My question: Was complete silence an appropriate response in this situation?
I broke off a "friendship" with someone, let's call her SS Ellen. (Background on the "final straw" incident:
http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/index.php?topic=125363.0 )
About a year later, I was invited to an open house/gallery event given by SS Ellen's DD. I had bought several pieces of the DD's artwork over the years and the invitation was to all current and former customers of hers. In retrospect, I probably should have declined the DD's invitation without comment--or not responded to it at all.
The DD and I had a brief conversation at the event. "Mom never talks about you anymore. She hasn't seen you in a long time."
"Um... I guess you weren't aware of this, but we had a falling-out about a year ago."
"Oh, she never meant to hurt you. She still cares about you."
THAT was DD either: a)being knee-deep in a river in Egypt about her mother's SS behavior and totally oblivious to the hurt her selfishness had caused me; or b)being a flat-out liar. I couldn't decide which was worse, and the response I was really thinking of (something along the lines of "Bovine Excrement") would definitely NOT have been E-Hell approved. I also hadn't even heard of, much less employed, the technique of beandipping. So how else could I have responded other than:
<crickets>
I left the event as soon as I could after that uncomfortable conversation, and haven't been back to any of the DD's events since.