I am genuinely interested in other people’s lives.

Most conversations stop after the first question. How was Portugal? Lovely, bit hot. And then it comes back, cleanly, to whoever asked.

The second question is where interest actually starts. What did you do with the days? Who did you go with? Did it turn out to be what you needed?

People notice the second question far more than the first, because the first is a form of manners and the second is evidence that the answer was heard.

It costs about four seconds. It is also the rarest thing in most rooms.