Left Hanging

Three. Little. Dots.

The elipsis is a literary tease, and with messaging apps, its promise of greatness has only risen.

Years and years ago, in the 20th century, texting wasn’t a thing. Lovers and courters wrote letters and sealed them with with a kiss. But even then, they’d end their letters with phrases like “Until we meet again…” Or “I long for you…” and even “I hope you’ll do me the honor of being my wife upon my return…” Sappy stuff. But have things really changed? Aside from the visual embodiment of an incomplete thought transforming from a mail carrier or a vertical hand on the mailbox to dancing bubbles, not really. Perhaps, just the frequency.

My God, the frequency. The speed of conversations and courtships has exploded. Instead of waiting for that one reply, that is likely the result of many drafts and an empty ink well, we see the other person’s wheels turning almost in real-time.

Even as they’re typing their response, they’re processing the proposal of getting coffee or dinner — not many marriage proposals happen via text, right? I bet there have been a few over FaceTime or Skype video calls, though.

The great promise of the ellipsis is intoxicating. Something is coming, and we wait with bated breath either from excitement or anxiety (depending on your makeup). The ellipsis keeps the conversation going. It keeps the chase alive. It adds a new wrinkle in the pursuit of someone’s heart. It’s also merciful short — can you imagine waiting on snail mail nowadays?

But when those flickering dots are replaced with silence instead of a response, ouch. Even worse: they’re there, then not, then back, and gone again. Maybe that’s all part of the tease though and certainly better than the sympathetic look on your mailman’s face every time you ask if there are any new letters today.