It could happen...

I love my boyfriend dearly. Among his many excellent qualities, is his ability to say "maybe" in more ways than I previously thought possible. He has no problem saying no, but an absolute yes is a rare occurrence at best, and so I am left to decipher probabilities from the varied flavors of maybe that he uses to indicate level of preference (or lack thereof).

Me: "Can we go out to dinner tonight?"
Him: "I'll think about it."

Me: "Would you do the dishes for me?"
Him: "It could happen."

Me: "Do you want to see a movie today?"
Him: "Mmmm."

"Mmmmm" has many meanings, which can sometimes be decrypted through pitch and timber. A low-pitched "mmm" means, "It is highly unlikely," or "I really would prefer not to." A medium pitched "mmmm" could mean, "Ooh, that sounds nice," or perhaps, "I could really care less one way or the other."

Recently I suggested that perhaps I should get a Magic 8 Ball custom made to display all the possible responses to my yes-no questions.

Will David take me out to dinner tonight?
"It could happen."

Will we go to the movies tomorrow?
"I'll think about it."

Will David help me vacuum the house?
"Mmmmm."