Dry Humor Is Always A Cure For Sour Grapes

(My younger sister, my parents, and I are watching television together. The character on screen has deservedly lost his wife and his job. He is now drowning his sorrows. Dad takes this as a cue to pour himself a third glass of red wine.)

Mum: “Are you drowning your sorrows dear?”

Dad: “Nah, I haven’t any sorrows to drown.”

Sister: “You’ve got me, haven’t you?”

(Mum howls with laughter, and Dad has a dry chuckle. My sister has Aspergers, so she often butts heads with our parents. They had a huge fight two days ago and this is the first real laugh they’ve had since. Dad sobers and looks her in the eye.)

Dad: “No, you’re not a sorrow. I’m actually quite proud of you.”

Sister: “You would need three glasses of wine before you could say that.”

(We all had a good laugh, and the next day the tension between them was gone.)