It took a while, but Trace Nelson of New York City eventually realized that his coworker Jennifer Friedman had been pointedly ignoring him for over six months.
"I think I must have accidentally offended her in some way," said Trace. "No clue how, but I did notice she hadn't been chatting with me as much lately. I really didn't think too much about it."
If anything, said Trace, he appreciated the break from Jennifer's inane small-talk about things he really couldn't give a s*** about.
According to Trace, it was the cold glances that Jennifer shot him every time she walked past his desk that ultimately caused him to wonder if her lack of conversation might not be unintentional. One day, to test the waters, he offered Jennifer a cheery "Good morning!" only for her to respond - several icy seconds later - with a frigid, unsmiling, "Same to you."
For Trace, the overt cold shoulder eliminated any doubts that he was being snubbed.
"Yeah, she's clearly pissed," he said. "Again, no clue about what, but I'm not touching it with a ten-foot pole. Between you and me, the girl's a little nuts."
On her part, Jennifer declined to discuss the underlying issue, and would state only that she feels good to have set a boundary that perhaps will cause Trace to change his ways - or perhaps not.
"I've let it go," she said. "What he does at this point is up to him."
