She Will Never Join You

(My mother, grandparents, uncle, cousin, and I are travelling from San Francisco to Los Angeles via car. We arrive at Hollywood and are driving down the Hollywood Boulevard.)

Mom: “I can’t believe that Hollywood Boulevard looks this plain. It can’t be true!”

Me: “Search your feelings; you know it to be true.”

Mom: *fake panic* “Nooooooo!”

Me: *squeaks happily* “You followed up! I didn’t actually think you would follow up!”

Mom: “What? Follow up on what?”

Me: “…I made a Star Wars reference.”

Mom: “Oh. I didn’t know that. It seems I followed you up by accident.”

Me: “…”

(The disappointment I felt cannot be put into words.)