Come again???

I've found that there are some people in our lives who ask us the same things again and again. Why is this? Are they not paying any attention to the responses the first time (or the second or the third, etc.)? Have they no other topics they can discuss with us? For how long will this continue? Should I say something? Would it seem rude if I did? Or do I just go on, answering their question for the zillionth time with the same response I always give them and marvel as their expression appears as though they are hearing the information for the first time?

Conversely, there are people who pay such careful attention that they catch me off guard with their retention of the things I have told them. Alison, who I work with, is one of those people. The other day when I told her that I spent the day helping my ex-husband move, she said, "Again? Didn't you just help him move?" Wow! That was about nine or ten months ago! And I'm certain I only mentioned it once in one of those "what are you doing this weekend?" conversations we sometimes have at work. I'm impressed with her ability to remember the insignificant details of the stories I tell. Does she remember things so well with everyone? She probably does - she works with the public a lot and I'm certain she hears many stories.

But of those who seem to fail to remember anything they are told...should I be offended? I usually am, just as I am impressed with those who remember what I have told them. Or should I just let it go and chalk it up to them being overwhelmed or having better, more important things to remember?