I've been a licensed agent for twelve years and I still can't figure out how to gracefully exit a conversation at a networking event. Last week I got trapped talking to a mortgage lender for forty-five minutes about his home brewing setup while my drink went warm and my feet went numb in heels I shouldn't have worn. I kept doing that thing where you glance around hoping someone will rescue you, but every other agent in the room was clearly doing the same thing with their own hostage situation. I finally escaped by pretending I got an urgent text, but I panicked and said it was about a "plumbing emergency at a showing" which makes no sense and he definitely knew I was lying. The worst part? I ran into him at another event three days later and he picked up exactly where he left off. I now know more about hop varieties than any human should. I'm considering getting a fake wedding ring just so I can pretend my spouse is calling whenever I need an out. This job is ninety percent awkward small talk and ten percent actual real estate.