Next Time I'll Take the Stairs

I think elevators are some of the most uncomfortable places ever. There seems to be some unwritten rule that if there are two people in an elevator, they must somehow strike up a witty and illuminating conversation between the first and umpteenth floors.

Today, I was in one with a professor. Four floors, that's all. Not enough to say more than "Hello, Professor. Chilly today, isn't it?"Instead of leaving it at that, he finds the ten second ride to the fourth floor (which feels like an eternity) the perfect time to find out where I'm from and what the weather's like in comparison to Boston's. The most uncomfortable moment, however, was the exit. Especially, and this is always the case, when both people are headed to the same place but don't realize that they are.

I would love to say that this isn't how The Exit went down, but it was:
I motioned for him to get off the elevator first.
He motioned for me to go.
I went. He went.
We both repeated steps one and two.
He says, "Wow. That was stupid."
He exits and walks away.
I exit, dumbfounded as to how awkwardly that interaction went down.

It was nice to finally talk to you, Professor. Glad we had that chat.