Quote Originally Posted by JuJu View Post
they let you be youself--you don't have to act for them... They accept you as you are... They're not demanding at all--the opposite. They're usually very curious about things too, so there's always stuff to do or talk about.
That does seem to describe how my IEE friend is around her duals. She comes up with zany little comments all the time and they just don't blink, and roll with whatever she says. They also don't make a big deal out of it, like call attention to it being a joke, but rather 'accept' the reality of it and play it deadpan. Umm, maybe I'm explaining this badly. I'll try to give an example.

We were both at the graduation celebration of an SLI friend of ours, and he was being all grumpy about having to deal with the 'event' of it all and his parents incessent need to take photos. My IEE friend says something like you only get two graduations (combined degrees) in your life, and when you're 80, you should be able to look back on it well.
SLI: I don't plan to live to 80
IEE: Don't tell me you plan to die at 36, that's such a cliche
SLI: Nah, somewhere between 40 and 50
IEE: But then your children will not have you around right when they go into their teens - imagine the drugs and ...drinking they will fall into
SLI: Oh, I'll train them well early on so that won't happen

And they said all of that in a light, normal tone. Meanwhile I'm going next to them because I don't like talking about people dying? Like, I *knew* it was all a joke, but um, I have this basic belief that people are talking about things they mean all the time, so I was all

When I have those kind of exchanges with the IEE, we tend to build on what each other says, until it gets more and more dramatic and collapses under the ridiculousness of it all. But the IEE and SLI seemingly could go on indefinitely.

It happens frequently too. Another time we were at lunch with a(nother) SLI and SEI. The IEE made some comment about something someone told her about monkey brains, and the practices people engage in while eating it. I immediately chimed in about seeing monkey brains in the grocery store, and then the SLI jumped in with this elaborate explanation of a family practice of his that basically validated the seemingly outlandish original statement of the IEE. The words he was saying were clearly taking the piss, but he said it completely deadpan and very convincingly, and all three of us were presenting it as if we were having a serious discussion and all the mirth was very much kept below the surface, though easy to recognise in each other. The SEI was completely lost and had no idea what we were all on about.

I've never seen a SLI sort of cut my IEE friend off because they are uninterested in what she's saying. I mean, yeah, she is a very interesting lady. But more than that, they do always seem genuinely interested - in person. And SLIs react to her very differently to the way they react to me, and to others as far as I know. They seem...lit up and brought out of their brusque exterior with her, playful and willing to joke.

I think it's cute. Really really cute.