My husband likes to start his sentences with “No” – even when he has good news to share. He once came home from work, walked into the kitchen, and happily said to me, “No, I had a good day at work.” I still tease him about it, but I no longer find it odd.
If you asked any of his friends to describe him, I’d bet everything I have that they’d describe him as nice, calm, and knowledgeable. And he is nice, calm, and knowledgeable! So why do I say it like that? Well, apart from being nice, calm, and knowledgeable, Olli is also rather…special. He has a lot of eccentric behaviours and obsessions. Some are understandable, almost admirable, but some are just…really too eccentric for his own good.
This is why I’ve dedicated a whole chapter of my blog to my husband, Olli. I truly think the world should know him. Why should the world know him? I don’t know, but I think he’s far too low-profile for what he’s capable of. And because I have so many good stories about him to tell, I think I could publish a collection of children’s bedtime stories titled “A Man Called Olli.”
Since Olli says “No” to everything, even to things he ought to or meant to say “Yes” to, I must admit I didn’t take his acceptance of this blog chapter seriously. Here was our conversation:
Me: Olli, can I create a chapter on my blog about you?
Olli: Hmm. No. Why?
Me: I thought it would be interesting. The world should know what I know about you.
Olli: No, really…?
Me: Yes, it will be fun.
Olli: No. Right.
If you replace the “No” with “Yes,” he’s actually pretty excited about this idea, isn’t he?
I often worry about his co-workers and whether they can actually understand him. After all, it’s rather confusing to understand that a “No” is sometimes a “Yes.” It’s worse than when Indians typically nod their heads for “No” and turn their heads from side to side for “Yes.” Because the Indian gesture, while confusing, is consistent. Olli’s “No” can sometimes actually mean “No.” He basically forces you to listen to him carefully to understand what he means, not what he says. Clever, isn’t he?
But since I never take “No” for an answer, I normally just skip that word in his sentences and interpret them in a way that suits me. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Olli’s eccentricities. Get ready for more tales from the wonderfully weird world of my husband!