HOW ARE YOU?

"So how are you?"
"Oh, you know."
"No, I don't."
Adam shrugged. "Fine."
"Doesn't sound terribly convincing."
"Maybe it wasn't meant to."
"Then why say things are fine?"
Another shrug. "Isn't that what you're meant to say?"
"What?"
"If someone asks you how you are, you say 'fine', they say 'good', and you move on."
"Not if they care about you they don't."
"Oh."
"Exactly. So how are you?"
"Umm..."
"Got you stumped."
"Kinda."
"Good."
"Why good?"
Gabriel shrugged. "Gets you to think about how you really are, and not just dumb pleasantry 'fine'."
"Which means nothing?"
"Which means nothing."
Silence.
"So how are you?"
Adam sighed. "Not so good."
"Ok. Tell me all about it."
He smiled, and told him.