I can handle silences. But if I do talk, he will return with a story about his life. He may not be a good conversationalist. That could be bad news for me. I think of all the things we need to find out about each other, and with his silence and my purposeful silence when I'm irritated, we will not get anywhere. I did suggest counseling when I first talked to him about this. I realize it may be something he can't change, but he could improve upon it a bit.