The Sphinx

I am straining to find the best qualities of one of my newer co-workers. I hope to come through with some feelings of sympathy and respect, but as yet it is all touch and go. And this co-worker gives so little to go on, disinclined as he is to interaction, discussion, or facial expressions. However, working at the front desk with him today, I did feel a flash of pity for him as I witnessed his encounter with a patron looking for her lost thermos.

She lost her thermos here yesterday. It was blue. After some time looking in our back lost and found area, through our copious collection of thermoses, my co-worker returned with the only possible choice.

"Could this be your thermos?" My co-worker inquired, holding up a blue-green thermos.

Disgusted the patron cried out "No. Of course that's not it! Mine was blue. That one's green." She said "that one's green" Like he was a complete idiot.

"Sorry." My co-worker mumbled. "This was the closest I could find so I thought I'd see."

"So then you don't have it?" She interrogated.

"I guess not."

The patron walked off in a huff, shaking her head. My co-worker settled back down sadly to work, not even knowing enough to look at me for a bit of human support. I caught my co-worker's eye anyway, with effort. 

"It was blue-green." I said firmly and quietly.

Did I see a tear well up a little in my co-worker's eye? Or did my co-worker not care at all? That's the thing, he's so hard to read.