Faux Pas

image by sam, from here

When Sam and I were newlyweds we lived on BYU campus in a complex called Wyview. Almost every Sunday we'd invite a different couple over for dinner, and from those dinners we met some of our dearest friends. Amidst the social success, however, we also had one huge faux pas.

We had invited over a couple who was new in the neighborhood. Things went smoothly during dinner, and once the meal was done, we sat back and chatted over empty dishes. But soon Sam began to worry that the couple was ready to go home and they were only staying because we kept perpetuating the conversation. He wanted to assure them that we were very much enjoying their company, but they could excuse themselves at any time if they needed to go home. So he waited for a lull in conversation, and blurted out,

"Don't you hate when people overstay their welcome?"

[Awkward silence.] Her eyes widened and jaw dropped. His face contorted somewhere between confusion and offense. Sam and I quickly tried to backpedal. But there was no recovery. They went home. And we vacillated between feeling terrible and laughing ourselves silly.