating from something this year, but since I don’t know who he is yet, I can’t say for sure.” 
She apologized for asking the question, of course, and I resisted the temptation to ask her who she had in mind.
The situation reminded me of a conversation I had on the Sunday after Thanksgiving when I went with my parents to the church where I grew up. After the worship service, a sweet, older gentleman came up to me and said, “Y’know, I was sitting there trying to think for the longest time where your husband was…”
“I know! I’ve been wondering the same thing!” I said with obviously exaggerated enthusiasm. He laughed, and then explained that he eventually remembered that I wasn’t married. I told him he was right, and then added, “But if you figure out where he is, you let me know, OK?”
Conversations like these rank right up there with other questions I’ve gotten, such as “What was your maiden name?” and “Do you work outside the home?” I could choose to be annoyed, but playing it up and adding some humor is much more fun…
