Can you talk?

In middle school, I started taking books with me to school: in any free time, I would read my book. I participated in my classes and was in band, which required communicating with fellow band members, but in general I did not pursue social interactions. There were several occasions where children I did not know came up to me (while I was reading) and asked, "Can you talk?" I always thought it was a very odd question.

In high school I started making a conscious effort to be more outgoing. Whether it was my efforts or the different school format, the rumors about me being mute apparently died down. Moving over a thousand miles away to college, and now employment, surely separated them from me for good.

Last year, at my current job, another employee was using the photocopier. I watched what he was doing for a minute, then tried to be helpful by explaining how he could photocopy his papers more quickly. He looked at me in surprise, then said, "You can talk?" Geez. I guess some things you just can't get away from.