Conversation Can Be Pregnant With Potential

(My dad and I work at the same school: him as a teacher, me as a tutor. While we get along well, we rarely see each other outside of work. We’ve been talking about this semester’s classes, and now I’m showing him comics online.)

Me: “This one reminds me of [Stepsister].”

Dad: “Oh, she had an exciting day yesterday. She had to go to the hospital; she thought she was in labor.”

Me: “[Stepsister]’s pregnant?”

Dad: “Yeah, about eight months. I didn’t tell you?”

(A week or two later, my brother’s girlfriend comes over to our house and mentions seeing Stepsister’s new baby. A week or two after THAT, my dad calls…)

Dad: “Did you ever hear from [Student]? I told him to call you.”

Me: “Yeah, I did. So, what’s new with you?”

Dad: “Oh, not much…”

Me: “[Brother’s Girlfriend] told me [Stepsister] had her baby?”

Dad: “Oh, yeah, a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t tell you?”

(Maybe we need to talk more.)