Recent Observation

My mother wanted to tell my father the news about what recently happened to her. My dad was listening, but moved himself from her instant path of sight to get a cup of coffee. She was getting ready for church in the bathroom and was talking with the door open. Because she could no longer see him she instantly panicked, “Wait! Why are you walking away? I’m trying to tell you something.” The tone of her voice practically shed tears that yelled, ‘Give me attention! Why doesn’t anyone listen to me? Don’t they care?’
Annoyed, my father yelled, “I’m listening! Can’t I get a cup of coffee?” Was he supposed to stand there like a British guard? Should he have stopped her in her speech to announce his plans-respecting his intent but interrupting her speech? Should he have let her speak on without saying anything just as he did? Should she have been able to recognize that he would not have been interested in her news? Should she have been able to see he has his own intentions, that maybe her story’s only important to her? If she had thought about her conversation coming out of her own mouth would she be as interested in it as she is now? Should she have been able to see that he does care yet that standing there wont prove or disprove his interest? Should he be able to see that she didn’t understand he was listening? Should he be able to see that she just needed attention or some validation? Is she supposed to understand that he didn’t know what she needed? Is he supposed to understand that she didn’t know what ‘he’ needed?
No body told each other these things. They did what they felt. They responded to the situation just as they would have meant to do, without any other influence. It was just an observation that I made. That’s all.