The Daddy Of Conversational Slips

(My dad goes in for a routine operation and dies on the operating table. My family and I are devastated. The supermarket I work for allows two weeks bereavement for the death of a parent, which I take. This is my first day back. Note that I’ve had to deal with a lot of people during my two weeks off, and I’m slightly sick of everybody feeling sorry for me. As a result, I’m a little defensive and harsh around the subject of my father’s death.)

Coworker: “Oh, hi, [My Name]. Good to see you! Did you have a good time off?”

(I know for a fact this coworker knows why I was off, and I give her a quizzical look.)

Me: “Um, not particularly.”

Coworker: “Really?! But I’d love to have two weeks off work, paid. Think of all the fun stuff you could go do!”

Me: “Yes, well, I think I’d rather have my father alive and well. But we can’t always have what we want.”

(I walked away as she stared at me with a shocked look on her face. I think she was just trying to make conversation, or maybe she had forgotten my current situation. Either way, it was a few weeks until she dared talk to me again!)